New Zealand plays are to be aired in the lower Octagon again.
Stage South is to move its weekend play readings to the recently-established Dunedin Arts Hub in the Athenaeum.
The readings will be held in the former Otago Cine Club theatrette, which was the first home of the Fortune Theatre, from July 1974 to April 1978.
''Growing an arts hub in the Athenaeum is an exciting thought and it seems a logical step for Stage South to help reignite interest in the theatre where professional work started in Dunedin and to introduce new, young practitioners to the building,'' Stage South director Clare Adams said yesterday.
Stage South has been producing its Read Out Loud series of New Zealand plays since 2008.
''Some of our regulars are people who will have attended performances in the Otago Cine Club theatre in the Athenaeum in the '70s and '80s,'' Ms Adams said.
''For them, there'll be a lovely familiarity. We're really looking forward to seeing how things work there.''
The building was bought by Dunedin businessman Lawrie Forbes in April, to establish an arts hub in the Octagon, and Stage South was the first arts organisation to join the project, Dunedin Arts Hub in the Athenaeum director Allan Baddock said yesterday.
''We want to partner with arts groups of all kinds to create a dynamic performance centre in the heart of the city. This is part of the founding vision for the Arts Hub.''
The Stage South youth theatre company, Counterpoint Productions, will present readings of Felinity of Wendell, by Paul Rothwell, and Balance of Payments, by Robert Lord, at 3pm on Saturday.
The HomeGrown writer series will present workshopped readings of St Joan of Broadway, by Richard Huber, at 3pm on October 13 and Holding Court, by Tim Hambleton, at 3pm on October 20.
