AUGUST 22 - SEPTEMBER 5 2026

The Appleton Ladies' Potato Race

In the small country town of Appleton, the annual show is the highlight of the year, and nothing draws a crowd like the famous potato race. But when Penny Anderson returns home and discovers that the winning man receives $1,000 while the winning woman gets just $200, one simple question turns the whole town upside down: why?

What begins as a fight for equal prize money quickly becomes something much bigger. As Penny challenges a tradition everyone else has learned to live with, Appleton’s quiet tensions spill into the open: old loyalties, family rivalries, community pride, changing values, and the awkward question of who gets to decide when 'The Way We’ve Always Done It' is no longer good enough.

Written by Melanie Tait and inspired by true events, this is a sharp, funny and big-hearted Australian comedy about fairness, friendship, resistance to change, and the surprising courage it takes to stand up in your own hometown. With five bright, vivid women at its centre, it celebrates community while gently poking at its blind spots, and shows that sometimes the smallest races carry the biggest stakes.

about Us

The Gaslight Theatre is home to the Cambridge Repertory Society, Cambridge NZ. We put on 3 to 4 shows a year, working with local directors, actors, sound & lighting technicians and back-stage enthusiasts.