CURTAIN CALL

A hit TV show has exposed one of the Bay’s best-kept secrets. We’re

a powerhouse of performance and creativity, from an amateur theatre

company that’s been staging productions for almost a century, to the artistic director of the Royal New Zealand Ballet and the praise of one of Aotearoa’s most beloved actresses. As they all tell UNO, the show is far from over.

WORDS KARL PUSCHMANN | PHOTOS ALAN GIBSON + SUPPLIED

The Bay’s performing arts scene may not get the same recognition as that of the main centres, but it’s been an integral part of our identity for close to 100 years. In fact, the talent here could be our best-kept secret. With our thriving theatre scene, love of music and festivals, and abundance of visual artists and designers, it feels as if creativity’s no longer happening on the sideline – it’s being celebrated.

No three people understand that more than the president of one of the country’s longest-running theatre companies; the artistic director of the Royal New Zealand Ballet, who studied to become a dancer right here in the Bay; and an international acting superstar. They each represent different corners of the creative world, but their stories all revolve around the sense of community, and the opportunities, encouragement and audiences that are found here.

Actor Tom Kay backstage as Lord Wessex in 16th Ave Theatre’s Shakespeare In Love.

LOCAL LEGENDS

“We’re one of the oldest theatres in New Zealand,” says Heather Graham, with more than a hint of pride at this Tauranga stalwart’s achievement. “The only time we didn’t have any plays going was during COVID.”

Heather’s the president of 16th Ave Theatre, the much-loved amateur outfit that first raised its curtains back in 1936 and has been powered by what she describes as “passionate volunteers” ever since.

16th Ave Theatre is a true Aotearoa institution. It first opened way back in 1936 and has since become a place for enthusiasts of all ages to come together. During this impressive run, Heather says whole generations of the same families have graced its stage, worked behindthe scenes and joined the committee.

“There are probably about half a dozen families where the grandparents, their children and their grandchildren are all involved,” she says. “The theatre really does appeal to all generations.”

Heather says the longevity of this thriving creative community comes down to its welcoming nature.

“All you need to do is want to be involved.”

She says people join for all sorts of reasons. There’s a love of the theatre, of course, but there are also people looking to expand their social activities, others looking to try something new, and some who’ve decided to return to something they loved at school. Acting, building sets, making props or even just helping people find their seats before a show – there’s a place for anyone who’s keen to take part.

The core volunteer group currently consists of around 60 to 70 people, with about 50 front-of-house volunteers waiting in the wings. “We’re all volunteers, so nobody gets paid,” says Heather. “It’s there for the community. Just come and join in, because we love sharing what we’ve got.”

Each year, 16th Ave stages four major productions, alongside smaller ones and play readings. As part of their 90th birthday celebrations, they recently performed the first two one-act plays the company has ever staged, The Green Monkey and The Bishop’s Candlesticks. The next big show is the comedy Lend Me A Soprano, which opens in late November.

The company moved into its current location in 1954, and now boast a 150-seat main auditorium, plus a bar and café area that can double as a black-box theatre seating around 30 to 40 people.

“We open our theatre to outside performers to hire,” says Heather, noting that many people are involved with more than one theatre company, creating a sense of collaboration and shared talent across the city.

Heather’s own journey started humbly. She didn’t have a background in theatre, but a work friend was directing a play at 16th Ave and asked if she could help out backstage, managing the props, saying, “You look like you need something new to do.” Eighteen years later, she’s president. It’s safe to say the acting bug got her, even if she’s not always acting.

When asked why so many people volunteer their time and put so much effort into putting on productions, Heather doesn’t hesitate to answer. “It’s their love of theatre and the sense of belonging you get here,” she says.

Her reply is equally quick when asked why, in this age of YouTube and doomscrolling, audiences are still showing up. “Because the performances are real. You feel a part of it, and you can feel the emotion in the room.”

A WORLD OF TALENT

The connection between performer and audience is something ballet dancer Ty King-Wall understands intimately. “I started to get really serious about dancing when I was a teenager,” he says. “My training was in Tauranga, so we’d drive half an hour over to Tauranga from Katikati nearly every day to train at the Dance Education Centre.”

Today, Ty is the artistic director of the Royal New Zealand Ballet (RNZB), but his journey to the top of the country’s ballet world began right here. For him, the Bay of Plenty was the place where his dreams of a creative life became real.

Ty, who grew up in Waihi and later near Katikati, says his teacher Scott Millen played a critical role in his development at the now-closed Dance Education Centre.

