Breathing new life into landmark theatre

Theresa Reihana (left) and Lau'rell Pratt share a love of the King's Theatre in Kawakawa. Photo / Peter de Graaf

An historic movie theatre in Kawakawa is starting a new lease of life as a community arts centre.

King's Theatre, on Kawakawa's main street, showed movies from 1936-76.

In the 1980s it was converted into a clothing shop; since then it has also been a second-hand shop, a creative co-op and a children's play centre.

It has now been bought by Far North woman Lau'rell Pratt, who plans to restore the theatre and turn the art deco landmark into a creative space for commercial and community use, hosting exhibitions, wananga, presentations and movies.

Ms Pratt has shifted from Kerikeri to Kawakawa to be closer to the theatre - "if you believe in something, you should be there" - and will clean and repaint the exterior in the coming weeks.

This summer, she intends to meet as many people as she can to gauge what they want to see happening in the building.

The long-term aim is to restore the theatre, which could seat 80 people before the ground floor was converted into a shop, to its original state.

She also dreams of removing the rear wall and making the building open to the Hundertwasser Park taking shape immediately behind the theatre. Because the original stage is intact, that would make it possible to stage performances with the audience seated in the park.

While the official opening will take place later this summer, the theatre is already hosting an exhibition curated by Doubtless Bay artist Theresa Reihana.

It features work by 15 established and novice Tai Tokerau artists responding to the prospects of mining in Northland, and runs until January 20.

Reihana said she was keen to support the venture. She has fond memories of the theatre - she recalled her father going to the pictures and tying up his horse outside - and her home marae is at nearby Waiomio.

A steady stream of people had been popping into the theatre to see what was happening.

"Everyone's been looking in and saying they're so excited the theatre's coming to life again, and that it's going to be community driven," she said.

Ms Pratt said she felt compelled to take on the project by her love of creativity and the building.

She also believed Kawakawa, which was on a major junction and was the gateway to the Far North, was an ideal location.