Unity Theatre, Wellington

Last updated

Unity Theatre was a theatre company in Wellington, New Zealand, founded in 1942 that ran until around 1979. [1] It pre-dated professional theatre in New Zealand, which started in the mid 1960s and 1970s.

Different to other theatre societies in the 1940s, Unity's objective was to bring social, moral and political issues to audiences. [2] The early committee was led from 1942 until 1949 by Robert Stead, he was a member of the Communist Party and a carpenter and he also had worked with the London Unity Theatre before he came to New Zealand in 1939. [3]

One notable member of Unity Theatre was Nola Millar, [4] who opened up the focus of the company beyond politics. [5]

Over the years Unity Theatre had an ongoing search to have a suitable location for their plays to be staged, and presented works at many places in Wellington, including the building 1 Kent Terrace, which is now home to BATS Theatre. [4] Many of the company members from Unity were part of forming both Downstage Theatre and Circa Theatre in the mid-1970s and earlier also part of the beginning of the Toi Whakaari: The New Zealand Drama School (called the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council New Zealand Drama Training School when it started in 1970). [4] [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lani Tupu</span> New Zealand actor

Lani Tupu, billed variously as Larney Tupu, John Tupu and Lani John Tupu, is a New Zealand-born actor of Samoan and English descent. Also known as Lani Tupu Jr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toi Whakaari</span> Drama school in Wellington, New Zealand

Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School is New Zealand's national drama school. It was established in 1970 and is located in Wellington, New Zealand in the Te Whaea: National Dance & Drama Centre. Toi Whakaari offers training in acting, costume construction, set and props construction, performing arts management and design for stage and screen. Toi Whakaari has a roll of approximately 130 students annually, who study for up to three years.

Nicola Kāwana is a New Zealand actress, best known for playing Huia Samuels on the longest running New Zealand television series Shortland Street. Other roles include Mercy Peak, Jackson's Wharf, Lollie in The Man Who Lost His Head and “Mad” Maggie in Apex Legends.

Elizabeth Helen McRae is a New Zealand actress, best known for her portrayal of Marjorie Brasch in the television soap opera Shortland Street, and, in the last decade, as Jean Marlowe, in the internationally distributed TV series The Brokenwood Mysteries.

Tungia Dorothea Gloria Baker was a New Zealand actor, weaver, and administrator. Her notable acting roles included Ngahuia in the 1980s television drama Open House and Hira in the 1993 film The Piano. Baker was influential in contemporary Māori theatre, Māori film making and Māori arts. She named the Taki Rua Theatre, and was a founding member of Māori artists' collectives Te Manu Aute and Haeata.

Philippa Campbell is a New Zealand film and television producer and the Literary Manager at the Auckland Theatre Company.

Grant Leonard Ridgway Tilly was a New Zealand stage, movie and television actor, set designer, teacher and artist.

Nola Leigh Millar was a New Zealand librarian, theatre director, critic and administrator. She was born in Wellington, New Zealand, on 18 February 1913.

Lorae Ann Parry is a New Zealand playwright and actor.

Jean Betts is a New Zealand playwright, actor and director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Ink Theatre Company</span> Theatre company in New Zealand

Indian Ink Theatre Company is a New Zealand theatre company founded by actor Jacob Rajan and director/writer Justin Lewis. Founded in 1996, Indian Ink's first theatrical production was Krishnan's Dairy, which went on to win the Chapman Tripp Award for Production of the Year (1997). The following year Krishnan's Dairy presented in the bigger theatre Downstage Theatre and was so popular the season was extended by five shows. Over the years Indian Inks productions have been toured through New Zealand and overseas with presentations including Krishnan's Dairy, The Candlestick Maker, and The Pickle King. Their most recent production is Mrs Krishnan's Party (2019).

Taki Rua is a theatre organisation based in Wellington, Aotearoa / New Zealand that has produced many contemporary Māori theatre productions. Taki Rua has been going since 1983 and has had several name changes over that time including The New Depot, Depot Theatre and Taki Rua / The Depot. The full current name is Taki Rua Productions. Since inception the mission of Taki Rua has been to showcase work from Aotearoa. Because of this and the longevity of Taki Rua many significant New Zealand actors, directors, writers, designers and producers have part of the history including Riwia Brown, Nathaniel Lees, Rachel House and Taika Waititi.

Raymond Stanley Boyce was a British-New Zealand stage designer, costume designer and puppeteer and puppet designer. Boyce was part of the start professional theatre movement in New Zealand influencing the artistic landscape with his design knowledge. Boyce designed hundreds of theatre shows and was named an Arts Foundation of New Zealand Icon in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Circa Theatre</span> Wellington theatre company

Circa Theatre is a professional theatre company in Wellington, New Zealand, that was established in 1976. They present a number of plays each year in their two auditoriums, and have a unique partnership and funding model with incoming shows underpinned with a cooperative principle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rona Bailey</span> New Zealand dancer and activist (1914–2005)

Rona Bailey was a New Zealand drama and dance practitioner, educationalist and activist. Bailey was influential in emerging contemporary dance and professional theatre in New Zealand. She was an activist in the anti-apartheid movement in the 1970s and 1980s, and part of Treaty of Waitangi anti-racist education that started in the mid-1980s.

Sunny Amey is a theatre director and educator born in New Zealand. She worked at the National Theatre of England during its formative years alongside Laurence Olivier, as artistic director of Downstage Theatre in the 1970s and the director of New Zealand's national drama school Toi Whakaari in the late 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Sheat</span> New Zealand lawyer and arts advocate (1930–2021)

William Newton Sheat was a New Zealand lawyer and arts advocate whose input was instrumental in many arts organisations including as a founding member of the New Zealand Film Commission, Creative New Zealand and Downstage Theatre.

Kate Hawley is a New Zealand set and costume designer who works on film and stage productions. In film she designed the costumes for Crimson Peak (2015) and Mortal Engines (2018). Stage productions include work for the Royal New Zealand Ballet, the New Zealand Festival and the New Zealand Opera Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David O'Donnell</span> New Zealand theatre academic and theatre director (1956- )

David John O'Donnell is a theatre director, actor and academic based in Wellington, New Zealand. He has been a full professor at Victoria University of Wellington since 2019.

Jacqueline Coats is a theatre director based in New Zealand who has worked in both opera and children's theatre, she has worked for various organisations including the New Zealand Festival, New Zealand Opera and Victorian Opera (Melbourne).

References

  1. ↑ "Unity Theatre (Wellington, N.Z.)". National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  2. ↑ Harcourt, Peter (1978). A Dramatic Appearance: New Zealand Theatre 1920–1970. Wellington, New Zealand: Methuen.
  3. ↑ "Unity Theatre". New Zealand Electronic Text Collection. Victoria University of Wellington Library. Archived from the original on 30 April 2020. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 Gaitanos, Sarah (2006). Nola Millar : a theatrical life. Wellington [N.Z.]: Victoria University Press. ISBN   978-0-86473-537-9. OCLC   137292464.
  5. 1 2 Guest, Bill (2010). Transitions : four decades of Toi Whakaari : New Zealand Drama School. Wellington [N.Z.]: Victoria University Press. ISBN   978-0-86473-642-0. OCLC   669968400.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.