The new Court Theatre on the corner of Colombo and Gloucester Streets. in Christchurch. Photo: Supplied / Court Theatre
The long-awaited new home for Christchurch's Court Theatre has officially opened its doors in the central city, 14 years after the devastating quakes that drove it out of the Arts Centre.
People turned up in droves on Sunday to get a first look inside the new $61 million playhouse on the corner of Colombo and Gloucester Streets.
The theatre had been in temporary lodgings in a shed in Addington since the 2011 earthquake.
The new space featured a 377-seat main auditorium and a second 120-150-seat studio theatre.
Incoming Court Theatre chief executive Richard Aindow, who takes up the role next month, said it was a significant day for Christchurch.
"I'm feeling excited about the future of the Court Theatre. This space is very different from the one that the company was in for 14 years in Addington, it's a purpose-built home the first one in 54 years," he said.
"There's so many spaces here that can be used, so much potential to bring the community in to do new things, just in the centre of the city a brand new home - it's exciting."
Inside the new Court Theatre in Christchurch. Photo: Supplied / Court Theatre
Te Pūtahi Centre for Architecture & City Making director Jessica Halliday said she expected thousands of people through the Court Theatre's doors on Sunday as part of the Open Christchurch festival.
"This is an incredibly high quality work of architecture... I'm thrilled when we build really beautiful, purposeful meaningful buildings in Aotearoa, I think sometimes we cheapen things and this is not cheapening things this is a brilliant place and it's going to be wonderful for anyone who loves theatre," she said.
Liz Angelo-Roxborough said she lived in the Arts Centre for about 10 years where the Court Theatre was previously based, and travelled from Dunedin for the opening of the new building.
"It's absolutely amazing, I'm really impressed. It's in a wonderful central position across from the library and near Te Pae. I think Christchurch is well-known for its love of the arts and it needs this support," she said.
Inside the new Court Theatre in Christchurch. Photo: Supplied / Court Theatre
Court Theatre board chair Steve Wakefield said the building would be a fantastic resource for the arts in Christchurch.
"A theatre is a very complicated building and you design it from the inside out. We wanted it to be open to the community and to make sure that connection between the actors on the stage and the audience in the seats is as close and as intimate as possible, and that's an important part of creating theatre and making it successful," he said.
"We also wanted to have a smaller, second theatre for emerging works, more fringe works, and children's performances, family shows, our wonderful Scared Scriptless comedy show that's been running for many years."
The Court Theatre's opening season in the new venue begins with Bruce Mason's The End of the Golden Weather, which runs from 3 May to 7 June.
Inside the new Court Theatre in Christchurch. Photo: Supplied / Court Theatre
The show is directed by Lara Macgregor and stars New Zealand actor Sir Ian Mune as the narrator.
The End of the Golden Weather is a coming of age story imbrued with nostalgia for a New Zealand childhood summer spent at the beach. That idyll plays out as the realities of the outside world and approaching adulthood start to seep in.
Culture 101 spoke with Sir Ian Mune during rehearsals last week and began with a reading of the play's famous opening scene setter.
"Theatres are a very risky business, and what Christchurch has done is they have secured this theatre, there will always be a professional theatre in Christchurch, well done," Sir Ian said.
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