Kia ora Court Supporters,
My thanks to the Editorial Committee for inviting me to contribute to Court Cues. It’s been fun being involved in the fringes of the committee and then directing some of our resources to produce content for you to enjoy, as CE of The Court.
There is no lack of content - all of us at The Court can talk about what we do for hours! We share a passion - it’s not a choice, it’s a vocation. In this edition, we introduce you to a couple of members of our Court team, Fi and Matt. They work behind the scenes - part of the “swimming like mad” apparatus of the magical swan you enjoy on the stage. You do hear Matt though - he is often the genius behind the music, incidental or otherwise, that gives life to the production.
What an exciting time for us artistically. Dan is the new Artistic Director - we have him for three and a half years - we are the lucky ones. Ross is working with me on our new building. He is also writing. I asked him to pen his thoughts on a glimpse inside the mind of the creative writer. When I read what he has shared, it makes me want to put down my pen and defer to the real writers amongst us.
The Court is, of course, part of the wider Canterbury community and we have a new partnership with Ara Institute of Canterbury - CPIT in old money. The compiling and design work for this edition has been undertaken by Andrea Marshall, an intern from Ara’s New Zealand Broadcasting School, under the watchful eyes of our marketing team. This is the last part of Andrea’s degree and we have been fortunate to have this bright young woman with us for the past six months. We wish her well for her final essay, graduation, and her future. And as always, we thank Ara for the opportunity.
At The Court we talk about our strength as the waka travelling in only one direction at a time, whether we make this a conscious choice, or happenstance. The pandemic was the latter and what it has left us with is a shared sense of purpose, struggle and optimism. We have learnt new things about each other in our team - ironic that that should come through isolation. Maybe it’s because we simply had to try harder. I couldn’t be more proud of our team and our wider whānau.
Thank you for your support of The Court Theatre. Your contribution helps ensure that we will be here for future generations to enjoy.
But speaking of enjoyment, we have something special for you. We will be holding The Supporters Lunch on 22 July in The Shed. It will be fun. The Committee has asked me to speak, and the Jesters will perform. Food and wine will be great! Register your interest so that as soon as the details are sorted out you will be first cab off the rank to secure a seat. Also, this far out, if interest exceeds capacity, we can add another event.
We are all looking forward to seeing you again soon. If you didn’t receive a copy of The Court Reporter with our reopening plans, send a quick email to Rachel Vavasour so she can make sure you have the right box ticked on our database.
Ka kite anō
Barbara George
Chief Executive
The Court Theatre