Background
Since the Fortune Theatre closed in May 2018, Dunedin City Council (DCC) and Creative New Zealand (CNZ) have been working together to ensure that Ōtepoti continues to benefit from access to professional theatre. Within this context DCC and CNZ jointly commissioned a comprehensive study into the future provision for performing arts in the city.
Charcoalblue’s brief can be summarised as follows: “Dunedin City Council, with support from Creative New Zealand, is commissioning a comprehensive study into future options for a venue for the performing arts in the City. This should consider a range of options for ensuring the continued provision of performing arts including professional theatre, the recommendations produced should be focussed on a fit for purpose venue as well as providing advice on the most effective governance arrangement and sustainable business model in the medium to long term”.
The study is being delivered in three phases by Charcoalblue and draws on performing arts experts from Australia and New Zealand. There are three phases to this study: Phase One – Vision, Phase Two – Options Analysis. Phase Three – Development of the Design of the Preferred Option.
A steering group comprising DCC, CNZ, manawhenua and Stage South, a group representing professionals from the sector, is guiding the project. An advisory group of sector representatives is also in place.
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Phase one
The Phase One Report sets out the process of Charcoalblue’s information-gathering and stakeholder engagement, which included over 140 hours of conversation with over 160 major stakeholders. This includes community, mana whenua, local arts practitioners and arts organisations, funders, existing facilities, venues and audiences. The report includes an analysis of the business model of the Fortune Theatre and looks at the wider performing arts market and audience potential in Dunedin; its concluding vision provides the criteria and foundations for Phase Two and Three.
The report identifies a desire and need for a building or network of buildings to provide a range of flexible and adaptable spaces; ideally the facility would be designed to support performance, rehearsals, workshops, training, classes, functions and meetings/events supported by backstage facilities and informal front of house public spaces. No specific geographic location for a new performing arts centre / cultural venue has been identified, but sites will need to be tested against the list of criteria established from the vision.
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Phase two
The Charcoalblue team prepared diagrams showing the relationship of the full range of spaces identified in the Phase One report. This, in turn enabled the team to prepare indicative high-level costings for a performing arts centre. At the same time a wide range of potential sites for a performing arts centre were identified and assessed against a range of criteria agreed with the project steering group.
Three options were identified as potential locations for a performing arts centre and were presented to Council, alongside a financial document summarising the capital costs of these options and an assessment of the ongoing requirement for operational subsidy.
Accommodating all the identified spaces on a single site resulted in a prohibitive capital cost. Staff undertook to do further work to identify two or more viable sites for development in time for consideration as part of the 10 Year Plan.
Throughout the course of 2020, including delays arising from COVID-19 lockdown conditions, staff and the consultant team worked to a scaled-back version of the original brief. The focus shifting to the core elements necessary to achieve a mid-sized flexible auditorium, with enough space to provide a welcoming visitor experience, including the sale of food and drink, and back of house spaces capable of supporting the provision of professional theatre.
Four of the smaller site options identified in the phase two report were considered and presented to Council in December 2020:
- The Athenaeum to be developed in partnership with Zeal Land Ltd, the site owner
- The Mayfair Theatre
- 231 Stuart St (the former Fortune Theatre)
- The Sammy’s site.
Council asked for further analysis to be undertaken on the Athenaeum and the Mayfair Theatre, noting that the Athenaeum as the preferred option. This analysis will be presented to Council as the Phase Three report in May 2021.
The Phase One and Phase Two reports identified that two smaller rehearsal and performance studios and a hub for practitioners would also fill gaps in performing arts infrastructure in the city. These spaces require much smaller footprints and could be developed as spaces become available throughout the city and/or in partnership with other organisations.