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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
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
Rose Catherine Lettitia Matafeo (; born 25 February 1992) is a New Zealand comedian, actress, and TV presenter. She was a writer and performer on the New Zealand late-night comedy sketch show ''Funny Girls''. In 2018, she won the Edinburgh Comed ...
and Tom Sainsbury
Thomas Sainsbury (born 1982) is a New Zealand actor, writer, filmmaker, comedian, TV presenter and podcaster. Sainsbury began his acting and writing career in theatre. He became well known in New Zealand from 2017 for his short form comedy vide ...
. They are funded by Creative New Zealand
The Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa (Creative New Zealand) is the national arts development agency of the New Zealand government, investing in artists and arts organisations, offering capability building programmes and developing markets ...
, Foundation North
Foundation may refer to:
* Foundation (nonprofit), a type of charitable organization
** Foundation (United States law), a type of charitable organization in the U.S.
** Private foundation, a charitable organization that, while serving a good cause ...
and Auckland City Council
Auckland City Council was the local government authority for Auckland City, New Zealand, from 1871 to 1 November 2010, when it and Auckland's six other city and district councils were amalgamated to form the Auckland Council. It was an elected b ...
. 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''.
Current staffing includes Cat Ruka
Cat Ruka (born 1983) is a New Zealand dancer, choreographer, performance director and arts manager.
Biography
Ruka is the daughter of Raureti and Vida Ruka, and spent her early life at her mother's home in Warkworth and her father's Hokianga ...
(Executive Director), Nisha Madhan
Nisha Madhan (born ) 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 Z ...
(Programmer), and Trigg (Technical & Facilities Manager).
References