Considering the future of the Repertory building

The future of the historic Repertory Theatre Building was discussed at a recent meeting. Photo / Paul Brooks

Repertory’s Special General Meeting on December 7 proved a very successful evening with a warm audience of new and old friends; dearly loved troopers who trod the Rep boards in the ‘70s and ‘80s; newbies who have just become members; our Deputy Mayor Helen Craig and district councillors; and interested people from the performing arts sector and the public, who all came together to discuss the future of the Repertory Theatre Building.

While the building is one of seven community buildings owned by the Whanganui District Council (WDC), Repertory Theatre Society has been its resident tenant for the past 89 years.

Attendees were welcomed with a hot drink and a piece of Christmas cake and were seated in the auditorium, after which Mark Morton, Repertory president, spoke to the resolution that was put to the meeting — “To support Repertory’s endeavours to facilitate the renovation and update of the Theatre Building and the negotiation of a long-term lease”.

Before putting the resolution to the vote, Mark spoke to the background of the Conservation Report initiated by the Repertory Society and the Society’s involvement with WDC. He set out the performances Repertory is planning for 2023 and the different organisations using the theatre, reinforcing that the theatre is in constant use as a community resource.

Whanganui’s status as a City of the Arts underpins the theatre’s artistic contribution and relevance. To lose the theatre would be to lose an opportunity to bring to life all aspects of the human psyche and to promote discussion, ideas, and community spirit. More importantly, he said, “Theatre reminds us that we are not alone, and we share the theatre space and experience with the artists who are performing and fellow audience members.”

Movies and television don’t have the same intimacy or sense of participation. Sharing an experience with live actors and a live audience is not only valuable, but very necessary for human connection.

The theatre’s strengths lie in its location in the heritage centre of Whanganui, its superb acoustics and ‘right’ seating numbers, with spin-offs to retailers and the hospitality sector.

Mark ended by saying, “Ideally, we envisage a restored, vibrant, multi-use theatre space open to artists of any genre to practice and perform. Repertory already supports writers creating plays, and could extend to provide space for emerging artists to stage experimental works — ‘an art incubation place’.”

Those in attendance at the meeting were also informed by Kerry Girdwood that at 3.30pm of the meeting day, she had received public pledges amounting to close to $200,000. Payment of the pledged monies will be made available for the interior refurbishment when a definite plan to restore and renovate the fabric of the building is signed off.

It was emphasised that Repertory Society wants to work collaboratively with the council, and minimising the cost to the ratepayer is a paramount consideration. Repertory Society has already provided the council with a list of potential external funding sources awaiting application, to contribute towards restoration costs.

There was then a Q&A session with active audience participation, with interesting points raised and questions answered.

At the end of the Q&A, Mark put the resolution to the audience, and there was a resounding “aye” with no dissenters!

A letter was sent to the WDC on behalf of Whanganui Repertory Theatre with a summary of the meeting and a request for a progress update in 2023.

The original part of the building was designed by John Robinson Wright and built by James Tawse in 1882, at a cost of more than £618. The site on the edge of Queens Park was provided by the Government of the time. Additions were added in the form of wings in 1894 and 1904, designed by Alfred Atkins. Generous bequests enabled the work to be done. The central part of the façade was altered in 1957.

Before becoming a theatre, the building was used as Whanganui’s first public library from when it was built until 1933, when alterations were made to accommodate its new purpose. By then, the Alexander Library was open in Queens Park.