Free Theatre

Press, 22 September 1983, Page 20

Free Theatre

Sir,—How ironic that directors of the Arts Centre are promoting a new tavern at the centre and at the same time are prepared to close the Free Theatre. The trustees are obviously prepared to accede to the wishes of those tenants who disagree with the Free Theatre’s rights to occupancy in an Arts Centre. One would expect that the priorities of the trustees would be to support the creation of artistic endeavours rather than to promote the minority interests of apartment holders. We would be interested to learn how much notice the centre took of another group of its tenants, the Civic Child Care Centre, when it complained of the proposed tavern’s likely nuisance value. A tavern must create the potential for a far greater level of noise and inconvenience than a community-based theatre struggling to employ eight young people. The arts of Christchurch are in danger of becoming the art of commercial enterprise and the centre’s direction blurred by bar-room politics. —Yours, etc., BRIAN HAYWARD. Judge Melbourne. September, 20, 1983.

Sir,—The closure of the Free Theatre and now the threat of eviction of its members by the directors of the Arts Centre is very disturbing.. Apparently there have been complaints of the noise by the tenants of the flats sited above the

theatre. The theatre was sited in the Arts Centre with the permission of the directors. If a mistake in siting has been made, the directors should accept their full share of the responsibility, and undertake resiting the theatre, compensation for loss of performance time, and actors’ time and energy in fighting for their rights. The Arts Centre was given to the city for the purpose of fostering artistic activity and artists. The members of the Free Theatre are hard-working, dedicated and committed individuals. They deserve better than the bullying they have so far received from the Arts Centre administration. — Yours, etc., JOHN COUSINS, COLLEEN ANSTEY. September 19, 1983