Harter at Mats

MUSICAL THEATRE: Former Mastertonian Charles Harter will perform his musical One for the Road at Mats this Saturday.

Composer Charles Harter will be returning to his hometown this Saturday with a youth drama group, the Playhouse youth theatre company, based in Hastings. They will perform one of his musicals One for the Road at Mats theatre.

Harter was born in Masterton and spent his childhood surrounded by music, he said.

He returned after gaining a maths degree and taught mathematics at Makoura College in the late 1970s.

It was here that his passion for musical drama grew and his first show The Seven was presented as a major school production.

This show was taken to Wellington and eventually published in England where he spent two years in the early 1980s.

Harter was involved in the band, Haystack, which produced an album of original songs and had a 25th reunion concert at Masterton Amateur Theatrical Society (Mats) theatre just a few years ago.

The current production is an entry in the national One Act Theatre Festival with the regional competition being held at Mats.

Harter now lives in Havelock North and teaches drama and guitar/ukulele at a local primary school - a far cry from the senior mathematics he has taught for most of his life but a "wonderful change as I approach retirement", he said.

The show starts at 4pm with five entries. One for the Road is at 5pm and the evening ends with an adjudication and awards ceremony. There will be door sales on the night.