News: News

Co-written by Mags Delaney-Moffatt & Meg Andrews

The PumpHouse has a rich and colorful history that fascinates many of our visitors. In this blog we have collated ten interesting facts about the vibrant past that makes The PumpHouse and its surroundings a unique landmark.

• The building of the pump house was completed in 1905 as a result of a competition to take fresh water down to Devonport and served the community as a water pumping station for about 30 years when it was left to deteriorate.
• In 1968 two hundred people attended a public meeting in support of preserving the building and turning it into an arts venue. This meant the Rowing Club who used the building as a store for kayaks had to move out.

Meeting overflow

• The ‘formal official opening’ on Friday 29th April was to be performed by the Mayor of Takapuna, Mr A.F. Thomas with guest speakers Hon. Alan Highet, Minister for the Arts, and Hamish Keith, chair of the QE ll Arts Council.

Mayor of Takapuna, Fred Thomas opens The PumpHouse

• In October 1976 the road from Manurere Ave was sealed, toilet facilities opened in the ‘green shed’ (now the French Rendez-vous), the chimney strengthening progressing and windows were installed and the first goal of the completion of phase one was nearing completion. But the solid Kauri entrance doors still needed to be hung as well as some outstanding structural jobs to be completed.

Manurere Ave tar-sealed

The unsealed drive down to theatre

• A pen and ink drawing of The PumpHouse by local artist Ron Kirkham was donated to the board. This image was used on notelets that were sold in packs of 5 for $1 at various outlets.

Ron Kirkham’s picture

• North Shore Theatre & Arts Trust (formed in 1971) took over. Money was raised including $1500 from a PumpHouse Gala Day – a fundraising picnic with donkey rides and a Punch & Judy show. Trust members were busy every weekend with working bees – chipping the old concrete off the brickwork and slowly transforming the building into something that could be used as a theatre.
• The very first stage production held at The PumpHouse was Euripides Electra in 1977. According to a local theatre stalwart, the show was
  long and patrons had difficulty holding onto their bladders between intervals!

Fundraising Picnic Gala Day

• The PumpHouse sits on what’s known as the ‘tuff ring’ or crater edge. Pupukemoana is 57m deep and home to some very large and clever eels.
• The aptly named Mrs. Shakespear, related to the Shakespears of Wendlholm near Waiwera, owned the land we are currently on during the 1800s. She sold the land to the Devonport Waterworks, who built pump houses to supply water from Lake Pupuke to Devonport. Our pump house is the last of the three constructed.

A more recent aeriel photo of The PumpHouse on the shores of Pupukemoana by Navy Photographer Chris Weissenborn

• A Māori myth surrounding the lake tells of a tupua couple, children of the fire gods. After quarreling and cursing Mahuika, the fire-goddess, their home on the mainland was destroyed by Matahoe, the god of earthquakes and eruptions, on Mahuika’s behalf. Lake Pupuke resulted from the destruction, while Rangitoto Island rose from the sea as their exile. The mists surrounding Rangitoto at certain times are considered the tears of the tupua couple for their former home.

One part of the theatre experience that is often overlooked is the technical side. In this blog, we’re shining a light on the talented technical designers who often illuminate the shows you see at The PumpHouse Theatre, and also provide their talents to theatre productions both nationally and internationally.

I had the opportunity to interview these remarkable humans who shared their insights, experiences, and the magic behind their craft. Enjoy!

MICHAEL: A cursed question! Recently, running as Head of Lighting for Tim Bray Theatre Company and seeing their absolute love and admiration for children’s theatre go beyond when approaching accessibility, inclusivity and the whole team is a long-standing staple. Champions (Basement Theatre), Dr Drama (Q, VUW, Bats), and Tampocalypse (TAPAC, Meteor) are core lighting design memories of my early career that I’m grateful for. In the non-design world, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed getting stuck into programming and operating shows, the roots of watching others’ designs – The Effect (Auckland Theatre Company), AIGA (Touch Compass), Thelma and Louise (Civic) are recent shows that constantly drive home that I’m so lucky to do what I love every day.

