Court Theatre (New Zealand)

Stone Chamber of the Canterbury Provincial Council

The company was founded by Yvette Bromley QSM and Mervyn Thompson in 1971 who served as Co-artistic Directors for the first three years of the company.[1] Bromley chose the theatre's name out of affection for the Royal Court Theatre in London, which she knew well from her upbringing and drama education.[2]

During the first eighteen months of its existence, The Court had three venues. The first was The Stone Chamber of the Canterbury Provincial Council Chambers (April – May 1971), where The Court's début production, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie was staged.[2] Occasionally the Māori Land Court would require the use of the chamber, necessitating the set being struck and taken to the Durham Street Art Gallery; the furniture being moved back into the chamber and the processed reversed for the next evening's performance. The Stone Chamber was one of the city's most magnificent structures, but it was impractical for a theatre company, as there was little room for an audience and a lack of toilets.[2]

Next was the Durham Street Art Gallery (June 1971 – May 1972), which was used as an interim venue between the Canterbury Society of Arts vacating the premises and the Law Court expanding into the area.[2] From June to August 1972, The Court was housed in the Beggs Theatrette and staged two productions in the space.

The next four years (September 1972 – February 1976) were a period of relative stability. The Court Theatre was housed at The Orange Hall on Worcester Street. In 1974, Mervyn Thompson stood down leaving Yvette Bromley as sole Artistic Director until 1975 when Randall Wackrow (who had joined the company as Business Manager in 1973) joined her as Co-artistic Director.

The Court Theatre at the Christchurch Arts Centre

In 1976, the company moved to the Christchurch Arts Centre complex, in the buildings which were formerly the Engineering School of Canterbury College. The performance space was previously lecture room D.[2]

From 1977 to 1978, Randall Wackrow served as sole Artistic Director, standing down in 1979 with the appointment of Elric Hooper. Hooper served as Artistic Director for more than two decades. Hooper declared his intent to balance the theatre's repertoire with "three main thrusts — the classic, the contemporary and the indigenous". Although economic pressure saw a fledgling second auditorium, Court Two, closed as a regular venue following the economic slump of the mid-eighties (although it was to be later revived as The Forge), overall this philosophy was rewarded.

As the new millennium approached, The Court saw growth across the board — in audiences, income and acclaim, and expanded its company with the introduction of Theatresports to Australasia in the late 1980s and the formation of professional improvisation troupe, The Court Jesters. In 1990, Hooper was awarded the MBE and the 1990 Commemoration medal by the Queen. Hooper retired as Artistic Director in 1999 and Catherine Downes served as Artistic Director of The Court Theatre from 2000–2005. Ross Gumbley became The Court's Artistic Director in 2006 and helped The Court find a new home in Addington when the 2011 earthquakes destroyed The Court's Arts Centre home.

The Court remains in The Shed while planning for a permanent home in the city. In 2020 Ross Gumbley became The Court's Artistic Adviser/Lead Director, helping to plan for this new future, while Daniel Pengelly took over as Interim Artistic Director.