The stage will soon be set for Christchurch's newest-old theatre.
Construction of the $56 million Court Theatre is well underway on the corner of Colombo and Gloucester Sts, with foundations completed and vertical construction going up fast.
Artistic director Ross Gumbley got his first look at the building's progress recently, and iss excited to see it starting to come together.
"There's a circle of energy, and you can feel, even just standing here with these rudimentary lines, that you'll be able to grab that audience in".
The new three-storey high Court Theatre will feature a 375-seat playhouse theatre, a smaller 130-seat theatre, an education studio, and multi-purpose spaces.
Christchurch City Council is contributing $46 million towards the project, the Court Theatre fundraising $7 million and the final $3 million coming from the Government.
"A big loss was losing our studio theatre space. So we're going to have a studio theatre where we'll be able to put on more challenging work".
The new central city theatre is expected to be a major cornerstone of Christchurch's performing arts precinct.
The council is now calling for proposals from interested organisations keen to be part of the new project.
Gumbley welcomes the move.
"As performing arts, you know, we're all in a war against Netflix. We need to give people a reason to come out of their living rooms, and if we can create a hub in the center of the city, that all the arts groups can be part of, well then bring it on".
The Court Theatre Trust hope to take possession of the new building in late 2024, with the curtain scheduled to go up at the new venue in early 2025.
- By Geoff Sloan
Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
