The Ngaio Marsh Theatre is a theatre at the University of Canterbury Students' Association in Christchurch, New Zealand.

The Ngaio Marsh theatre was named in honour of Dame Ngaio Marsh, who was a director and patron of theatre, especially Shakespeare, at the University between 1942 and 1969, and indeed the theatre's opening production — Shakespeare's Twelfth Night — was directed by Marsh in 1967.^[1] The theatre replaced the Little Theatre, which had been destroyed by fire in 1948.^[2]

The theatre was extensively damaged during the 2011 Christchurch earthquakes, and was subsequently demolished in October 2016.

The rebuilt theatre, within Haere-roa, the University of Canterbury Students’ Association building at 90 Ilam Road in Christchurch, New Zealand, was officially opened on 2 August 2019. The opening involved a student production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, chosen because actor and honorary alumnus Sam Neill had appeared in a production directed by Ngaio Marsh in 1969.^[3]

The new theatre is available for short-term or long-term hire. Full AV and technical facilities and orchestra pit are available. A retractable seating structure allows for capacity of 330 seated and 1000 standing.

References

External links

• University of Canterbury Students Association, the organisation that owns and maintains the theatre.
• University of Canterbury Drama Society, the University society that is usually most active in the theatre.

43°31′27″S 172°34′50″E / 43.5242°S 172.5806°E / -43.5242; 172.5806