 |
|
Court Cues - May 2025 |
|
|
|
For She's a Jolly Good Fellow |
|
Our very own Chair Annie Bonifant, along with Philip Aldridge and Ross Gumbley, has been made a Fellow of The Court Theatre. This recognises Annie's commitment, outstanding leadership and hard work over many years. Fittingly, this was announced at the new theatre’s opening night.
This is the highest honour the theatre can bestow upon an individual, and nobody deserves it more than Annie. Usher, past Board Trustee, major donor to the new theatre, and leader of the Friends. Annie is at the heart and soul of the place, she really is a jolly good fellow! |
|
|
|
"I am deeply honoured to have been recognised with a Fellowship when so many people have done so much to support The Court Theatre over the years. Thank you for your kind words. The journey to build the new theatre has taken thirteen long years but we now have a world class venue. I am, along with the rest of Christchurch, so so proud of this wonderful building where we will watch many many shows for decades to come."
Best wishes
Ngā mihi
Annie Bonifant
Chair - Friends of The Court Theatre |
|
New Theatre Opening |
|
One could easily overdo the superlatives in describing the opening weekend. But put simply -WE MADE IT! And what a magnificent opening occasion.
Despite the dreadful weather resulting in a state of emergency, we were honoured with a special blessing on Friday morning by Ngāi Tūāhuriri. The afternoon cleared and the gala opening was certainly a wonderful black tie sparkling occasion. The feelings of pride, excitement and joy were palpable. Steven Van der Pol, chair of the Works Committee noted that after four years of building work, “Just to see the expressions of joy and pleasure on people’s faces through the evening created a lasting impression. We now have a permanent purpose built home that we can call our own.”
There are just so many people to be acknowledged but suffice to say what has been achieved through a huge community effort of fundraising, sponsorship, partnerships, patronage, incredible philanthropy, outstanding workmanship, architectural, landscape and design excellence, a firm relationship with the Christchurch City Council, professional expertise…and the list goes on to say nothing of our outstanding Court Theatre company and team who have made the transition from The Shed to the new building and the opening production appear seamless. |
 |
|
The opening production was outstanding on the gala night. What a privilege it was to have Sir Ian Mune and Mark Hadlow together on the stage to say nothing of the surprise appearance of director Lara Macgregor stepping in at the last minute with script in hand! But the celebrations did not stop there. A full house on Saturday witnessed another outstanding performance of The End of the Golden Weather. And then there was Sunday which began with the delayed ceremonial opening and ribbon cutting by Dame Adrienne Stewart undertaken in front of a huge crowd.
Despite the pressure of opening weekend, the staff had agreed to be part of the Open Christchurch event which saw several thousand people come through the theatre on Sunday and again staff and volunteers came to the fore to ensure the success of this occasion. The Friends made the most of this day by holding a raffle raising around $6,000.
As Court Theatre Chairman Steve Wakefield said “…the opening weekend was an awesome highlight and feedback from everyone has been fabulous.” |
|
Raffle Results |
|
Thank you to all those who bought tickets to our raffle and the very generous donors. The raffle winners are:
- Gift basket: Carmel Brown
- Voucher for a one night stay at The George hotel: R Johnson
- Voucher for a one night stay at the Crowne Plaza hotel and two tickets to a Court Theatre show: Desiree Adlam
- $100 voucher to Fiddlesticks Restaurant and Bar: Catherine Bracegirdle |
|
Goodbye Dear Friend |
|
Early April saw a number of ‘Farewells to The Shed’ as the move to the new Court Theatre in town came closer. The Friends, too, played their part by hosting a farewell lunch for the final time. This event, superbly catered by G&T Catering, saw 110 Friends attend the function.
On arrival guests were greeted with champagne, a memento for The Shed, and beautifully decorated tables which added to the festive occasion. The guest speaker, Philip Aldridge, gave a most evocative address which kept the guests enthralled.
