A photograph of the Theatre Royal building.
A photograph of the Theatre Royal building.
A photograph of a detail of the Theatre Royal building.
A photograph of a detail of the Theatre Royal building.
A photograph of a window of the Theatre Royal building.
Register Record for Regent Theatre Building (Former Royal Exchange), 39 Cathedral Square, Christchurch
Building Record Form for the former Theatre Royal Building, 148-154 Gloucester Street, Christchurch
It's been a long road to restore Christchurch's Isaac Theatre Royal, but tonight, it will finally open its doors again. The theatre sustained considerable damage in the earthquakes of 22nd February and 13th June 2011 and continuing shakes have made the restoration particularly difficult for architects. The project architect from Warren and Mahoney, is Vanessa Carswell.
Christchurch's historic Theatre Royal will reopen for business in November, with bookings about to open for the first show, the Royal New Zealand Ballet season of "A Christmas Carol" The 106-year old theatre has been closed for almost four years because of earthquake damage in the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes. The $40million rebuild and restoration project will be completed over the next five months and on 17 November 2014, the 'Grand Old Lady' of New Zealand theatre will reopen her doors for performances. With so few venues for performance left in the city, including the Town Hall out of commission indefinitely, the rebuild of the Theatre Royal is very good news for Christchurch audiences Chief executive Neil Cox explains the process of getting oldest Edwardian theatre in the country back in use and mounting the large scale theatrical productions it has been famous for.
Shipping containers support the facade of the Isaac Theatre Royal.
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All that remains of the Theatre Royal plus the interior dome under plastic wrap at the back
The dome of the Isaac Theatre Royal covered in sheeting and suspended in the backstage area. In the foreground, a small digger sits on the bed of a truck, and a crane is visible to the left. The photographer comments, "This is the 'dome' of the Isaac Theatre Royal's heritage stage. The front section of the theatre has stayed and so has the back, but the middle has been completely demolished. The best way to hide a secret is in plain sight. Could this really be an ancient UFO stored secretly in the old theatre for decades and now exposed by the earthquake? Is the waiting crane and transporter ready to whip it away to another secret location in the dead of night?".
A video of an interview with artefact analyst Gwen Jackson, about the artefacts found at the site of the Theatre Royal. Hundreds of artefacts were found under the Isaac Theatre Royal, including bottles and ceramic shards. This was part of a greater project by archaeologists to examine pre-1900 sites in the Christchurch central city before work is conducted on them. Archaeological assessment of pre-1900 buildings is required by the 1993 Historic Places Act before work can be done on the site.
The Isaac Theatre Royal on Gloucester Street. The windows have been boarded up and scaffolding has been placed out the front.
A video about the restoration of New Regent Street. The restoration is hoped to be completed in time for the Christmas shopping season. The project is being led by Edward Leeson of Naylor Love, who is also managing the restoration of the Isaac Theatre Royal next door.
A view towards the Isaac Theatre Royal on Gloucester Street. In the background is the PWC building and the Forsyth Barr building (left).
A video of a tour of Gloucester Street from Dallington to Rolleston Avenue, a five kilometre journey which can be seen as a cross-section of the Canterbury rebuild. The video includes footage of the site of the demolished St George's Presbyterian Church in Linwood, New Regent Street, the Rendezvous Hotel, the Isaac Theatre Royal, the Press building, the Christchurch Art Gallery, and Christ's College.
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A video about the restoration of the dome of the Isaac Theatre Royal. The video includes an interview with Vanessa Carswell, Associate at Warren and Mahoney, about the dimensions of the dome. Because the dome is not a perfect circle, the dome and the canvas that cover it have to be reinstalled in exactly the same way, and the dimensions have to be measured accurately so that the new steelwork fits correctly. The video also includes an interview with art restorer Carolina Izzo about restoring the canvas covering of the dome. Izzo says that the theatre lights have burnt the edges of the canvas, and some patches have been affected by mould. She also explains the process for cleaning the artwork.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Cirque Mother Africa, the first show to be put on at the Theatre Royal since the September earthquake. Zulu Dancers (left to right): Noma Mkwananazie, Silethemba Magonya, Bongi Mtshali, Brenda Mafojane and Christina Jacob".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Cirque Mother Africa, the first show to be put on at the Theatre Royal since the September earthquake. Plastic Boys. From the top: Lazararus Gitu (27) and Hassan Mohamed (22) from Kenya and Tanzania, respectively".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Cirque Mother Africa, the first show to be put on at the Theatre Royal since the September earthquake. Plastic Boys. From the top: Lazararus Gitu (27) and Hassan Mohamed (22) from Kenya and Tanzania, respectively".
The Christchurch earthquakes caused devastating damage to many of the city’s creative spaces. But rising from the rubble has been the Isaac Theatre Royal under the watchful eye of Neil Cox. He’s directed the resurrection of one of the premiere performance spaces in the country.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Cirque Mother Africa, the first show to be put on at the Theatre Royal since the September earthquake. Zulu Dancers (left to right): Bongi Mtshali, Brenda Mafojane, Noma Mkwananazie, Silethemba Magonya, Christina Jacob Bongi Mtshali, Brenda Mafojane, Noma Mkwananazie, Silethemba Magonya, Christina Jacob".
A video of journalist Charlie Gates introducing the 2014 World Buskers Festival. Gates revisits the performance venues for former festivals to show how the central city has changed since the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes.