THE top floor of Wakefield Chambers is Repertory Theatre's temporary home. PICTURE / PAUL BROOKS
The dedicated team at Wanganui Repertory Theatre have not let the grass grow under their feet! Our second successful Improv Night is now behind us. Performing in our new temporary space on the top floor of Wakefield Chambers in Ridgway St naturally feels very different to what we have become
used to. However, a building is a building and our main focus is to keep Repertory alive, regardless of where we make our home. Secretary Martin Brown and artistic director Phil Portland have done a spectacular job of turning the former radio station premises into a suitable venue for our smaller events.
This Herculean labour paid off on Saturday night when the new space was christened with our second Improv Night. Organised and hosted by Phil Portland, the evening featured four able performers being put on the spot and forced to think fast in some hilarious situations. Highlights included Jessica Alder's portrayal of a kleptomanic parrot, Reuben Janes' take on the "spaghetti Western", and Phil Hudson's flawless lizard impression. James Graves came up trumps, his skills winning first place.
A small but very appreciative audience attended, and special mention should be made of young Freyja Wrigglesworth who gave some of the most inspired audience suggestions, and Karen Wrigglesworth who proved indispensable as front of house staff.
With one event under our belts it's time to look to the future. As part of this month's Literary Festival the theatre is hosting a rehearsed reading of three new scripts by budding Whanganui playwrights, the focus being the centenary of the ANZAC Gallipoli Landings in 1915. This event, known as The WWI Plays will be held at Repertory's new space on Thursday, September 17, and will start at 7.30pm. More details soon to follow; meanwhile Phil Portland and April Pearson, head of Repertory's Playreading Group who have helped to develop these plays, are steaming ahead with the organisation of this event which has been such a creative and rewarding process.
Remember to keep your eyes open for our end of year production of Hound of the Baskervilles, which will ensure that this theatre is in full working order and will certainly not be giving up the ghost yet.
