Fortune Theatre, Dunedin: Difference between revisions

New Zealand's '''Fortune Theatre''' laid claim to being the world's southernmost professional [[Theatre|theatre company]] and sole year round professional theatre group in [[Dunedin]], until its closure on 1 May 2018, citing financial difficulties.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/fortune-theatre-closes|title=Fortune Theatre closes|date=1 May 2018|work=Otago Daily Times Online News|access-date=30 April 2018|archive-date=1 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180501093543/https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/fortune-theatre-closes|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>[http://www.dunedinentertainment.co.nz/fortunetheatre FortuneTheatre – DunedinEnternatinment] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100525014345/http://dunedinentertainment.co.nz/fortunetheatre |date=25 May 2010 }}</ref> The company ran for 44 years. The theatre regularly produced local shows and hosted touring performances.

The company was originally located in the basementauditorium of the Dunedin Athenaeum and Mechanics' Institute in the Octagon, but when that proved too small, moved to the former Trinity Methodist Church on Stuart Street.

The Fortune Theatre company was co-founded by David Carnegie, Alex Gilchrist, Murray Hutchinson and Huntly Elliot in 1973. The company was initially located in the 105-seat Otago Cine Club [[theatrette]] at the rear of the [[Dunedin Athenaeum and Mechanics' Institute|Athenaeum building]] ofin the [[The Octagon, Dunedin|Octagon]]. However, after hiring full-time acting staff in 1977, it was decided that the venue was too small to continue to be viable and in 1978 the company moved to the [[Former Trinity Methodist Church, Dunedin|former Trinity Methodist Church]] where it remained until its closure in 2018.<ref name="architecture">{{cite web|title=Architecture|url=http://www.fortunetheatre.co.nz/historical_information/architecture|publisher=Fortune Theatre|accessdate=12 April 2010|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100513200514/http://fortunetheatre.co.nz/historical_information/architecture|archivedate=13 May 2010}}</ref> This provided room for two auditoria, Upstairs initially seating 230, and the Downstairs Studio opened in 1979 initially seating 120. Following a fire in late 1979 the Company moved for two months to the [[Playhouse Theatre, Dunedin|Playhouse]] (originally the home of the Fortune's predecessors as a Dunedin-based professional repertory theatre company, the [[Southern Comedy Players|Southern [Comedy] Players]] / Southern Theatre Trust). For some years in the 1990s the Company also leased the Manhattan night club as an occasional third performance space and from time to time it also presented productions at the [[Regent Theatre, Dunedin|Regent]] and [[Mayfair Theatre, Dunedin|Mayfair Theatres]], [[Allen Hall Theatre]] on the [[University of Otago]] campus, and the [[Dunedin Teachers' College]] auditorium. From 1976 onwards it aimed to make an annual tour of Otago and Southland regional centres and in the late 1970s and also mid-1980s made schools' tours in those regions.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Fortune Theatre Trust|title=A Celebration of 30 Years Live Professional Theatre: the Fortune Theatre Dunedin New Zealand 1974–2004|publisher=Fortune Theatre Trust Board|year=2004|location=Dunedin, NZ|pages=7}}</ref>

In 2009 the Fortune staged its most successful ever single season of a play. This was Roger Hall's hit, ''Four Flat Whites in Italy'', which was seen by 6,606 spectators in its month-long season (around 7% of Dunedin's permanent resident population).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Retiring Nature|url=https://www.odt.co.nz/entertainment/theatre/retiring-nature|url-status=live|access-date=3 August 2021|archive-date=3 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210803005118/https://www.odt.co.nz/entertainment/theatre/retiring-nature}}</ref>

''The Motor Camp'' by [[Dave Armstrong (playwright)|Dave Armstrong]] (opened February 18), ''Red'' by [[John Logan (writer)|John Logan]] (opened April 14), ''Two Fish 'n' a Scoop'' by [[Carl Nixon]] (opened May 19), [[In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play)|''In The Next Room'' – ''Or the Vibrator Play'']] by [[Sarah Ruhl]] (opened June), ''Heroes'' by [[Gérald Sibleyras|Gerald Sibleyras]] (opened August 25), ''[[Calendar Girls (play)|Calendar Girls]]'' by [[Tim Firth]] (opened November 10) made up the 2012 season.<ref name=":1" /> The Fortune's contribution to the 2012 Otago Festival of the Arts was a production of [[Samuel Beckett]]'s ''[[Play (play)|Play]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Trapped, obsessive, perpetual torment|url=https://www.theatreview.org.nz/reviews/review.php?id=5234|url-status=live|access-date=3 August 2021|archive-date=3 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210803005110/https://www.theatreview.org.nz/reviews/review.php?id=5234}}</ref>

The Fortune presented [[Harold Pinter]]'s ''[[The Caretaker]]'' as its contribution to the 2014 Otago Festival of the Arts.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Credible ambiguities, shifting sympathies, bound by compassion|url=https://www.theatreview.org.nz/reviews/review.php?id=7412|url-status=live|access-date=3 August 2021|archive-date=3 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210803005108/https://www.theatreview.org.nz/reviews/review.php?id=7412}}</ref> To celebrate the Company's 40th anniversary it staged the New Zealand premiere of ''Jumpy'' by [[April De Angelis|April de Angelis]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=10 July 2014|title=Join the celebrations next weekend!|work=The Otago Daily Times}}</ref>