MATT: 3 of my favourite projects are Love and Information, RISE: Regeneration and Labyrinth. Love and Information was my college’s year 13 production in 2022 performed at Q Theatre Loft. For this show, I was the lighting designer and this was my first major theatre show outside of college. It was a fun show because it was at a new venue for me but still connected with the college but still being able to freely design a show and still having support from school staff. The second show, RISE: Regeneration was the second time I worked with Auckland Dance Co. This time I was the lighting designer. The show was at TAPAC which also at the time was a new venue for me. That show was a bit of a stressful show because it was on a lighting console which I had never used before but spending heaps of time before the show learning the console helped but was still rusty when we arrived at the venue. The third show I did a few weeks ago. Labyrinth at Q Theatre Rangatira was such a fun one. I spent nearly 2 months designing the dance show which gave me heaps of time to put my vision and the director’s vision out into the lights. Once the show started it was amazing to see all the hard work pay off on the stage.

GARETH: There’s no single show I’ve worked on that stands out from the rest; I’ve loved my time designing and creating lighting for each one. Every show has its own unique character, and my biggest role as a designer is to bring that to life for the performers and the audience. Sometimes through the use of spectacle, and sometimes through subtlety. It’s important to find that unique point that brings everything together.

ALONE at Edinburgh Fringe, produced by Glow House Ltd and Dusty Room Productions. Lighting by Michael Goodwin.

MICHAEL: Everything starts with the script (or vision in those non-scripted projects). I normally read through a script for the first time completely blind and ignoring all sorts of design elements, just to enjoy it. If you can’t enjoy the show you’re involved with, the whole enjoyment factor is completely destroyed, not only impacting you but your fellow creatives and cast. The second time I read through I start writing down rough thoughts about how particular parts make me feel – does this conversation feel warm? Happy? Isolated? Once you start combining these tones with more tangible answers from the script (ie time, place, setting), you start building a great picture of what you want the show to feel like, before working out what it looks like. The best shows I’ve seen have been ones that have blended lighting and sound design so effectively are ones where I have physically felt sick, comfortable, horrified (1984 at the ASB Waterfront in 2018, I’m looking at you…) – rather than just “oh it’s green because they’re in a forest”.

MATT: My creative process for any show is to sit down with the director early on in the process and to get an idea of what the director is wanting. Then later on when the show is mostly blocked, I go and watch a rehearsal and create a plan on how the tech will run with the show. Just constantly running ideas by the director and other crew is such a good way of getting a vision out on stage.

GARETH: The first step is to read the script, and to talk with the director about their concept for the show. Sometimes it’s also useful to talk to other people on the creative team or the cast, especially if we’re coming in later in the process. From these conversations, you can really get a feel for what they are trying to present to the audience, and how it might work with the text. Once you’ve got a good understanding of the show and the concept, the rest generally falls into place, which gives me the ability to create the ambiance and any extra visual spectacle for the show.

Love and Information at Q Theatre, 2022. Lighting by Matt Goldsbro’.

MICHAEL: I think technical design in general is such a core component, working alongside the other factors they are the main driving forces of telling your audience the where, why, when of the show, before a single word has been spoken. Lighting designs that are able to mimic society and real life help the audience be completely absorbed into the show, whilst abstract left-field designs allow designers to have full reign of the creative setting, getting to mess with expectations.

MATT: The impact on shows is massive. For theatre lighting helps set the scene. It can show the mood and feel of the show. Lighting can change the show soo much. Lighting has the ability to make a good show great. For live shows like dance, lighting is another person on stage. It can also set the mood but with more power to it.

GARETH: Lighting is genuinely a really important part of the show. Both practically, as without lights the cast cannot be seen, and emotionally as lighting supports & sometimes drives the mood and actions of the actors. So well-considered lighting, specifically crafted to the show, becomes another performer that’s integral to the show.

Lighting also provides critical cues for the audience, as well as ambiance. This conversational cueing for both audience and cast is part of what makes live theatre unique, as part of a shared experience, rather than a movie which is about observing an experience.

MICHAEL: Paperwork. Know your show in and out. Keep learning. Aside from the standard lighting knowledge, the mental strength is also a must have – it can be a lot of long hours; taking breaks and looking after yourself is so, so, often an afterthought! If you’re walking into a theatre you’ve never worked in before, find out as much as you can about it before arriving – what console/lights does it have, what is the setup like, what is the email address and phone number of the closest person that I can ask questions to. Always ask questions, ask, ask. Be the most prepared you can be. Time is money. Sleep.

MATT: Get connected to a local community theatre company. Community theatre is such a good place to get started. It’s also a good place to get connected to other shows. Community theatre is where I started and I’m still part of it.

GARETH: There are so many community theatres in Auckland, and most of which are keen to have people learn and have a go. The basics of lighting programming are easy to learn with someone helping you and then from there it’s learning skills as you need them for projects.

Spring Awakening (2023) produced by Bravi Theatre. Lighting by Gareth Evans.

