LETTING OF THEATRE

Chronicle (Levin), 11 June 1949, Page 4

LETTING OF THEATRE

Local Artists Claim Rights . Under Lease I * -Ihe dispute over the Regent Theatre screen h2d anocher sequel his week when the Levin' Borough Council, at its fortnightly meeting, received a% deputatlon irom the ^ievm Litt.e Theatre Society, claiming to be the logical descendants 'of he choral and operatic . societies which functioned in the town in he early '30's, and which ^had ceroain rights over the theatre — rights which were still in existehce. Leading- the deputa.ion, which was a very large one, Mr. G. H. Sorensm said that the society was /ery concerned'ov.er a report v/hich appeared in a tecent issue of "The Jhronic e',' of a meeting between he council and Mr. E. H. Garrett.

manager of United Thea'.res, Ltd., m»regard to the use of the theatre and the shifting of the screen. - : In this report it had been stated hat "in reply.to a questlori by Cr. Antcliff, Mr. Garrett stated that his company was not bound ty .its lease to make the theatre avaiiab.e, but i1^ was quite wil-ing to do to on a reasonable number of occasions if fair notice v;as given." ■ Quotations From Lease. He would like to draw the attention of the council to the ease in question, said Mr. Sorensqn. He then gave vhe following quotation from a clause which, he said, the Mayor and 'town c.erk had both stated was still in the present lease: "In any one year, and upon giving notice of not less than 14 days, the lessor may engage the theatre not exceeding six nights on behalf of any local organisation not operating for individual gain, as for example the- choral society, operatic society or other bodies of a similar nature, and such organisations sha'.l pay for the use of 'the theatre at the rate of £7 10s for one night a year; £15 for two nights and for any .night or nights over two "in any one year the sum of. £5 per night, such charges to include everything in connection with the theatre except the services of the lessees' staff." A portion of another clause quoted w'as: "The lessees shall remove the picture screen and accessories whenever the theatre is required for other purposes and replace it when required for pictures." Why had t'~e council allowed the statement by Mr. Garrett to pass unchallenged if it was contrary to fact, asked Mr. Sorenson. Mr. Garret: had a'so been reported es saying that in regard to the shifting of the screen the company was not bound to do so, but when the request was made from flesh and blood shows or local concert parlies it wou'd do so if the request was reasonable. The Otaki society had been allowod the use of the theatre stage in that town on every Sunday night for eight months, continued Mr. Sorenson. It had been estimated that the screen liad been shifted there on 40 occasions and the technicians h?d found the apparatus to fce in perfect order afterwards. The time taken to shift the screen and sound apparatus " at Otaki had been not more than five minutes each time, and it had taken two men to do the j°fiIn conclusion, Mr. Sorenson said that as the company had stated that it was wil'ing to co-operate in any reasonable demand in connection " with the screen, would the council request Mr. Garrett to equip the screen with small rubber tyres so that it cou.d be easily moved, such as was done at Otaki. It was well known that local amateur talent had been in the doldrums for many years, and also that flesh and blood shows aid kindle 9 greater interest in theatrical enter-. tainment. The society felt that by providing opportunities for loca amateurs to ta'ke part in plays, and if the borough council, as the town's trustees, would do its part by reserving the theatre for the society's major productions and thus encourage the local talent, benefit would accrue to bo'th lesSor and lessees. Other speakers for the deputation were Mrs. C. Rathbone and Mr. N. A. Byrne. Assurance Given. Members of the deputatlon could rest assured that their questions had not falien on deaf ears, said the Mayor, Mr. H. B. Burdekin. The two points raised by the society would have been answered hard the depuiation not come along, as he had intended making an explanatory statement that night. When the question had been discussed at the previous "council meeting, neither the council nor/Mi*. Garrett had a copy of the lease, nor had it been necessary because the question under discussion was not one which concerned loca societies but flesh and blood shows from other towns, regarding which there was no provision in the lease continued Mr. Burdekin." As thc result of the counciFs negotiation.' on behalf of those other bodies— and the council wished to encourage them alsc— certain" agreements had been reached in regard to theii use of the theatre. "It must be remembered," said Mr. Burdekin, "that although we have certain rights under the lease there is -another ungie- to it that cannot be overlooked. We as a council are charged with the financing of the borough and are vastly concerned with that £130 a month we receive from the theatre company. We cannot make the conditions too onerous." The society was surely not concerned with the professional people who came here for gain, and that was what the council was. discussing with Mr. Garrett. The- council wp,s in favour, however3 ,of letting their

come to the town and helping to popularise the theatricals. In- regard to the screen, it had to be remembered that when the lease was first drawn up the position was vastly different to that of today, said Mr. Burdekin. The screen had been four feet back from the footlights. Now it was 16 feet back and it had been so removed to assist in making the stage available for other shows. Many bodies had staged shows on the amount of stage now available, including a full band, and in the main it had met with requirements, he added. There \yas no comparison between the Levin and Otaki theatres, he continued. The amount of equipment back stage at Levin was greater and weightier than that at Otaki, and as far as moving it was concerned the council did know what it took as its employees had done the job. It was definitely not os simple to move as the Otaki screen. The council would take up the siiggestion of rubber tyres with the company- and it was also quite clear that the society was entitled to make app'ication to the council for the use of the theatre and removal of the screen. After the deputation had left, the council discussed the who"e question and^. "decided it would rdvise the society that (a) the Levin Little Theatre Society was a body defined under the clause in the lease; (b) that if it required lurther depth of stage other than the present 16 feet, they should make representations to the council which, if thought reasonable, wouTd be passed on to ttie company with the request that it be moved at no extra charge; and (c) that the council would submit the suggestion to the company in regard to the equipping of the screen with rubber tyres.