The Ngaio Marsh Theatre is a theatre at the

University of Canterbury Students' Association The University of Canterbury Students' Association (UCSA) is a student organisation associated with the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, established in 1894. Organisation USCA is funded by students and is governed by a constitution thro ...

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

, New Zealand. The Ngaio Marsh theatre was named in honour of Dame

Ngaio Marsh Dame Edith Ngaio Marsh (; 23 April 1895 – 18 February 1982) was a New Zealand mystery writer and theatre director. She was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1966. As a crime writer during the "Golden Age of De ...

, who was a director and patron of theatre, especially

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, at the University between 1942 and 1969, and indeed the theatre's opening production —

's ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vio ...

'' — was directed by Marsh in 1967. The theatre replaced the Little Theatre, which had been destroyed by fire in 1948. The theatre was extensively damaged during the 2011

Christchurch earthquakes A major earthquake occurred in Christchurch on Tuesday 22 February 2011 at 12:51 p.m. local time (23:51 UTC, 21 February). The () earthquake struck the entire of the Canterbury region in the South Island, centred south-east ...

, and was subsequently demolished in October 2016. The rebuilt theatre, within Haere-roa, the University of Canterbury Students’ Association building at 90 Ilam Road in

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 ...

, was officially opened on 2 August 2019. The opening involved a student production of Shakespeare's ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

'', chosen because actor and honorary alumnus

Sam Neill Sir Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill (born 14 September 1947) is a New Zealand actor. Neill's near-50 year career has included leading roles in both dramas and blockbusters. Considered an "international leading man", he has been regarded as one o ...

had appeared in a production directed by Ngaio Marsh in 1969. The new theatre is available for short-term or long-term hire. Full AV and technical facilities and orchestra pit are available. A retractable seating structure allows for capacity of 330 seated and 1000 standing.

References

External links

University of Canterbury Students Association
the organisation that owns and maintains the theatre.
University of Canterbury Drama Society
the University society that is usually most active in the theatre. Theatres in Christchurch University of Canterbury Buildings and structures demolished as a result of the 2011 Christchurch earthquake {{NewZealand-theat-struct-stub