Theatre falls victim to coronavirus
Auckland’s Pop-up Globe theatre company has been put into liquidation after being unable to weather the impact of the Covid-19 global pandemic.
In a statement on the decision to liquidate, Pop-up Globe directors Dr Miles Gregory and Tobias Grant said they were ‘‘gutted’’.
Pop-up Globe was a replica of the second Globe Theatre, the historic building where playwright William Shakespeare staged his productions.
The temporary theatre, which billed itself as the world’s first working replica of the second Globe, debuted in a car park in central Auckland in 2016.
From 2017, the temporary summer theatre was constructed in the gardens at Ellerslie Racecourse.
By January last year, Pop-up Globe had produced 16 professional Shakespeare productions, entertained more than 750,000 ticket holders including more than 50,000 school students, and was successfully operating international touring seasons, organisers said.
Last year was expected to be the final year Pop-up Globe performed in New Zealand.
Pop-up Globe announced it was planning to focus on international touring while maintaining its headquarters in Auckland. But the local season was curtailed by Covid19 restrictions and international plans were put on hold.
Last week, liquidators Clive Bish and Gareth Hoole were appointed.
Bish said it was too early to comment and a report would be released at a later date.
Gregory and Grant said they had hoped to come back from Covid stronger than ever. ‘‘But for us the timing could not have been worse and sadly we have not been able to find a way through,’’ they said.
‘‘Covid-19 immediately crushed Pop-up Globe. It closed the company’s Auckland theatre, made international touring impossible, eliminated 100 per cent of its income indefinitely, and made it impossible to create revenue or plan future activity with any certainty.’’
The company was put in hibernation and the directors negotiated with creditors but were unsuccessful, they said.