Jolly Good Show!
The Waihi Drama Society is thriving.
With 250 fully paid up members, Waihi's thespian membership is almost twice that of the Tauranga Repertory Society.
2008 productions included Lord Arthur Saville's Crime and Music Hall. Photographs supplied by Waihi Drama Society.
The Waihi group has attracted some very talented people - locals as well as folk from Paeroa, Whangamata and Katikati and there is a good working relationship between the Waihi society and drama groups from other areas.
Not all members join up as actors - there are also roles backstage such as designers, costumers, make-up artists, lighting and sound technicians, carpenters, painters, directors, producers, choreographers and hosts at front of house.
The society has been producing three to four different stage shows a year.
To provide extra opportunities for new people and to maintain interest for the expanding membership, the organisers have recently introduced monthly play readings. The junior drama classes are fully booked and due to recommence in February.
The theatre has new lighting, a new sound system and new seating for an audience of 80. The shows sell out quickly and often more performances need to be scheduled to meet the demand for tickets.
Several Newmont workers and/or their partners are members of the local society, swapping hard hats and steel capped boots for bonnets, tap shoes and period costumes.
Before...
Who would believe that in April 2006 the Waihi Drama Society was struggling to stay alive with just six members working from a theatre that was so dodgy it was condemned?
Back then the Waihi Drama Society was based at the Newmont-owned Forresters Hall in Haszard Street. BRANZ had assessed the building as unsafe and it was officially labelled as condemned.
The hall could hold an audience of up to 44 people. Everyone in the audience was obliged to become a member of the drama society in order to watch a show. This is because members of the public were not permitted to enter the building. Waihi Drama Society members could use the building after signing a disclaimer that they did so at their own risk.
The storage area was small. Precious items were stored off premises because of the risk of fire and other damage due to the building's ramshackle structure.
And After...
Since April 2006 the Waihi Drama Society has been based at the Boyd Road Theatre, in a property also owned by Newmont Waihi Gold. The society pays a peppercorn rental to the company and has found the premises more versatile and roomy than the Forresters Hall. Some changes have been made to customise the building to create a workable theatre.
The society has gone from strength to strength. Last year was very successful with three full productions - Stepping Out, Lord Arthur Saville's Crime and Music Hall. 2009 is shaping up to be another great year. To start the year off, in March the society will perform A Night of NZ One Act Plays, comprising three separate titles. In May a season of Twelve Angry Men will be staged and Peter Pan, a pantomime, will follow in August.
The last production of the year will be Thanks for the Memories, a musical show featuring songs from World Wars I and II.
