The Wind in the Willows is now in full swing and if you haven’t made plans to see it, don’t delay. It is a truly wonderful rendition of Kenneth Grahame’s classic story with Toad in all his puffed-up glory and dear old Ratty and Mole so delightfully humorous and well-cast. It’s perfect for the family - so perhaps consider it as a Christmas treat. Of course, it will be running until January 18 if you do miss Christmas.
I made a plea a few months ago for extra help with our opening night suppers. A number of you have offered help and we are so grateful for this as it means we can continue with our wonderful tradition. If you have never been to an opening night do treat yourselves to this fun festive night.
Supporters often ask me why certain plays are chosen, how the season programme is manifested, and many come with suggestions and requests. I thought you may be interested in the process of selecting a season. The process of choosing the plays for a season is debated internally by The Court Theatre team, with staff researching, checking and debating for months about plays from around the world before the selection begins.
Plays must meet criteria set by our major sponsor, Creative New Zealand; copyrights need to be acquired – a long and difficult process which often hinders us from putting on your favourite productions - and each piece must fit into the tight time-frame of the year. Ross Gumbley likens the process to solving a Rubik’s Cube.
A draft of the season is presented to us at the Board for budget sign-off and there are often several versions produced before the season is approved. Despite all this planning, the success of a production can be unpredictable – the foibles of patrons and press reviews cannot be accounted for, no matter how much planning is done. I am privy to the huge amount of work that goes into the process and have enormous admiration for the team that build each new programme.
The annual appeal was sent out in September and, through it, we have signed up 235 new members. That’s really exceptional and shows the love of The Court is alive and well. A big welcome to all you new members. A significant number of those approached have also donated generously to The Court.
I hope to see lots of you for a coffee in mine and Richard’s garden at the Supporters event, a Morning in the Ohoka Village, on 13th December.
Wishing you all a very happy Christmas and wonderful holidays,
Annie Bonifant