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Dunedin theatre-maker and educator Cindy Diver has taken a big step in support of the city’s arts and creative community.
Ms Diver has bought the building at 9 Shore St, Andersons Bay, with the express aim of making it a space where “we can continue to keep the creative ahi kā [fires burning] alight and burning bright” in Dunedin.
The space is to be called the McNaughton Performing Arts Studio, in honour of Diver’s late husband Craig McNaughton and his father Rod, whose family trust enabled Ms Diver’s dream to become a reality.
The McNaughton Performing Arts Studio will be blessed with a dawn wātea this Friday.
Ms Diver said the long, narrow building was larger than it appeared from the street and had multiple spaces inside that could be hired out to groups, along with a library, an office, a large workshop room and a theatre-style teaching space.
As an experienced casting director for film and television, Ms Diver was also planning to create a self-tape and recording studio for actors preparing auditions for roles.
"The majority of auditions for film and TV are done this way now, and often under time pressure, so it will be good to be able to provide actors with a space that is all set up and ready to go,” she said.
Ms Diver said the building’s previous owners had done a good job of renovating the spaces, and she would add extra elements — such as a giant tapa cloth — to add vibrancy and “creative love”.
The building had “good bones” and, with some additional insulation and acoustics work, would be a dry, warm and comfortable place for the creative community to use.
"The aim is for it to be not only accessible for the performing arts, but also for the visual, spoken and written arts,” she said.
Ms Diver said a range of local groups had already expressed an interest in accessing spaces within the McNaughton Performing Arts Studio, including Bayfield High School’s kapa haka group, Kelly Hocking’s The Voice Lab, the Ōtakou Weavers Group, and Dunedin Summer Shakespeare rehearsals.
Long-standing Dunedin theatre company Wow! Productions was planning to hold its 30th anniversary celebrations at the McNaughton Performing Arts Studio later in the year.
In addition, after many years of running her Interact Drama Classes at 97 Motel Moray, Ms Diver planned to relocate them to the Mc Naughton Performing Arts Studio.
"I want to give a shout-out to the wonderful people at 97 Motel Moray for the support they have always given to me and the arts community in general,” she said.
After a tough few years, Ms Diver was looking forward to working to create “a vibrant, active and inclusive space, where everyone feels safe and welcome”.