‘Stage on stage' performing arts venue option

Otago Daily Times

23-05-2025

The Regent Theatre Trust's proposal of an up to 350-seat "stage on a stage" venue could put an end to the vexed question of developing a performing arts centre for Dunedin, at least in the short term.
It is one of four options that will be presented to Dunedin city councillors during nine-year plan deliberations on Monday.
It would require borrowing $1.4 million to fund the plan, a report by Dunedin City Council creative partnerships team leader Lisa Wilkie said.
Still, it would not meet "all long-term sector needs", Ms Wilkie said.
"There are still some unknowns for staff to work through with the trust to better understand the operational implications of the 'stage on a stage' proposal.
"This includes how quickly the initiative could be implemented, when new programming could begin, what new opportunities will be available to the wider performing arts community and what impact this may have on the existing Regent Theatre programme."
If councillors opted to pursue the stage-on-a-stage idea council staff and the trust would work through those issues and report back to the council by August with a more detailed account of the "operational implications, benefits to the community and potential risks" of the proposal, she said.
There would be minimal disruption to the theatre's existing programming; the concept had the backing of national theatre practitioners and touring companies; and it would provide an interim venue while "medium to long-term solutions" were pursued, she said.
However, the community's use of the venue would rely on the Regent Theatre's ability to provide affordable access to it and the plan could "divert attention and funding from permanent venue solutions".
Ms Wilkie's report said since 2018, the council had worked with the performing arts community to address "a long-standing gap in mid-sized theatre infrastructure".
Her report traversed the history of the Charcoalblue study from 2018 to 2021, which resulted in $17.1m being set aside for a venue in the 2021-31 plan and a direction to council staff to engage further with the performing arts community. (The $17.1m funding was removed from the 2025-34 draft plan.)
Three years ago, the Playhouse Theatre, the Athenaeum and the Mayfair Theatre formed the Dunedin Theatre Network elected to focus on formulating a solution.
The network proposed to work with the council and others to refurbish the three venues.
Then late last year an informal collective known as the "performing arts group", working with council staff, proposed a $5.79m redevelopment of The Playhouse Theatre, a $15.48m redevelopment of "the New Athenaeum" and a $28.02m new performing arts centre.
Option 2 in front of councillors was to put $75,000 towards a business plan for this three-venue proposal, Ms Wilkie said.
However, Ms Wilkie noted this option did not address short-term infrastructure gaps and "without a funding commitment, the Playhouse Theatre anticipates closing in two years' time".
The third option in front of councillors was to allocate $3.5m in seed funding in years 2 and 3 of the plan towards the refurbishment of the Playhouse Theatre.
The fourth option was for councillors to provide a different solution.
"In all scenarios, staff will continue to work collaboratively, and in partnership, with the performing arts community to support their work in Ōtepoti Dunedin," she said.