Page 6 - OT_70th Anniversary

A cutting from the Northern Advocate Audiences enjoyed the intimate
reporting on the Annual General Meeting atmosphere and the review stated:
for 1975 details the activities of that year.
Bold headlines stated:
"It was difficult to know
whether contretemps were
REPERTORY SOCIETY impromptu or contrived.

SUCCESS! Audience participation built
"The revival of the Whangarei up and the shows quickly
Repertory Society as an effective settled down from being
force in the community was merely comical to becoming
highlighted at the annual meeting uproarious."
last night when the President, Mrs.
Pat Hill, reviewed its most successful
year for some time. Twenty-nine
members attended. Over the last The arrange-
couple of years or so the society had ment to take
established an effective formula Music Halls to
based on club activity and the Settler's
production within the intimate setting Motor Inn in
of its own Repertory Playhouse in a 1975 became
house property in Norfolk Street perhaps the
made available by the City Council” main activity
from May
1976. These
Further improvements were made to the continued The Other Cinderella
building. In the kitchen, the coal range through four seasons until 1979 with a
was replaced by a more efficient electric Northern Advocate report describing them
model and the old range was sold to a as "Whangarei's longest running
collector of antiques. entertainment".

There were advantages in performing During the latter part of the 70's full
plays in a real house too. The ‘little room’ productions were once again held at the
was just through the centre door at the Whangarei Intermediate School Hall and
back of the stage area and so 'Elegant the Golden Church (St John’s Church) in
Mother to Reluctant Debutante "Do you Kamo Road.
know where your father is?" could be
accompanied by the sound of rushing It was also during this time that the Society
water, with Father re-entering doing up approached the Council over the possibility
belt!' of keeping the Aubrey Street house when
the land it stood on was needed for
On one Saturday matinee when the roading. We also made a. request for
leading man arrived covered in mud from a suitable land for the Society's use. We had
lunch time hockey match, it was indeed the idea that, if we could acquire some land
fortunate to have a real bathroom handy. somewhere and move the house there, it
would at least give us a base until we could
Music Halls had by now become a very raise the money to build a small theatre.
successful and popular part of the Society's Some sites considered were the Pohe
repertoire. The first two at the end of 1973 Island development, the Tarewa Road
and 1974 were held in the front room of the upgrade, the Museum complex or maybe
house. Invited audiences were served the organisation known as NORTAF would
three-course meals which were heated or allow us to have a part of their proposed
cooked on the stove or coal range and theatre. Someone in desperation even
served between performance items. proposed approaching the Salvation Army.

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