Lisa Garrity, Manager of Waiheke’s popular Artworks Community Theatre and lover of all things performing arts, was asked, “Are all theatres created equal?”
It depends a lot on location. Take our theatre, for example, in the middle of an island with only 8000 permanent residents, which swells to become a mad island resort over the Christmas period with numbers up to of 50,000.
What does Artworks theatre do to provide for these two distinct seasons and audience numbers?
Waihekeans still perform predominantly to entertain fellow Waihekeans, however that is about to and needs to change because our island is more than stunning beaches, interesting bush walks and yummy vineyards. These visitors NEED entertaining! Typically in our tourist season we will have bands, school holiday workshops, a comedy show, and an end-of-year family show. In winter we have dance troops, physical theatre, community groups putting on performances and the odd political theatre.
Waiheke has a reputation for being a ‘melting pot’ of people, culture and history – how does that affect the theatre?
Yes, we have more than our fair share of the outrageously wealthy, off-the-grid foreigners, international stars, the ludicrously creative and just the plain ‘interesting’. What it is also means is that we have access to some fascinating people – we draw on them either onto the stage or into directing or consulting (or sometimes just into the audience!). We have the casting agent of Keisha Castle Hughes and Anna Paquin, one of Andrew Lloyd-Webber's early sponsors and part-owner of the rights to Cats, Les Misérables and The Phantom of the Opera, several RADA graduates, the producer of the Hercules TV series and other movies, and musicians from well-known New Zealand groups that have settled here.
We have some serious star power and were not afraid to use it!
What’s coming up that you’re especially excited about?
Coming up we have Dracula, Waiheke Social Club (the lead singer was in Stellar), Waiheke Theatre Company bringing Nana’s Naughty Knickers, and the Waiheke Comedy Show with their final performance of the year. We already have plenty booked for next year, too, including Michael Hurst coming back for a short season.
Waiheke Artworks Theatre
- 2 Korora Road, Oneroa
- 09 372 2941
- Find out more here or connect on Facebook