MICHAEL: Getting to be the technical manager/designer/operator for the “ALONE” project, originally built as an experimental 2020 Auckland Fringe show in the MOTAT hangar, evolved to be toured around the North Island, then an award-spot in Sydney Fringe, and eventually becoming my ticket to a month long season in Edinburgh Festival Fringe last year through the financial support of so many of my closest friends, family and complete strangers. Being able to travel overseas with a design, watching a project morph, grow, and adapt with the varying level of venues, requirements, logistics, time factors – nothing will ever train you as much as that! (we don’t mention the induced stress…)

MATT: A memorable moment I had was late last year when I started my production company. Having other people representing me around the country was scary at first but so worth it. Having more flexibility in my scheduling but still being able to give clients amazing tech has been good.

GARETH: The lighting for ‘Hanna’ really stands out to me. I created this long, gentle fade that slowly pulled her into this tiny pool of light as she felt more and more isolated. Watching this fade, and experiencing the audience’s reaction to it, is genuinely one of the most memorable moments of my time as a designer. It’s what I come back to when I need to remind myself about the impact we can have on productions as designers.

Written by Mags Delaney-Moffatt

The PumpHouse has a long history with VOLUNTEERS.

Without them and their tireless work, we wouldn’t actually be here – the building would have been long gone.

The nature of volunteering at The PumpHouse may have changed over the years – the projects may vary from the days of clearing soot off bricks or making cushions to sit on but are no less important to us.

Whether you come to usher or help evict our eight-legged ‘friends’ we appreciate and value everyone who comes to volunteer for us.

This is National Volunteers Week and we want to celebrate ALL our volunteers who have helped us over the last year whether it was a one-off or an ongoing project.

Why is volunteering important?

As well as helping others, volunteering has been shown to improve volunteers’ wellbeing too.

It’s human nature to feel good after helping someone out. Volunteering can also help you gain valuable new skills and experiences, and boost your confidence.

If you wish to volunteer at The PumpHouse contact Mags mags@pumphouse.co.nz

The tasks vary throughout the year and depend on which hirers are using our space.

Some of our community hirers also seek volunteers. If you have an interest in helping out with shows then Mags can put you in touch with the right people.

Written by James Bell

Rangitoto by Geoff Clendon

Many people are surprised to learn that The PumpHouse doesn’t create the events at the theatre. Much like The Civic or Bruce Mason Theatre, we’re privileged to welcome almost 50 different groups each year – from professionals like Tim Bray Theatre Company and Tadpole Productions to community groups like the North Shore Concert Band and Shoreside Theatre – to share their performances with the community.

Whale Rider by Tim Bray Theatre Company

While these groups do the hard mahi of rehearsing, designing, and perfecting the performances you see on stage, we focus on making sure The PumpHouse is welcoming, safe, and well-equipped for the performers and audiences who visit.

North Shore Concert Band

Our own team runs the box office too, which means the producers keep more of the box office proceeds, and you speak to a real human who knows the theatre if you need seating advice or to transfer your tickets to another performance.

Sugung-Ga

And the great thing about The PumpHouse is that literally anyone can perform here. If you have a story to share, we’ll try and find a date in the calendar that suits. Thanks to funding contributions from the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board, Foundation North, and Lion Foundation, venue hire costs are discounted for community groups and not-for-profits.

Educating Rita by Crossfade Productions & Act One Productions

Each year, we ask for expressions of interest from anyone interested in performing at The PumpHouse and try to fit as many diverse events as possible into the calendar. Along with the regular shows that everyone loves, we try to make space for something new and ensure that communities who don’t always get to share their stories are also given the opportunity.

Di and Viv and Rose by Fusion Productions

We hope that each year we can present a vibrant range of events that reflect what’s unique about our community and the performing arts in Tāmaki Makaurau that we love so much.

Photo by LK Creative: The Biggest Drag Carnival Circus audience

If you are interested in performing at The PumpHouse in 2025, Expressions of Interest are now open at https://pumphouse.co.nz/2025Booking/

.co.nz for Matariki by Chocolate & Carnage Theatre

While our permanent team members are the backbone of The PumpHouse, it’s our Front of House and Tech superstars who are the heart! They breathe life into every audience experience with incredible warmth and hospitality. In this blog, you’ll get to know some of our remarkable Front of House and Tech superstars – our PumpHouse whānau – and the attributes that make them truly amazing. Next time you’re at the theatre, be sure to look out for their friendly faces!

We are excited to have two one-woman shows coming to The PumpHouse Theatre this May and June!

