Box Office

Once again it gives me great pleasure to announce details of a new season of plays. After much consideration, deliberation and the reading of many scripts, the playreading team have made their decisions.

We start the year with a very new comedy from the UK, The Priory, which has played to capacity houses and which in 2010 won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy. This season will be its New Zealand premiere. Then for lovers of the Bard, we will be presenting one of his greatest comedies, As You Like It, in May. It’s a welcome return of Shakespeare’s work to our main line-up after a 20-year absence. Another UK comedy making its New Zealand debut is Entertaining Angels, which has also enjoyed great success, including two sell-out UK tours with Penelope Keith in the lead role.

As audience enthusiasm for New Zealand plays continues to grow around the country, we are delighted to bring you two Auckland premieres of homegrown works. The first, Peninsula, is a drama from the pen of Gary Henderson, who also wrote Home Land, which HLT staged in 2007. The second, Ladies for Hire, is a comedy by actress/director Alison Quigan, who is well known for her role on Shortland Street.

2011 has been a difficult year for many people, but HLT achieved good houses and some successes. At the time of the February earthquake, we were getting ready to open The Birthday Boy, by Cantabrian Carl Nixon. As the playwright’s house was damaged in the quake, we decided to set aside one night as a fundraiser. This performance sold out, and with the help of local businesses, who donated goods for a raffle, we raised a total of $3205 for the Red Cross appeal.

Between two of our seasons, we replaced the old seating rostra with new purpose-built rostra. This installation, which has improved audience sight lines, was made possible by a generous grant from the ASB Trust.

We have an eye to the future, too. Our website has been redesigned to present a new “face”, and it also now allows you to make secure online payments for subscriptions, membership, drama classes and gift vouchers via PayPal. Replacing our sound equipment is next on the list, and we’ve had a significant Lion Foundation grant to help us with this major purchase.

With the changes to Auckland’s local government, there is much planning and reviewing of services for the Arts and Culture portfolios. I have been involved with initial group meetings and had a one-to-one interview to enable arts and culture experiences to continue in the Howick Local Board area.

For the past three years we have kept our subscription price the same, but for 2012 we reluctantly decided to have a small increase. The cost for five plays will be $100, and you will still have all the same benefits of value for money, personal attention with your bookings, the flexibility to choose the nights you want and the ability to book online. We look forward to seeing you at our great little theatre in 2012 when you can enjoy some quality live entertainment.