News

We shared and celebrated our achievements over the last year at the North Shore Theatre and Arts Trust Annual General Meeting last week.

Despite Covid, we hosted over 150 performances in the theatre and created 200 hours of online content when the theatre was closed. We also completed the 75-month project to design, fund, and build our new courtyard canopy.

Board Chair Peter Burn thanked the staff, volunteers, and hirers for their perseverance and dedication to keeping The PumpHouse going through trying times.

Retiring Board Member Emma Poyner was honoured with life membership of the Trust. After a career in law, and 13 years as a Trust Board member, Emma is embarking on a new journey and training as a secondary school teacher.

Peter Burn with Emma Poyner

The meeting closed with a talk from noted author and Devonport local, Tessa Duder. Tessa was involved in the early PumpHouse committees and shared her memories of PumpHouse picnics, restoring the theatre, and the secrets of just what is inside the iconic chimney to this day!

Peter Burn with Tessa Duder

Below is a summary of some of our key results for the year – we’re looking forward to bigger and better things in 2023!

Māori events are those led by Māori or telling stories informed by te ao Māori

If you have been down to any of the evening shows at The PumpHouse lately you may have noticed how much brighter the lighting is on the deck.

Thanks to a grant from Devonport-Takapuna Local Board we have been able to replace the old fluorescent lights with energy saving LED ones.

Both offices have benefitted from a lighting upgrade too with LED lights meaning not only are we making an environmental impact whilst we work but our actual work environment has improved 100%.

As a not-for-profit charitable trust, we do rely on the generosity of funding groups like The Devonport-Takapuna Board to be able to make positive changes for the benefit for those working at The PumpHouse on a daily basis as well as you – our patrons!

The PumpHouse Theatre values our brilliant volunteer team who go out of their way to help with various fun activities which support the longevity of our thriving arts hub. They are the heart of our theatre – which prides itself on being for the community by the community.

Flora is one of our amazing community networkers. She helps to spread the word about The PumpHouse in her neighbourhood, Long Bay. When she’s not doing that, she works as a radio broadcaster on Chinese Radio in the mornings! Read more about the lovely Flora here.

1. Tell us five random facts about yourself

• I love singing and travelling
• I enjoy plays and movies
• Fell in love with New Zealand after the first visit and decided to move here
• Started a new career as a radio broadcaster
• Have recently become a dog person (finally!)

2. How did you start volunteering at The PumpHouse Theatre?

I was looking at the ‘Volunteering Auckland’ website and suddenly came across this Community Networker role at The PumpHouse Theatre. I attended a few events before at the theatre and found myself loving it a lot. Without any hesitation, I applied and luckily came on board!

3. When did you start getting involved in the Performing Arts?

It was back in my intermediate school, we used to do short plays in our English classes. After moving to New Zealand, I joined the Felix Creative Theatre and have been looking forward to having the chance to perform in a play!

4. What is your favourite thing about The PumpHouse Theatre?

It provides so many different types of events to everyone in the community. Plays, workshops, movies, and creative talks… we meet great people here and enjoy the beauty of arts together.

5. Do you have a favourite memory/memories of The PumpHouse?

I assisted in rehearsals of the Play ‘Dearest Stranger’ presented by Felix Creative Theatre at the PumpHouse Theatre and watched the first show of it. This experience and memory were so touching and remarkable.

6. What time do you wake up in the mornings?

About 6:10 am… as I need to prepare for the morning show on the radio.

7. What is your favourite food?

Auckland is amazing in different types of cuisine…I love all of them and really hard to pick one!

8. What do you get up to after hours?

Taking care of my little puppy Evan and doing some video shooting about my life.

9. Who inspires you?

I love to watch a TV show hosted by a famous Chinese MC, Wentao Dou. Always feel inspired by his talk with the guests on the show.

10. What’s your all-time favourite theatre show?

Les Misérables! It’s just amazing!

Our theatre booking calendar is now open for performances at The PumpHouse Theatre in 2023!

