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Get ready to hit
that floor and burn, baby, burn..... in It's the summer of 1976... it's as hot outside as the fashion, hits and passion are on the dance floor and Jack is about to celebrate a 21st birthday he will never forget in this fantastic new 70's Musical Comedy. Rehearsals for 'Disco Inferno' started on Sunday 29th August at the Riverbank Centre.
The season of HOT MIKADO has now finished. Although the number of people attending the show was fewer than expected we have had some very positive comments from the papers, and even a letter from a visiting American who saw the show."A Welcome Diversion From Reality....spectacularly full of song and dance....and a tonic to provide laughter" Whangarei Leader "Vibrant costumes, excellent stage set-up and well-choreographed dances" The Report "..stand-out performances - Penny Mashlan's Katisha and Ratu Hiku as the Mikado." The Northern Advocate "Having seen this show many times, the production in your city is the best amateur production I have seen." Arthur James Stewart, California - letter to The Report
Sunday 11 April 2010 saw WTC President present former President Peter Gibb with the Musical Theatre New Zealand Merit Award, at a ceremony attended by the Life members of WTC and the cast of Hot Mikado at a break in their rehearsal. Peter had been nominated for the Award by the current Executive committee in recognition of the huge amount of work he undertook for WAODS while President from 1980 – 1994, at which point he stood down for health reasons. In the early days of WAODS, he managed all of
the lighting and sound for the shows. Peter worked all hours to get the lighting
and sound as good as possible. Once he became President, Peter made many
sacrifices to support the development of the Society. During the building of The
Riverbank Centre, Peter guided the committee through the quagmire of legal and
technical jargon. When the main building contractor went into receivership Peter
took over his role, assisted by many of the members, so enabling the Riverbank
Centre to be completed. Peter was a quiet person who would smooth ruffled feathers and calm angry men, yet had amazing organizational powers. Further to his work at WAODS, Peter took other roles in the Whangarei Arts community. Even though his health stopped him doing things for the society after 1995, he took over the chairmanship of the James Rice Trust and still holds this position today. At
the presentation Peter spoke fondly of his time as an active member of WAODS,
and of the valuable role it (and other societies) played in the social fabric of
Peter
with some of the original committee members from his time as President
The AGM was held on Sunday 14th March 2010. Minutes from the meeting can be found here, and a new Executive Committee was elected.
6 members of WTC attended the Musical Theatre New Zealand 50th Annual Conference in Auckland in March 2010. As well as learning that WTC was on track in many of its functions, such as set design, publicity etc the members were also able to attend workshops covering many aspects of stage craft.
Miss Information, the comedy by Waipu's Neil Troost, has finished. Nearly 600 people came to enjoy the well-presented humour of Neil's play, and to savour Faye McMillan's desserts which won their own accolade in the local paper.
by Ed Waugh and Trevor Wood. This side-splitting comedy about friendship, solidarity .......and sex, closed on 5 December 2009 after a highly successful run. The demand for tickets led to the last three shows being performed in the larger main auditorium. The other 'first' for the show was giving one performance in the Centre at Kerikeri. This was well received by the 170-strong audience, and has raised the possibility of future shows going there as well. Interest in the show has now been shown by theatre groups from Palmerston North and Whakatane. Both had members come to see the show, and in their own words "...were blown away by it....".
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum closed its successful run on Saturday 19 September 2009.
6 members of WTC attended the Musical Theatre New Zealand Annual Conference in Queenstown at the end of March 2009. As well as learning that WTC was on track in many of its functions, such as set design, publicity etc they were also delighted to receive the Constance Stewart Memorial Multi C Programme prize for the programme for I'll Be Back Before Midnight.
At the end of January 2009 we became the owners of 3 Finlayson Street, and are now busy cleaning the inside. Once that is done we will be replacing the front roller door, and constructing a mezzanine floor to allow the wardrobe to be moved there. The extra space will ensure the clothes can be stored more suitably, and improve access to them. It will also provide a sewing area, which should help the wardrobe team considerably. The space then available at the Riverbank Centre will enable the props to be stored in a safer manner, and the library and archive material to have more space. All in all, your committee think this is going to make a significant improvement to what we can offer to our members.
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