Each production brings its own unique flavor: from the uproarious comedy of My Brilliant Divorce featuring the legendary Jackie Clarke, to the poignant depths of Prima Facie masterfully performed by Cassandra Woodhouse.

I had the privilege of interviewing Jackie & Cassandra to delve deeper into their experiences performing in a one-woman show. Let’s meet them!

JACKIE: The show is My Brilliant Divorce written by Irish playwright Geraldine Aron. It’s a very, very funny & moving one-woman play that’s been performed all over the world, with great success. Essentially it’s about emotional resilience I guess? Angela, a middle-aged woman gets her act together after her husband goes through a mid-life crisis and leaves her for a much younger woman. Her journey is madcap, messy, occasionally brutal and always entertaining. The play has been described as being a stand-up tragedy or a kind of mid-life Alice in Wonderful. It’s very honest, deliciously daft and I get to lean into my physical comedy bones- which so far in rehearsals has been great fun. But it also contains a lot of truths that I know will resonate hugely with the audience. I love the fact it gives a voice to an often invisible, often trivialised sector of our society; middle-aged women!!

CASSANDRA: Prima Facie explores socially impactful themes of sexual assault, the justice system, law, gender discrimination, power, patriarchy, consent, truth, survivor versus victim, and a call to action.

Jackie Clarke

JACKIE: I had the pleasure of doing Shirley Valentine 4 years ago, here at the Pumphouse. It was one of the most satisfying but petrifying experiences of my performing career. I’m more used to singing than acting, so even doing a non-musical was a challenge for me- let alone a one-woman show. But I find comedy pieces are very musical- once you figure out the rhythms of the various scenes and the ‘melodies’ of the themes and the ’tonal ranges’ of the characters etc, I could make sense of it. I’m always joking to my friends that I’m keeping Alzheimer’s at bay by taking on another solo show – but its kinda true. At 58, I want to keep doing work that challenges me and scares me. There is no one to catch you if you falter but I loved the experience. I could never relax a second, never take the arc of the play and Shirley for granted, BUT if you live like a monk during the season of the play and do NOTHING else, you have enough energy to give it its due. Through Shirley Valentine, I found a great team in director Janice Finn & producer Louise Wallace. We have a lot of faith/trust in each other, so I’m happy to go on another exhausting, petrifying but exhilarating journey with them for My Brilliant Divorce.

CASSANDRA: Yes, I produced and performed HANNA from 2022 – 2023 all across NZ. The experience was the greatest challenge and growth opportunity as it was my first one woman show and nothing can quite prepare you for the bravery, commitment and passion it takes to carry a show on your own. What really supported me was knowing the story is always in the room and that I am holding that experience up for others who have had the lived experience, of whatever the themes are that the play explores, and I’m providing a place for their stories to feel seen and heard. And for those who don’t directly resonate with the piece, through empathy they are opened to a world they may not have known before. Art really does have a tremendous healing power.

JACKIE: The benefit of the one-woman show is it’s like climbing Mt Everest- so if you knock the b’…ard off, it’s immensely satisfying. In the end, though, it’s never a one-woman work – there is a team behind you helping build the performance and shape the character and the production- you’re the only one on stage, but you’ve had the benefit of a trusted inner sanctum getting you to the peak of the Mt. What you miss of course is having fellow performers to bounce off. As a harmony singer, I’m naturally someone who likes to surrender to an ensemble to make something more beautiful than the sum of its parts. And in an ensemble there are the dual satisfactions of settling into a scene and having it ‘play’ to perfection, but also playing a scene and letting something unexpected from a fellow actor take you somewhere new. In a solo show, you can still surprise yourself though – allowing the text to come out of you with different nuances.

Cassandra Woodhouse

CASSANDRA: The benefits are that you can spend a lot more time on the show perhaps than you would with an ensemble piece. You’re not reliant on others to rehearse with so you can inoculate yourself in your own creative world and build the show which is what I really love. I have beautiful rituals around my creative process so I love the sacredness of being able to enter that world whenever I want.

The challenges would be, because it is only you, there is no one else to get you on that stage! Mindset work becomes vital as you are your own team – motivating yourself, cheering yourself on, reflecting on the show. Again though, the audience becomes a vital part of the experience as they are the ones who were out there with you, in that moment of time, sharing that experience so like life, it becomes a special shared experience.