From Shakespeare to musicals, classical concerts to rock bands, we’re accepting expressions of interest from anyone interested in performing at The PumpHouse next year.

With three performance spaces to choose from, and experts on hand to help with marketing and promotion, technical assistance, and health and safety, we are here to support everyone with a story to share.

For more information and to book your show, visit https://pumphouse.co.nz/2023booking/

During the school holidays, we hosted our third Shakespeare in a Week workshop for ages 12 – 18. These workshops are proving to be very popular, and the progress seen in the workshop attendee’s on-stage skills is incredible and inspiring.

Tutor and Shakespeare nut, Mags Delaney-Moffatt spent the week focusing on The ‘Scottish Play’ – Macbeth. With so many returning students, Mags decided on this famous play to give them all more of a challenge as Macbeth is wordier than previous productions they have been part of.

The group of 15 talented actors, with Mags guiding them, created an amazing performance under the lights of The Genevieve Becroft Auditorium.

“I was blown away by the talent on display yet again,” said facilitator Mags Delaney-Moffatt, “The group had only four and a half days with scripts but the standard of performances they produced far exceeded some adult actors who usually have longer rehearsal periods. It just goes to show how inspiring Shakespeare still is.”

If you know any young, aspiring actors who would benefit from this 5-day workshop, keep an eye out for the next Shakespeare in a Week workshop dates which will be announced on our Facebook page or via our email newsletters.

More photos here:

Last week we celebrated our brand-spankin’ new courtyard canopy at The PumpHouse Theatre with the official opening ceremony.

The idea for a canopy came to life many years ago and was commissioned in 2017 to celebrate 40 years of theatre at The PumpHouse.

The canopy covers the area between the theatre, amphitheatre, and café buildings, and will provide shelter from Aotearoa’s classic ‘four seasons in one day’ weather for people attending the theatre.

Just under $75,000 was raised for the project with significant contributions from Genevieve Becroft and the Becroft Foundation, and from Milford local and PumpHouse Trust Board member, Peter Baird, plus nearly 1,000 generous supporters who contributed smaller sums by adding a couple of extra dollars when they bought a ticket.

The PumpHouse worked with local North Shore businesses including Shade Systems, Dave Pearson Architects, Brite Sparx Electrical, and Landscape Creations.

We welcome you to come down and check out the courtyard canopy anytime, day or night!

Mark is our brilliant, multi-tasking Venue Operations Coordinator. His intelligence, wit, and natural handyman skills along with his passion for the Performing Arts is a massive asset to our PumpHouse whānau!

Read more about the remarkable Mark below.

Tell us five random facts about yourself!

1. I am an only child.
2. I am allergic to meat.
3. The most famous person I have met is Jackie Chan.
4. I like to play guitar and sing sometimes when no one is watching.
5. I have never been to the South Island… yet!

How did you come to work at The PumpHouse Theatre?

I have always wanted to work at a theatre. Theatre and The PumpHouse have always been a big part of my life. I asked if there were any jobs going, and to my fortune, there was one!

What did you study and has it helped you in the role?

I studied Software Engineering. There is an incredible amount of crossover between coding and operations in a theatre! Lighting uses a lot of machine code as does sound. Gardening and maintenance not so much ????

When did you start getting involved in the Performing Arts?

The first show I ever did was a school musical for Bayview Primary School called ‘Antics’. It was a musical about ants looking for food for their queen. I scored the role of mould number 1. Some of the best performing I have ever done.

What do you like about working here?

There are many reasons to love working here, but the number one reason: the team. Every day is filled with laughter, happiness and support. I am really blessed to be working with these people.

Do you have a favourite memory/memories of The PumpHouse?

My first paid gig as a solo musician was at The PumpHouse. The PumpHouse hired me to play music for the opening night of a show called Ship Songs. One of the best plays I have seen to date!

What’s the coolest thing you’ve done in your job recently?

Any job I have to do in the catwalk/roof of the PumpHouse is the coolest thing I will do. Seeing all the old wood and structure paints a wonderful picture of just how old this building is.

