Backstage pass – Whanganui’s Amdram Theatre

Members of the cast for Morningstar.

Welcome to our first regular column. We hope it is informative and that you enjoy catching up with what is happening at New Zealand’s oldest musical theatre.

The original Amateur Dramatic Club formed way back in August 1874 and our first production, Don Caesar de Bazan, was staged in September of that same year with tickets ranging in cost between one and three shillings.

Fast forward to 2023, when we are approaching our 150th anniversary, Amdram Theatre has a long and proud history of producing theatrical entertainment for the Whanganui public.

We would like to thank the Whanganui public and all those who supported our twice-postponed production of The Phantom of the Opera. It was great to see this finally hit the stage of the Royal Whanganui Opera House, a fitting venue for such a show. It really was a community collaboration, with more than 50 actors, 230+ costumes, a live orchestra, hundreds of volunteers in the background and great audiences that made this a truly memorable event.

Opening on the 10th of August is our latest production, Morningstar, written by Albert Belz.

Albert, born in Whakatane has written some exceptional plays and this one is no exception. Set a year after Eden was first created, when Lucifer returns to Heaven to the likes of angels Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, and Lucifer, to find his family fractured. Archangels Michael the Protector and Lucifer the Light Bearer, are battling to divide heaven leading to a conflict so great that the birth of hell results.

A cast of six local actors takes on the task of telling this story of tragedy, romance, and bloodshed all coupled with some nice comedic moments. Tickets can be purchased through iTICKET or at the iSite on Taupo Quay.

Looking further forward, our final play of 2023 is Calendar Girls. Tim Firth’s hilarious play is based on the true story of eleven W.I. (Women’s Institute) members who famously posed nude for a calendar to raise money for the Leukaemia Research Fund in 1999. Keep an eye out for our notices on Facebook and our website for information and when tickets go on sale.

In 2024, it will be a momentous milestone for the theatre and we hope to share pieces of our history with you in our regular articles along with staging some fantastic shows.