Court Cues - December 2024

Kia ora 

The end of the year is nearly here and with it our very last main stage production in The Shed. Great new beginnings are ahead. Strictly Ballroom The Musical is likely to be a highly successful musical judging by the great audience responses to it so far. It will run until 1 February 2025. As always it will be heavily booked towards the end of the season so make sure to book your tickets early.

As you may have read Gretchen La Roche, our Executive Director, has recently been appointed as the new CEO of Creative New Zealand which means she will be leaving us in May 2025. We are thrilled for her in winning this very important national role in the Arts, but very sad to lose her. She has been an admirable leader for The Court Theatre over this last very challenging year. Thank you, Gretchen, so much for all you have done for us.

Friends of The Court Theatre Lounge

The new theatre is looking sensational and we can now show you some of the architectural renders of our very own Friends’ Lounge. The room has an outside terrace behind the curtains and a door leading directly into The Stewart Family Theatre from the lounge so there is no need to go back through the foyer. It also has its own bar and fridge. We will be able to use this space for events pre and post show and to host other events for Friends.

Those people who donated to the “Play your Part” campaign will have their names on a plaque on the wall. The plaque has not been made yet, so if you would like to contribute to the campaign you still have time. Just to remind you the contributions are: $200, $350, or $500+.

A Doll's House piano

Memories from long-serving usher Ann Turner of the first production of A Doll’s House

My introduction to ushering for The Court Theatre was in the early 1970s at Begg’s Theatrette. A Doll’s House was the play.

I can remember the anticipation of the evening’s theatre. We entered Begg’s shop in High Street with all their musical instruments on display, then moved to the back of the shop where the stairs led up to the theatre on the first floor.

Upstairs the area designated for the actors to work wasn’t overly spacious, and as ushers we had to clean the seating area and set out the chairs for the audience – quite different from today. Screens were used to allow the actors to leave the set as required over the presentation of the play. We made coffee in plastic cups and at the end of each evening we ushers once again had the job of cleaning up the space for the next day – putting all the chairs away and sweeping the floors.

It was wonderful to attend the recent production of A Doll’s House at The Shed – such an excellent evening of theatre. Certainly it was quite a contrast to that very first production, in both the duties of the ushers and the complexity of the production.

Sequins, ruffles, sparkles – and walk shorts - the costumes for Strictly Ballroom The Musical

If you imagine every ballroom dancing show you have ever seen you probably won’t come up with even half of the glitz and glamour of the costumes that have been created for this end of year musical. They are quite magical. Yet there is also something very 1980s Australian included – brown walk shorts and long socks worn with a shirt and tie!

Let’s hear from the costume designers Daniel Williams and Daniella Salazar in their own words: 

We wanted our design to take inspiration from all of Baz Luhrmann’s films, so we have built a heightened world dripping in sequins, ruffles, sparkles, fringing, advertising, branding, spandex, and feathers, set against a rural Australian 1980s backdrop. 

We approached this project knowing we would need to collect a vast amount of ballroom dresses. A traditional waltz gown normally costs a few thousand dollars, so we had to build the vision from a different angle as that was just not in our budget. Many of the garments we sourced from Thailand, China, and Australia, and then we added glitz and glamour to them as well as some pieces made in house. The glorious men’s Latin jumpsuits were made by our fabulous team, and Shirley's frocks were also handmade. There are about 165 full costumes in the show, 58 wigs, 28 headpieces, 62 pairs of shoes, and approximately 70 understudy garments standing by in the wings.

Characters like Scott and Fran embody their journey through their costumes, transitioning from conservative 80s attire to more expressive garments that highlight their growing confidence and individuality. It was a clear design decision to keep them both grounded in reality while the rest of the cast are more overt with broad Kath & Kim- like ‘Aussie-isms’. 

One of our favourite moments in the show is “Magnifico”. Here we get a glimpse into the heart and soul of the story. It’s rich, hot, and passionate with its Paso Doble and South American costuming.  It's a welcome rest from the dazzling sparkles and decadence of the ballroom scenes. 

Friends’ Quiz Night

There was a real festive atmosphere and buzz in The Shed’s foyer on 4 November as 14 teams of 6 quizers gathered for the biennial Friends' Quiz Night. Quiz Master Extraordinaire as usual was David Winfield, resplendent in his sparking blue hat. Questions covered the whole gamut of subjects from history, politics, geography, and the arts to those related specifically to past Court Theatre productions – challenging and entertaining.

Our thanks to all the sponsors of raffle and quiz prizes - The George Hotel, No 4 Bar, The Classic Villa, Little Biddy Gin, and Ryman Healthcare. As always, the raffle prizes were so good that tickets sold like proverbial hot cakes which is exactly what we wanted for our fundraising evening. 

Message from the theatre re the Take Your Seat Campaign

Note from our Friends’ Treasurer

Bank of New Zealand – the bank used by the Friends of The Court Theatre – has recently introduced Confirmation of Payee, an industry-wide service that allows customers to check that account owner names and account numbers match before making a payment within New Zealand. So when making a payment to the Friends, please make sure that you have the account name correct – it should be Friends of the Court Theatre Incorporated. Thank you.   

The Court Theatre
Bernard Street
Addington
Christchurch 8140
New Zealand
Freephone: 0800 333 100 | Box Office: 963 0870
Email: friends@courttheatre.org.nz
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