CASSANDRA: Great question as I am deep in the process of this now with Prima Facie!
I think a big part of being emotionally accessible to the demands of the story is really doing the work to understand and uncover the stories behind the emotion that is being called upon. For example, we don’t feel an emotion first, we experience or tell ourselves a story which then creates the emotion. Emotions are a byproduct of the stories we tell ourselves. So doing the work to create those stories in our hearts, often dictated by the writer within the story is key to finding access to the emotional demands of the play.

CASSANDRA: Jennifer Ward Lealand, who directed HANNA, shared with me early into our rehearsals together that the responsibility of a one-person show is that you are holding the audience’s energy in the palm of your hand and therefore have to manipulate that energy to keep them engaged. The story holds a big part of this but craft plays a massive role. Vocal variation, diction, energy, fresh thoughts, being in the right here, right now, telling the story as if for the first time, earning your pauses, all these things hold an audience’s attention and the actor really must keep that ball of energy in the air for its audience to stay engaged.

JACKIE: Well I love talking to an audience directly – the feeling that this is a one-on-one conversation taking place simultaneously with every individual in the room – a one-woman play allows you to do this. Fourth wall schmourth wall!!! And when it’s really working, you can feel the connection with the audience. It’s an utterly delightful and very powerful feeling.

CASSANDRA: The intimacy differs greatly as the audience of a one-person show becomes the other characters of the story. One of the big creative questions of a one-person show is who the audience is to you. Who are they in relation to the story? As a performer, this is so crucial to know as it dictates much of the storytelling.

JACKIE: Go for it! Every actor should have a one-person play in their repertoire! But give yourself as much time as you need to get the text into your mind and body before you start fleshing out the performance. I have to start WAY before scheduled rehearsals in order to have a chance to get the words under my belt. Everything else flows from there.

CASSANDRA: My advice would be that you must do it at least once in your career! Nothing will challenge you more but as with all great challenges comes the most growth so knowing that reward lies on the other side of the experience is priceless. The empowerment you will gain from both creating your own opportunity and stretching yourself creatively will carry you strongly through your career. I also think one-person shows are a reminder of the vital importance of this art form and the stripped-back reminder of how impactful and important that connection with the audience and storytelling is. In a world where we have become so disconnected, creating art that brings people back together is vital to our well-being and to creating change.

Click on the posters to be taken to ticketing info for these shows.

Written by Mags Delaney-Moffatt

Every year World Art Day on April 15th celebrates the fine arts and promotes awareness of creativity worldwide. The International Association of Art and UNESCO founded World Art Day in 2012. They chose the date of April 15th as it coincided with Leonardo da Vinci’s birthday. Known as one of the most famous artists in history, Leonardo da Vinci has become a symbol of peace, freedom of expression, tolerance, and brotherhood.

Anything where humans use their creative skills and imagination to create something in visual form is called ART. Some of the most popular types of art include painting, sculpting, drawing, photography, and calligraphy along with theatre, dance, and music.

Art has many benefits to offer including:
• generating a love for learning and creativity.
• strengthening focus, improving hand-eye coordination, and helping develop problem-solving.
• supporting emotional intelligence and helping people express complex feelings.
• reaching across racial stereotypes and religious barriers and helping to build communities.
• building self-esteem, increasing motivation, and improving holistic health.
• awakening the senses and helping people experience the world in new ways.

Dabbling in lots of different art forms like theatre, photography, and writing has helped me in so many ways to grow my confidence and improve my well-being over the years as well as being fun to do. The best advice I could give anyone would be to get involved with art in some way whether it is as part of a group or just for your own satisfaction.

Painting of The PumpHouse by Lynette Jolicoeur

Written by Mags-Delaney-Moffatt

World Theatre Day is on March 27th every year. On this day, founded in 1961, theatre arts are celebrated to raise awareness about their importance in entertainment and the changes they bring to society. Additionally, it helps to promote theatre in all its forms across the world and to make people aware of the importance of theatre.

The theme promoted for World Theatre Day is the same each year: Theatre and a Culture of Peace.

Photo by LK Creative: The Biggest Drag Carnival Circus audience at The PumpHouse

Ever since the Greeks, theatre has been one of the most popular forms of entertainment. Live performers, actors, and actresses use different forms of fine arts to present a real experience before an audience in a particular place or on stage. This day provides theatre communities with the opportunity to spread the word about their work to governments and opinion leaders so they are aware of the value and importance of the arts in its various forms.
We at the PumpHouse know how vital getting the word out to the decision-makers and purse-string holders is.

Every year, a World Theatre Day Message is crafted by a different “figure of world stature” and circulated globally. The first World Theatre Day Message was written by Jean Cocteau, a leading artistic figure, in Paris in 1962.