Theatre Royal delays cause drama in league
Ongoing delays to the Theatre Royal upgrade in Timaru has forced the junior section of the South Canterbury Drama League into a new direction.
Refurbishment of the theatre was planned for the end of last year but a project manager is yet to be appointed and the work is now forecast for the 2019-20 financial year.
The drama league’s junior section co-chair Tamara Hogg said there were concerns the old gear used for sets and props could be a safety risk and uncertainty of when and for how long the Theatre Royal would be out of action once work on it began.
As a result the decision has been made to stage all its shows for the forseeable future at its own smaller Playhouse Theatre in Church St.
With seating at the Playhouse for 100 compared to more than 1000 at the Theatre Royal, seasons will be longer and the number of shows doubled to match audience numbers.
‘‘They will be coming home to the Playhouse.’’
Subsequently the junior section’s criteria of 10 to 18 year-olds will be extended to include children from the age of 8.
It will also be split into two age groups and continue under the junior section banner.
They will be the Juniors-Primary for primary-aged children and the Juniors-High School for high schoolaged children.
In this way each group could present its own production. The older children could take on more ‘‘meaty’’ full-length shows, Hogg said.
‘‘They can take on more challenging choreography and rehearse later.’’
It would also save money as they could stage lesser known works with lower royalty fees and not have to pay rental for the Theatre Royal.
Hogg was unsure how many junior members the league had, as many were part of family memberships, but she expected shows would require about 70 juniors a year.
In 2018, the SCDL junior section
With seating at the Playhouse for 100 compared to more than 1000 at the Theatre Royal, seasons will be longer and the number of shows doubled to match audience numbers.
staged a double billing for the first time, of Hairspray, and Suessical Kids, which meant the different age groups could shine in the appropriate age-related show.
Hogg said it was very successful and that was one of the reasons they revisited the idea.
Next March the High School Juniors will stage the musical Curtains which is set in 1959 Boston and portrays a play within a play about the opening night of a new musical.