As he began: “What a very great pleasure it is to be back with you all. And so very bitter-sweet to be saying farewell to this rusty old shed that we have all grown to love and cherish. Particularly the parking. I think my brief is to reminisce – and that comes easily as this place echoes with so many memories, so many challenges, so many people, so many shows, so many pleasures: the toil and sweat; the singing and dancing and the sweat; the first night nerves and the sweat; the triumphs and the tears; the vaulting ambitions; the heroic failures and the - happily more often – soaring successes. To paraphrase Lear – today we will live, and pray and sing, and tell old tales and laugh at gilded butterflies.”
At the conclusion, after tea and coffee were served, guests were able to mingle and reminisce, almost reluctant to leave what has become a much loved building. As we bid adieu to The Shed we look forward to further events in our new theatre. |
|
|
|
|
|
It's That Time of Year Again |
|
It’s time for our very popular Friends dinner at Curator’s House Restaurant with a guest speaker from among The Court Theatre’s illustrious talent. |
|
|
|
This year, the speaker will be Dan Pengelly.
Dan first started his involvement at The Court Theatre in 2000 through the High Schools Theatresports competition and Ambassadors programme.
In the years following, he both performed in and directed many shows before becoming the theatre’s Associate Director in 2014 and the Artistic Director in 2018.
Today, Dan divides his time between his job as an auctioneer with Harcourts and performing in Scared Scriptless. Dan is a wonderfully amusing and entertaining speaker. |
|
|
|
Those of you who have been to previous dinners will no doubt be keen to come again. Those of you who have not, then now is your chance to find out what you have been missing.
Date: Wednesday 9 July
Time: 5.45pm for 6.00pm
Venue: Curator’s House Restaurant
Cost: $60.00
Please let Cheryl Colley know if you are interested in attending – ccolley@actrix.co.nz. As usual, numbers are limited so please register early. |
|
Incoming Court Theatre Chief Executive |
|
On 23 June Richard Aindow will take on the role of Chief Executive of The Court Theatre, replacing Gretchen La Roche who has been appointed Chief Executive of Creative New Zealand.
Richard is the current Executive Director of SCAPE Public Art. He brings a wealth of experience to The Court Theatre's position with more than a decade leading arts organisations including New Zealand’s longest running contemporary dance company, Footnote New Zealand Dance. |
|
|
|
When he heard about The Court Theatre's Chief Executive position, Richard knew he had to apply. “The opportunity to lead this true taonga of the arts was an unmissable one, especially at this incredibly important time with the new theatre being opened in the city."
Richard first saw through the new theatre spaces before the official opening and says it was clear to him that the new theatre would be an incredible place for the performing arts. |
|
|
|
“I’m very excited about the future of The Court Theatre. The purpose-built new home – the first one in the theatre’s 54 year history - is very different from The Shed where The Court has been for the past 14 years. There are so many spaces in the new building that can be used and so much potential to bring the community in to do new things – all right in the centre of the city."
We look forward to welcoming Richard to The Court Theatre whanau. |
|
|
|
Immersive Theatre Aboard the Rails |
|
The Court Jesters have partnered with Great Journeys New Zealand once again to bring you another season of immersive theatre aboard the rails. This year, there are two distinct experiences. Check them out here! |
|
|
|
Murder on the Tormore Express
The ultimate murder mystery dinner, theatre, and train experience, back by popular demand! Can you unravel the clues, uncover the motives, and solve the case before the journey ends?
A High Tea with High Drama
Sip, savour, and socialise while an utterly over-the-top soap opera unfolds around you. Uncover the latest scandal, give advice on which suitor to accept, or just sit back and watch the drama unfold. Will love triumph or will a scandal be revealed? |
|
|
|
Intoducing the Red Curtain |
|
|
|
We are proud to introduce the Red Curtain, a limited-edition Little Biddy gin created in celebration of the opening of our brand-new Court Theatre.
This 700ml beauty is more than just a delicious drop – it’s a collector’s item. Only 1,000 bottles have been made, and once they’re gone…it’s curtain up.
At $99, it’s the perfect way to toast to the future of the theatre, and with $20 from every bottle going straight back to The Court Theatre, it’s a generous pour in more ways than one. |
|
|
|
Bottles can be bought via the Reefton Distilling Co. website. Pre-order today, available while stocks last. Delivery nationwide from end of June 2025. |
|
|
|
|
