Theatre trust looking to the future

THEATRE UPGRADES: The War Memorial Theatre Trust committee members hope theatre patrons will support their new endowment fund with Sunrise. From left, Gavin McLean, Glenda Stokes (Sunrise), Mayor Rehette Stoltz, Tony Field, Anne Muir, Dame Bronwen Holdsworth, Pat Seymour, Cherie Mirko and Janine McDiarmid (Sunrise). Picture supplied

To support local theatres, The War Memorial Theatre Trust has established an endowment fund at The Sunrise Foundation.

The trust began in 2012 with the goal of raising $5 million towards renovations for the theatre.

With the help of Trust Tairāwhiti and substantial donations from the philanthropic community of Gisborne, they were able to raise that and more, with an additional $1.5 million raised for the renovations of Lawson Field Theatre.

“With both theatres now fully operational, we are looking to the future and have seeded the War Memorial Theatre and Lawson Field Theatre Endowment Fund with a focus on perpetuity,” trust chairperson Pat Seymour said.

“We were fortunate to receive large grants early on that have earned us a lot of interest. The $200,000 we have used to establish the endowment fund is due to prudent management and has accrued over time from investments.”

The fund with Sunrise will be used for all the “nice-to-have stuff” including sound technology, capital and upgrades, while Gisborne District Council is responsible for repairs and maintenance, Mrs Seymour said.

“We have always paid extra to make the theatres as high quality as possible and would like the fund to continue this for future years,” trust treasurer Anne Muir said.

“The level of support from the community when fundraising for renovations was incredible and we hope theatre patrons will show that same support for our Sunrise endowment fund.”

All donations made to the new fund will be invested, protected and grown to keep up with inflation.

The surplus of the investment income will be available for the War Memorial Theatre and Lawson Field Theatre each year.

To support the new fund visit https://tinyurl.com/2p8urmna