“Often for boys, doing ballet is quite an isolating experience,” he says, “so to have a male teacher role model at that pivotal time was really important for me.”

Ty had become interested in dance after seeing a RNZB performance of the classic fairytale Cinderella, but it was sitting in the audience for a production of famous ballet Swan Lake that changed his world.

He was enraptured, and vividly remembers thinking, ‘That’s what I want to be doing’. He went all in on making that happen, becoming a devoted follower of the RNZB, driving to Auckland to watch three performances a year, and training and competing in Tauranga.

It was an exciting time, with “a constant influx of ideas, and different creatives”. Eventually, his hard work landed him the opportunity to train at the Australian Ballet School. He smiles fondly as he recalls the region supporting him with vital fundraising drives.

“I really felt Katikati and Tauranga getting behind me in a big way,” he says, adding that it was the essential support he needed to pursue an international career. This gave him a strong belief in the role communities can play in developing artists.

RNZB’s artistic director Ty King-Wall.

“Our young artists are the future. Any support you can give them to follow their dreams and their love is crucial, especially at that formative time.”

This support, he says, doesn’t need to be financial. Attending the shows and productions that are being staged around the region is invaluable. It’s also great entertainment and a lot of fun.

After a celebrated career on stage, Ty now heads one of Aotearoa’s most prominent performing arts companies, but even at the top, he’s quick to stress the importance of grassroots creative communities. As he explains, a show isn’t just about the people on stage. There are directors, producers, costume designers, set builders, lighting artists... the list of people conjuring the magic of live performance is comprehensive.

Local theatres and venues provide invaluable training and experience to all of the people involved in every aspect of a live performance and across the different creative disciplines. On stage or off, experience gained at the amateur level can directly lead to professional careers. Ty himself is proof of that.

“It’s all part of a greater ecosystem,” he says. “These people are our collaborators, and if those artists are lost, then the overall scene is poorer for it. It all starts at the local level, at the regional level.”

He pauses and says, “You can’t presume that it’s unimportant – because it’s all important. It’s all part of it.”

Actor Rebecca Gibney.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, BAY

“Tauranga,” says acting icon Rebecca Gibney matter-of-factly, “is actually the amateur theatre capital of New Zealand.” With a smile, she adds, “That’s why Happiness is set there.”

Although Rebecca has never lived here, she’s well aware of Tauranga’s creative scene and how vibrant our amateur theatre community is. She’s thrilled to be showcasing it to the rest of the country, and the rest of the world, via her delightful musical- dramedy, Happiness.

The TV series follows a Broadway director whose circumstances force him back to Tauranga, where he’s reluctantly roped into directing his mum’s amateur musical production. The show’s first season was a hit, winning over critics and audiences at home and overseas with its colourful exuberance, tight comedic scripting, and real sense of place. For Bay of Plenty locals, it’s a lot of fun seeing familiar landmarks pop up on screen. In November, the show will return to Three and ThreeNow for its second season.

“I had no intention of doing a musical,” Rebecca admits, saying she first heard about it on set while filming her popular dramedy Under the Vines in central Otago and Queenstown. Her fellow actors and the crew were all talking about wanting to get work on an exciting new series set in Tauranga.

“The show had such a buzz around it that I couldn’t help myself,” she says. “I had to find out what it was.”

Rebecca believes Happiness has struck such a chord because people need something that makes them feel good while the cost-of-living crisis bites and the news seems relentlessly grim.

“We all need a bit of happiness. We all need a bit of joy,” she says. “I’m all for putting out things that are going to create a positive impact on people when they watch them. I love it because it’s so joyous and uplifting. Happiness is a show that feels like a warm hug. I love that.”

We’re fortunate to live in a region where an amateur theatre company can thrive for 90 years, where a young boy living in Katikati can follow his dreams and end up leading the Royal New Zealand Ballet, and where a series with international appeal can be based here because it’s a place in which the passion of its characters just makes sense. As Heather puts it, “There’s so much going on and so many talented people.”

The arts and our creative scene are a vital component of what makes the Bay of Plenty such a vibrant and exciting place to live. It provides essential experience and support for people who dream of becoming the best in their field, gives enthusiasts the chance to come together and work on their shared passion, and gives the rest of us a place to live where there’s always something to do, see and experience.

It gives us entertainment and escape, brings joy and happiness to all ages, gives memories that stay with you and, in its best moments when the magic truly hits, can change your life forever.