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I hope the year has started well for you. The Court Theatre is certainly on a high with the success of Something Rotten! and with its subsequent return in July.
At the end of the year the Friends committee were lucky enough to be invited on a tour of the new theatre. This was a most impressive peek into the interior of the building that will so soon be a reality.
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We hope to see many of you at our Annual General Meeting on 11th March 7:00pm.
There is an usher training session prior to this meeting for your convenience.
Ben Limmer will be our guest speaker, speaking about The Court Theatre Education Programme which the Friends are sponsoring this year.
Ngā mihi
Annie Bonifant,
Chair - Friends of the Court Theatre
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Welcome back Dan Bain
We are delighted to welcome Dan Bain back into the theatre and wish his whole team well as they prepare our next main stage production, Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express.
Dan has penned some lines for us, see below. We appreciate his candour and willingness to move on, close on the heels of a very painful period.
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It’s a big ask to rebuild bridges that have been burnt to the ground. And the one between me and this organisation was pretty comprehensively razed.
Yet that rebuilding is what Alison and Tim have charged themselves with, and why I am back at the Court Theatre directing Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express. That I am back and not just writing this, but actually in the building directing a show is a testament to their goodwill, grace, and willingness to extend their hands to the dreadfully wounded. The world can be bleak. Yet grace exists.
At the time of writing this I am at the beginning of week four of rehearsals and like a good detective I am very suspicious. Very suspicious as to why it is all going so well. But I suppose when you get one of the most experienced production teams in the country, and you get to handpick some of your favourite high-skill, high-charisma actors, it’s quite difficult for things to go wrong. Even with something as complex, lush, and ambitious as Murder.
As we get closer to moving into production week - where there will be many more opportunities for things to go terribly wrong - I find myself admiring the original story and the adapted text more and more. It’s vigorous, contemporary, genuinely mysterious, actually amusing, and a wonderful excuse to wear many lovely hats.
The hats - and costumes - are great, everyone has a moustache, the train is spectacular, and I finally got a chance to work with Yvonne Martin.
Don’t remind yourself what happens, don’t reread it, don’t go watch a film of it. Come to the show as fresh to it as you can and marvel in the elegance of Agatha Christie’s closed carriage mystery, nod appreciatively at Ludwig’s sympathetic and nuanced adaptation to the stage, and, once again, be blown away by the design expertise and performance quality that can be mustered here in Christchurch by The Court Theatre.
Murders can be solved. Grace exists. Toot toot, all aboard.
Dan Bain
Director
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The Court Theatre Van
In 2023, the Friends of The Court Theatre made a monetary contribution to support the purchase of a new workshop and props van for The Court Theatre. This van plays a crucial role in facilitating the work of The Court Theatre’s creative teams by enabling them to source, collect, and transport materials essential for building their beloved sets. Regularly utilised for gathering and moving building materials or large prop items purchased by The Court Theatre, the van plays a vital role in ensuring that the magic of live theatre remains a constant presence in The Shed.
Additionally, the workshop van is also available for use across The Court Theatre departments, as it’s needed. At present, the Education Department is using it to deliver their hugely important Crash Bash performances. Crash Bash is an educational road safety performance that The Court Theatre creates annually, in partnership with the Canterbury Police Road Safety Team and Christchurch City Council, delivered to high school students. This year, the show is on the road for five weeks, going out 23 local high schools, as well as wider youth institutions. They will deliver this hugely important message to more than 8,000 young people across Canterbury. Without the van, we wouldn’t have the vehicle to get this show safely on the
road.
Everyone at The Court Theatre is hugely grateful for the van.
We’ve attached an image with it sign written that includes the Friends of The Court logo reflecting the contribution made by the Friends.
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Crash Bash
Some members of The Friends committee attended the launch of this year's Crash Bash at the theatre recently. It was good to see the theatre's involvement in this valuable community service to numerous schools offered in conjunction with the Christchurch City Council, the Automobile Association and NZ Police.
Fronted by Jorja Baylee and Cain Llang and with technical assistance this presentation is both informative and entertaining and has addressed different themes over number of years. We wish them every success with this year's show.
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