Dame Ngaio opens dressing rooms

Press, 11 September 1981, Page 4

Dame Ngaio opens dressing rooms

“God bless this ship and all who sail in her,” said Dame Ngaio Marsh as she cut a blue ribbon across the doorway of the Theatre Royal’s new dressing ; rooms last evening.

For Dame Ngaio, the opening of the six bright, new dressing rooms was a significant event: she could remember the old dressing facilities of corrugated iron, with match wood lining, threadbare carpets or concrete floors, antique toilets, and appalling shower rooms. Dame Ngaio first performed at the Theatre Royal with the Allan Wilkie Shakespearean. Company during World War I.

She said last evening, “I was. appalled when I read that the theatre might come down and I am so glad it has been saved. I do not think

the people of Christchurch know what an asset they have.” ’ '

The new $35,000 dressing rooms have been built as a two-storey building within the shell of the old dressing rooms. All the rooms have basins, mirrors, make-up lighting, wardrobes, and storage' Space.

Other work on the theatre is also progressing: the Gloucester Street facade is being painted and the manager’s flat above the dressing rooms is nearly ready for the theatre's manager, Mrs Judy Newburgh. The next big job will be the improvement of the theatre's lighting. A member of the theatre’s trust, Mr Miles Warren, said that the present system still worked with much coaxing but that to make the theatre more attractive and econo-

mic to run, new lanterns costing at least $15,000 would be necessary. The trust had been told by the Internal Affairs Department that the cultural facilities advisory committee had recommended to the Lotteries Board that, the trust should receive an interestfree suspensory loan of $32,000 to help with the restoration and improvements.

External steel trusses would have to be built into the brick boxes of the auditorium and the stage to bring the theatre up to earthquake standard but this work would not begin until 1983 at the earliest. The interior of the auditorium was expected to be redecorated next year. The chairman of the trust, Mr Noel Wesney, said that the theatre had been booked for 106 days this year and for 155 days next year.