Globe Theatre is a theatre located in
Dunedin
Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...
,
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
, and the amateur theatre company that runs it. The theatre was built in 1961 by Patric and Rosalie Carey as an extension of their house. The building to which it is attached, at 104 London Street, was designed by architect
William Mason as his own house and built in 1864.
Ralph Hotere
Hone Papita Raukura "Ralph" Hotere (11 August 1931 – 24 February 2013) was a New Zealand artist. He was born in Mitimiti, Northland and is widely regarded as one of New Zealand's most important artists. In 1994 he was awarded an honorary d ...
designed both sets and costumes for the theatre productions. The foyer area was also used for exhibitions, notably the Waterfall paintings of
Colin McCahon
Colin John McCahon (; 1August 191927May 1987) was a prominent New Zealand artist whose work over 45 years consisted of various styles, including landscape, figuration, abstraction, and the overlay of painted text. Along with Toss Woollaston an ...
, paintings by
Michael Smither
Michael Duncan Smither (born 29 October 1939) is a New Zealand painter and composer.
Background
Smither was born in New Plymouth and was educated at New Plymouth Boys' High School and Elam School of Fine Arts, Auckland. While studying he wor ...
, and pots by
Barry Brickell,
Len Castle
Leonard Ramsay Castle (23 December 1924 – 29 September 2011) was a New Zealand potter.
Early life and family
Born in Auckland on 23 December 1924, Castle was educated at Mount Albert Grammar School. He went on to study at Auckland Univ ...
, and
Doreen Blumhardt.
104 London Street as residence
The large family house at 104 London Street was designed by architect
William Mason as his own house and built in 1864.
Mason built his residence at 104 London Street in 1864. When he retired to Glenorchy, he sold the house to Robert Blackadder, a Dunedin merchant, who occupied it from 1879 to 1901, and then sold it to Dunedin draper Herbert Haynes, who resided there from 1901 to 1915. From 1915 to his death in 1941, the house was owned by Alexander Beggs, son of
Charles Begg, of the music and piano store. Beggs' widow Christina remarried to John McLaren in 1948, and after her death in 1956 it passed into the ownership of McLaren. Rosalie Carey (1921–2011) and Patric Carey (1920–2006) bought the house from McLaren in November 1957.
104 London Street as theatre
The Careys came to Dunedin intending to start a theatrical company, despite being aware of
Sybil Thorndyke's description of the city as "the graveyard of theatre". The Careys first staged productions in the garden and drawing-room, but began excavations to add a theatre off the former drawing room in 1961.
The addition was designed by
Niel Wales, who was the grandson of
Nathaniel Wales, Mason's partner in
Mason and Wales
Mason & Wales is New Zealand's oldest surviving architectural design company.
The company was founded in Dunedin in 1863 by William Mason, who — as well as being an architect — had served as a Member of Parliament and as the first Mayor of ...
architects, and was originally approved by the council only as an extension to Rosalie Carey's teaching studio.
According to theatre studies lecturer David Carnegie, the theatre may have been the first in New Zealand built without a proscenium arch.
The Globe Theatre opened on 31 May 1961, with a production of
Romeo and Juliet, and a seating capacity of 45. Juliet was played by Dallas Campbell and Romeo by Richard Butler.
Patric Carey acted and produced, while Rosalie acted, took charge of costumes, fed cast and crew and kept the books. Rosalie Carey left Dunedin after 18 years.
Theatre company
A complete list of plays performed at the Globe up to 1973 is included as an appendix in Rosalie Carey's book ''A Theatre in the House''.
The theatre premiered all or most of
James K. Baxter's plays, and held first productions in New Zealand for many other playwrights such as
Samuel Beckett.
Academic, actor and playwright Simon O'Connor spent three years at the Globe after reading a ''
Listener'' article about the Careys.
As of 2021, the Globe is administered by a society, the Friends of the Globe. The Globe continues to entertain Dunedin, with recent productions including Friedrich Schiller's
''Mary Stuart'', adapted by Keith Scott, in 2016, and Shakespeare's
Richard II in 2019 both receiving praise for Charmian Smith's historical costumes. By 2016, the theatre capacity had been increased to 70.
[{{Cite web , title=MARY STUART - Intimacy adds to immediacy , url=https://www.theatreview.org.nz/reviews/review.php?id=9599, access-date=2021-05-15 , website=www.theatreview.org.nz]
References
External links
*http://www.globetheatre.org.nz/
*http://www.listener.co.nz/issue/3463/features/7083/patrics_day.html
Theatres in Dunedin
Heritage New Zealand Category 1 historic places in Otago
Buildings and structures completed in 1961
1960s architecture in New Zealand
Theatre companies in New Zealand