World’s a stage but it is all about seats for theatre bums
HELEN CLARK has one. So does chef Peter Gordon and comedian Te Radar.
They’ve all taken a seat – literally – at Auckland Theatre Company’s new home.
The $35 million building, under construction at the city’s waterfront Wynyard Quarter, will boast 650 seats funded by individuals who have paid $1000 for the privilege of a personalised inscription.
While Clark, a former prime minister, has simply opted for her name, others have taken a more theatrical approach.
From Shakespeare (‘‘ all the world’s a stage’’) to Oscar Wilde (‘‘ always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much’’) the fundraising campaign has, so far, attracted 220 donors. They include a 10-seat bulk buy by a family trust and a Year 13 high school drama class that pooled funds.
Sia Trokenheim, Swedish- born star of television’s Step Dave, was among the first to sign up, with the inscription ‘‘for every theatre bum, there should be a seat’’.
‘‘I wanted to keep it simple,’’ she says. ‘‘ And remind the audience member they are a much welcomed guest who’s about to embark on a wee adventure.’’
Comedian Te Radar’s inscription promises ‘‘the best seat in B Reserve’’.
‘‘That’s the kind of guy I am,’’ he says. ‘‘I will spend an inordinate amount of time seeing if I can save $5 on a seat.’’
Te Radar says a ‘‘little bit of arts philanthropy never goes astray’’ and the new theatre contributed to the ‘‘conceit and concept’’ conceit of Auckland as a liveable city.
‘‘The thought that people can go and see theatre that might change their lives, or they might really hate – that’s the point of it. So long as it’s not boring!’’
Auckland Theatre Company
has been the ‘‘only significant regional theatre company in Australasia’’ without a permanent performance venue, according to Lester McGrath, the company’s general manager.
McGrath says the ASB Waterfront Theatre would fill a ‘‘ mid- size venue’’ gap in the city. Currently, shows are staged in the likes of the smaller 440-seat Maidment Theatre or the concert-sized venues such as the 2300-seat Civic Theatre.
Auckland Theatre Company would use the new venue for around half the year. ‘‘The rest of the time it will be available for other companies to come in and use for spoken word drama, cultural performances, touring companies, dance, and I would hope we would see some chamber opera in there.’’
The new
seats
–
built
for
maxi- mum leg room and comfort – have been sourced from a company in Lower Hutt.
‘‘Having good seats is something people really care about. They don’t like uncomfortable seats, they don’t like poor leg room and getting it right is critical.’’