Theatre Plan Praised

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31092, 22 June 1966, Page 14

Theatre Plan Praised

The Canterbury Repertory Society’s scheme for turning the Repertory Theatre into an intimate theatre for both amateur and professional productions was “practical, purposeful and extremely economic,” said Mr Richard Campion, director of the New Zealand Theatre Centre, yesterday.

He said this was just what the Theatre Centre wanted Christchurch to do. “It is well within the reach of a rich community like Christchurch within a short time,” said Mr Campion. “If Christchurch can produce a comfortable, intimate and workable theatre for £ll,OOO, it is doing extremely well,” he said. “It would cost at least £50,000 to do so from scratch.”

“With this achieved, the Theatre Centre will be able to recommend aid from the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council. Funds can flow.” Mr Campion said the Canterbury project helped fulfill the aim of the Theatre Centre, which was not mainly to put on plays and take them on tour, but to set up congenial centres of theatre in each city. They would grow as fast as local energy and commitments allowed. In Wellington the On Stage group was a shining example of “do-it-yourself” effort. In Dunedin the Southern Players were extending their theatre, and now the Christchurch Repertory Society was announcing its plans for professional theatre on the eve of its own 200th production. i Mr Campion said the Canterbury society was employing a professional director and felt that the maximum

use should be made of its

theatre. It was taking the logical step of establishing a theatre centre. He said the other concern of the New Zealand Theatre Centre was the training of actors so that talent would be available as the new regional theatres became operational. It wanted to encourage actors on whom New Zealand had spent £50,000 in overseas training bursaries to come back. Another need was directors and trained persons to handle the business side of

regional theatres. “It’s exciting young directors who will really make theatre hum in this country,” he said.

He felt the New Zealand Theatre Centre had already achieved a lot, he said. "The major thing was to get energy where stagnation ruled. It is over now to the local people to take over. Progress to date has been quite exciting. One has to be patient. It Is important that things be built rather than jerry-built.” (Earlier report, page 18)