Mercury Theatre (Auckland)
| Mercury Theatre | |
|---|---|
The Mercury Theatre.
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| General information | |
| Type | Theatre, formerly a movie theatre. |
| Architectural style | Edwardian Baroque architecture |
| Location | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Address | 9 Mercury Lane, Auckland |
| Coordinates | 36°51′30″S 174°45′32″E / 36.858242°S 174.758929°ECoordinates: 36°51′30″S 174°45′32″E / 36.858242°S 174.758929°E |
| Completed | 28 November 1910 |
| Renovated | 1926, 1956, and 1968 |
| Cost | £7,777 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Edward Bartley |
| Designated | 13-Dec-1990 |
| Reference no. | 5296 |
The Mercury Theatre is a theatre in Auckland, New Zealand, located on Mercury Lane, off Karangahape Road. It was built in 1910 by the architect Edward Bartley and is the oldest surviving theatre in Auckland. Built in the English Baroque style, it was initially known as the Kings Theatre. On being converted into a cinema in 1926, a new entrance was built on Karangahape Road – this is now the Norman Ng Building.
From 1968 to 1991 it was the premises of the Mercury Theatre Company. In 1966 the Auckland Theatre Trust was established by Professor John C Reid. It raised finance to open the building as a professional theatre in 1968. The first production initiated by the theatre was The Admirable Crichton by J.M. Barrie. At least 12 productions were put on annually after this period ranging from children's pantomimes to serious tragedy-dramas including those by Shakespeare and Chekhov. Notable actors who performed at the theatre during their careers include Pam Ferris, Lee Grant, Roy Billing, George Henare, Michael Hurst and Ian Mune. Raymond Hawthorne joined the theatre in 1971 and worked as an actor, director and a tutor and became artistic director of the theatre in 1985 until its closure in 1992.
Although the theatre steadily attracted visitors, the extravagance of the theatre productions and running costs forced the Mercury Theatre as it was to close in 1992.
The records of the Mercury Theatre are now held at Auckland Libraries. Some archival material was deposited with the Library in 1988 and the collection was greatly expanded after the company's closure. By necessity the rescue operation was swift. Liquidators allowed the small team, led by librarian Theresa Graham, less than twenty-four hours to retrieve the Mercury's voluminous records from the France Street premises. Filling about 500 boxes, the Mercury Theatre archive includes administration files, invoices, production accounts, front-of-house reports and statistics, costume hire agreements, press clippings, photographs, audio recordings, films and videos, scripts, musical scores, production plans, programmes and posters. It is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in theatrical organisation or in the history of the performing arts in New Zealand.
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