Theatre — $60,000 needed

Press, 9 June 1980, Page 6

Theatre — $60,000 needed

A group of Christchurch businessmen is still $60,000 short of having enough capital to buy the Theatre Royal. ■ The group has until midday today to raise the $175,000 required to buy the theatre. Three thousand dollars was raised in donations over the weekend, but the group is looking for persons who can provide subscriptions of at least $lOOO. A spokesman for the group, Mr G M. Robertson, said last evening that per-

sons who provided this sort of money would become shareholders in a company 'which would be formed to run the theatre for the city of Christchurch. His group was given an extension to the deadline by the theatre’s owner, J. C. Williamson Theatres, Ltd, and telephones had been “red hot” all weekend with offers of donations and support from the public, Mr Robertson said. The offers of donations were enough to show that the group would have pop-

ular support to refurbish the theatre if it could buy it, he said. The theatre would be something the city “would be very proud of.” The building has a Government valuation of $270,000; the asking price of $190,000 has been reduced to $175,000, but about $500,000 would be required eventually to refurbish the theatre. Mr Robertson said that those who wanted to contribute this morning should telephone 792-120.