The Basement Theatre is an Auckland theatre founded by Charlie McDermott in 2008. The theatre focuses on providing a venue for young people in the performing arts to enter the industry. Their priorities are making theatre accessible for both those who work in the industry and audience members.
The building was previously occupied by Silo Theatre which vacated the premises in 2007. Charlie McDermott, Michelle Blundell, and Morgana O'Reilly were employed as bartenders at the time and raised funds over the summer to take over the space.
The theatre saw the debut of actors who have since rose to prominence including Rose Matafeo and Tom Sainsbury. [1] They are funded by Creative New Zealand, Foundation North and Auckland City Council. [2] In 2018 they had hosted over 600 shows.
In 2020, The Basement Theatre was forced to close for around 6 months because of COVID-19 restrictions, but at the end of the year they were able to stage a Christmas show, Le Basement XXXmas Cabaret. [3]
Current staffing includes Cat Ruka (Executive Director), Nisha Madhan (Programmer), and Trigg (Technical & Facilities Manager). [4] Actor and director Michele Hine was a founding Board member, and chair for six years. [5]
Lisa Irene Chappell is a New Zealand actress and musician. She is known for her roles as Chelsea Redfern in Gloss (1987–1990), and as Claire McLeod in McLeod's Daughters (2001–2003), a performance which earned her two Logie Awards, for Most Popular New Female Talent and Most Popular Actress.
South Pacific Pictures is a New Zealand television production company. The company produces drama series, mini-series, telemovies and feature films for the domestic market and international market. SPP's largest property is Shortland Street the half-hour soap opera for TVNZ 2. In 2006, the company released Sione's Wedding and in 2002, the Oscar-nominated feature film Whale Rider. In 1998 the company produced the feature film, What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?, the sequel to Once Were Warriors.
Lavina Rose Williams is a New Zealand musical artist and musical theatre performer.
Jennifer Cecily Ward-Lealand is a New Zealand theatre and film actor, director, teacher and intimacy coordinator. She has worked for 40 years, appearing in over 120 theatre performances: Greek, Shakespeare, drama, comedy, devised, and musical theatre. Her screen credits include the 1993 movie Desperate Remedies as well as appearances in The Footstep Man, the soap Shortland Street and Australian comedy series Full Frontal.
The Billy T Award is a New Zealand comedy award recognising up-and-coming New Zealand comedians with outstanding potential. It has been presented annually since its inception in 1997 when Cal Wilson and Ewen Gilmour shared the award. The Billy T was shared between two comedians until 2001 when it became a solo award.
The Aotea Centre is a performing arts and events centre in Auckland, New Zealand. Located at the western edge of Aotea Square, off Queen Street, the centre provides a cultural, entertainment and conventions venue space in the heart of the city, and is managed by Auckland Unlimited. The origin of its name is Motu Aotea, the Māori name for Great Barrier Island, which is the largest offshore island of New Zealand and approximately 90 km from downtown Auckland.
City Impact Church (CIC) is a pentecostal church based in Auckland, New Zealand. It operates a network of satellite churches across New Zealand, and in Canada, India, Mexico, the Philippines, and Tonga. It operates several community outreach programmes in New Zealand, including a school, a "Community Impact" support programme, and three childcare centres.
Dove-Myer Robinson Park, more commonly known as the Parnell Rose Garden, is a park in Parnell, Auckland, New Zealand. The park is named after Dove-Myer Robinson, the longest-serving mayor of Auckland, who served for 18 years. There are over 5,000 roses in the garden. Some of the plants in the garden have been bred by internationally celebrated rose breeders.
Margaret Mary Barry, generally known as Maggie Barry, is a New Zealand radio and television presenter and politician.
Music and Audio Institute of New Zealand (MAINZ) is a faculty of the Southern Institute of Technology, focused on contemporary music and music-industry related education. MAINZ offers music and audio courses from Diplomas to Certificates at its campus in Christchurch. MAINZ alumni include Joel Little, Josh Fountain, Troy Kingi, Karen Hunter, Gin Wigmore, Zowie, members of the Checks, Concord Dawn, Goldenhorse, Goodnight Nurse, Midnight Youth, the Mint Chicks, The Naked and Famous and 8 Foot Sativa. MAINZ tutors have included New Zealand music luminaries Harry Lyon and Dave McCartney.
Guy Montgomery is a comedian from New Zealand. He is known for his panel game show Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee, which he began as a web series before becoming a TV series, for +HR=E in New Zealand, and later, adapted to a slightly higher budget Australian version for the ABC. He won the Fred Award in 2023.
Ahilan Karunaharan is writer, director, actor and producer of Sri Lankan descent from New Zealand. He is a recipient of the New Zealand Arts Laureate Award.
Elisabeth Easther is a New Zealand actor, broadcaster, journalist and playwright. She played Carla Crozier on New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street from May 1995 to July 1996, and has since had a varied career in television, radio, journalism and playwriting. Her play Seed won the Adam NZ Play Award for Best Play in 2014.
The Hollywood Cinema, also known as the Hollywood or the Hollywood Avondale, is a cinema and performing arts theatre in the suburb of Avondale, Auckland, New Zealand. Under different names and management, the business and the building evolved from the council-administrated Avondale Public Hall built in 1867. Following a name change and installation of a new frontage in 1915, the Hall was leased to Harry Empson, who showed movies in the venue from 1916 to August 1927 when he sold the business to Frederick William. In 1923 the original building was moved to the adjacent lot and a new venue constructed behind the frontage. Notwithstanding the challenges of providing talkie movies and competing cinemas in neighbouring suburbs, a succession of managers, including the family of Rudall Hayward, ran the picture theatre until 1966 when the business was acquired by Jan Grefstad, who named it the Hollywood Cinema. During Grefstad's time, the Hollywood was known for the weekly midnight showings of the Rocky Horror Picture Show and the installation of a Wurlitzer Organ. After Grefstad died in 2001, the business was managed by a family trust before being sold on the open market in 2015. As of 2024 it continues to host classic, cult, revival and marathon screenings as well as selected concerts and events.
Nisha Madhan is a New Zealand actor, director and producer with experience in film, theatre and television. She appeared on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street for three years. She is a regular performer in theatres in New Zealand and has appeared both nationally and internationally in theatre productions including with the Indian Ink Theatre Company. Madhan has also created, produced and directed theatre shows including co-creating and directing the award-winning Working On My Night Moves.
Alice Canton is a New Zealand theatre-maker and performer of Chinese and Pākehā descent.
Silo Theatre is a theatre production company based in Auckland, New Zealand established in 1997 directed by Sophie Roberts.
Jason Te Kare is a New Zealand director, playwright and actor.
Thomas Sainsbury is a New Zealand actor, writer, comedian and filmmaker. Sainsbury began his acting and writing career in theatre. He became well known in New Zealand from 2017 for his short form comedy videos released on social media. As a comedy writer and performer he has contributed to Pork Pie, 7 Days, Jono and Ben, Shortland Street and Wellington Paranormal. With Madeline Sami he co-wrote Super City, which won the SWANZ Scriptwriters Best Comedy Script Award in 2011.
Michele Rae Hine is a New Zealand actor, director and performing arts educator. Hine has had roles in Disney's Return to Oz, disaster film Atomic Twister, New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street, and played Carol Duff in Go Girls. In 2021, Hine was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to performing arts education.