What time do you wake up in the mornings?

7:00 am, to promptly slap my phone’s sleep button.

What do you do behind the scenes that people don’t know?

Most of my job is behind the scenes. Lots of maintenance, a sprinkling of meeting with hirers and understanding their needs and a dash of health and safety to make sure no one gets hurt (It is a lot of health and safety but I had a theme going)

What do you get up to after hours?

I like to digest a lot of TV and Cinema with my partner, snuggle with my bunny, Cous Cous and play DnD with my friends!

What do you get up to on your lunch breaks?

Think about how I forgot to bring lunch.

What’s your all-time favourite show?

Used to be Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead… but I think the new favourite is Mosquitoes.

1. Attend our Creative Talk with Terry Hooper next Monday 7 March at 7 pm! Creative Talks are free, and you will get to hear the expertise and passions of theatre practitioner, Terry Hooper, and all about his life in the arts. RSVP on our website is required.

2. Head to your local library and grab a few plays to read. Or if reading isn’t your vibe – you can always rent movies from your library!

3. Watch plays online! The National Theatre is a great place to start streaming incredible plays.

4. Have a picnic outside The PumpHouse Theatre (the MOST serene spot!) and bring a camera along to snap some beautiful shots. Post them on social media and tag us – @thepumphousetheatre (Instagram) @thepumphouse (Facebook).

5. Go for a walk in nature! Invigorate your creative mind and explore nature around you. Try to do some ‘Forest Bathing’. Find different types of objects (smooth, rough, prickly, big, small, etc) or look for something with the same characteristic (like various rocks). You could even collect things to do some crafts with!

6. Redecorate a room – a lot of us are having to spend more time at home, and it is amazing what a bit of a refresh can do for the mind. Op shops and Kmart have brilliant, affordable things to zhuzh up your home and get creative!

7. Indulge in a dance party! This is always a hit, especially with kids. Put on some of your favourite tunes, and get the body moving. The best thing about doing it at home, is usually no one is watching ????

8. Write a script or a novel! We all have stories to tell.

9. Make a short film – most of us have pretty decent cameras on our phones these days. And if you’re particularly proud of it – upload it to YouTube… you never know who may see it!

10. Experience a night of paranormal activity at The PumpHouse with Haunted Auckland! Find out more here.

11. Enjoy the beautiful music of Beethoven & Schubert with Orchestra Auckland & Xing Wang at St George’s Church, Takapuna at the end of March. More info here.

12. Learn Te Reo Māori online – a quick google search will bring up a lot of helpful websites to start you on your journey to learn this beautiful language. Check out this brilliant resource list from The Spinoff here.

13. Keep engaged with your local theatres – even though so much is getting cancelled and postponed, we ARE still here and we WILL prevail through these tough times. Theatre will not die.

Theatre, at its heart, is the people who make it happen. And we were incredibly lucky on Monday to be joined by some of the very people who were part of the driving force that made our gorgeous theatre what it is today. The PumpHouse Theatre has thrived as a community arts hub since the late ’70s – and despite the times we are in, this fierce wee theatre shows no signs of stopping. And that is because of the people – our wonderful community.

Our first PumpHouse Memories Group was held on Valentines Day, and it sure was a day of love and nostalgia shared by a variety of people who have a deep connection to The PumpHouse.

It was lovely to hear stories of the get togethers and social occasions which were fundraisers to support the initial restoration of the building.

Katherine Mason, the great, great granddaughter of James Mays who actually built the original pumphouse buildings in the 1880’s, came along with a portrait of the man himself and some new historical documents for us to add to the archive. She was delighted to meet Tessa Duder, as the Duder family along with the Alison and Mays families were important in the early days of Devonport and Takapuna.

It was great to see Genevieve Becroft, one of the original trust members and Lynette Jolicouer, who was on the Art Gallery steering committee – two PumpHouse tāngata taonga.

If you would like to attend our next Memories Group, keep an eye on our email newsletters and Facebook page for the next date to be announced.