Friends of The Court Theatre

THE COURT DEPENDS ON US

There are 2,000 Friends of the Court. We are all passionate about ensuring live theatre thrives. Each year we give The Court tens of thousands of dollars in funding, most of which is usually to sponsor one mainstage show. This funding comes from our membership fees, fundraisers and donations.

Our volunteers are the ushers that show you to your seats, saving The Court about $200,000 each year in ushering costs.

Our volunteers also operate the Coffee Bar and after every mainstage opening night show we provide free bubbles and a delicious supper.

We are proud of the support we give The Court, ensuring we can all continue to enjoy wonderful, enthralling live theatre.

Enjoy these benefits as a Friend of The Court Theatre
- Discounted seat prices.
- Eligibility to join our volunteer ushering teams - so popular we have a waiting list.
- Invitations to special events with cast, crew and staff.
- Our quarterly Court Cues e-newsletter for all the behind the scenes details and stories about the theatre’s writers, directors, stars and staff.
Membership Fees
- Adult Single $40
- Adult Double $55
- Senior (65+ yrs) Single $30
- Senior (65+ yrs) Double $45
- Youth (<25 yrs) Single $25
Message from the Chair

1/03/22
Dear Friends,
Happy new year to you all. I hope you had a refreshing holiday break before we tumbled into this new stage of Covid.
There is a real sense of déjà vu pervading. There has been the postponement of Flagons and Foxtrots and other shows, but we have fingers crossed we will see them return very soon. I was lucky enough to see the dress rehearsal of Flagons and Foxtrots before it went on ice. It was very clever and funny and set in my home village of Ohoka so, when it does ‘defrost’, I can thoroughly recommend seeing it.
Things have been changing by the day at the Theatre leaving a huge burden on both management and the artists who are forever trying to adjust. We are so grateful for their commitment.
We were very sad to see Dan Pengelly our Artistic Director resign before Christmas. Dan has been a big part of the Court for three years and provided us with a sell-out programme for seven shows in a row in 2021 before the dreaded Covid set in. We are so grateful for all the joy he has been instrumental in bringing to us. Thank you, Dan.
In December we had our annual morning in Ohoka with over one hundred members coming out to the Farmers’ Market and then a coffee and wander around Richard's and my garden. The committee stayed on and we enjoyed an end-of-year festive lunch together. I’m pleased to say the gardening gloves came off for a while and I have had a decadent holiday in the sun in Kaiteriteri with the family.
We are so grateful to the members for their ongoing support and the generous donations so many of you have given with your subscriptions. This support is even more appreciated in these tough times for The Court. Thank you so much.
Our AGM is still planned for 9 May at 7:00 in the Foyer and further notice will be supplied before this date.
Keep safe and my thoughts are with you as we battle on with Covid.
Ngā mihi
Annie
THE COURT'S CHIEF EXECUTIVE - A GREAT SUPPORTER

The best thing my husband and I did this year is join The Friends of the Court, and we are very proud of this and wanted you to know.
As Chief Executive of The Court Theatre, I see almost all of the comings and goings in our beloved Shed, as well as the outreach programmes we take into the community, and we are so very grateful to The Friends of the Court for all that they (we) do to ensure the smooth running of this professional and exceptionally busy theatre company.
We see The Friends of the Court who usher our audiences to their seats, care for our patrons, and ensure that there is a celebratory glass of bubbles after the opening night show. We see the lovely plates of supper, and so many friendly faces who make all who attend very welcome indeed.
What I also get to see behind the scenes is an incredibly hard working committee who are master organisers who attend to every little membership detail, communications, raffle ticket sales, and event promotion. They support The Court Theatre and our people in every way.
I encourage you to join The Friends of the Court as we have – you will be part of something that creates enduring friendships and is so much fun. We are ready to welcome you.
Barbara George
Chief Executive / Tumu Whakarae
The Court Theatre
Friends AGM - Monday 9 May, 2022

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Annual General Meeting of Friends of the Court Theatre Incorporated will be held at The Court Theatre at 7.00 pm on Monday 9 May 2022.
The business to be conducted at the meeting is:

1.   Receipt of the Chair’s report
2.   Receipt of the Treasurer’s report and performance report
3.   Election of Patron, Committee Members and Officers, and Friends Trustees
4.   General business

(A full agenda and papers in relation to items 1 and 2 above will be circulated in advance of the meeting)

Nomination forms for Committee positions are available from the Secretary and must be lodged by 5.00 pm on 2 May 2022.

Nominees, Proposers and Seconders must be current, paid up, members of the Society.

Guest Speaker: To be announced.

For enquiries or apologies, please contact the Secretary on email: friends@courttheatre.org.nz

Please note: any change in Covid-19 settings or restrictions may result in this meeting being held virtually using Zoom. If this is the case, notification and instructions will be sent prior to the meeting.
Meeting Papers - Friends AGM 2022
Court Cues
The Court Cues is The Friends of the Court's regular newsletter, sent to members via email every two months. You can view The Friends of the Court blog, with all newsletter stories here, or read our previous issues below:

Become a Friend of The Court Theatre now:

Join or renew online
Email friends@courttheatre.org.nz
Call 963 0870 to have a joining pack posted out to you.