Wellington's Summer Shakespeare Trust closes down after four decades

Wednesday, 14 June 2023

The arts community is mourning the loss and legacy of the Wellington Summer Shakespeare Trust, which after forty years has announced it is closing down.

The trust said it marked the end of an era for one of the country’s most beloved theatrical traditions and Wellington had lost a “breeding ground for talent”.

The productions were a stepping stone for the careers of up-and-coming creatives and were performed in places including the Wellington Botanic Garden, the Sacred Heart Cathedral and Gladstone Vineyard among other venues.

The annual productions were established in 1983, with the first show being A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Originally produced by the Victoria University of Wellington, the trust took over duties of running the productions in the mid-2000s.

Prominent New Zealanders have been part of shows, including Creative NZ chief executive Stephen Wainwright who was part of the 1984 production of Macbeth, Greens co-leader James Shaw in the 1990 production of Measure for Measure and actor Miranda Harcourt who co-directed the 1996 production of As You Like It.

In an emailed statement, the trust cited “changing circumstances and shifting priorities” as reasons for its closure. It had been increasingly challenging to sustain the organisation, the trust said.

The trust did not hold a production in 2021 or 2022.

Harcourt said the organisation’s closure was “a great tragedy”. The productions kick-started so many Kiwis’ careers in the arts – from actors to producers to directors to designers. They went onto become renowned in their own right as leaders in the arts world and beyond, she said. “I loved it. It was incredible.”

Between the drama involving the Shakespeare Globe Centre of NZ last year and now the trust’s closure, Shakespeare was having a rough time in Aotearoa, Harcourt said.

Shakespeare was about psychology, human nature and human behaviour, she said. “That doesn’t change. There are so many models for human behaviour inside Shakespearean language … It is a universal language.”

Gordon Harcourt, Miranda’s brother, said he was “absolutely gutted” and his being part of the 1987 and 1988 productions were some of the most rewarding times of his life. “It leaves a big cultural hole in the Wellington landscape.”

Dan Slevin, the former chief executive of Booksellers NZ, was in the 1989 production of Much Ado About Nothing and the 1990 production of Measure for Measure. He said being a part of the 1989 show “literally changed the course of my life”.

“I’m really saddened by this news, as I’m sure everybody who ever appeared or worked on Summer Shakespeare would agree,” Slevin said. The number of “luminaries” who had taken part in the performances over its 40 years of existence was extraordinary, he added.

The productions gave directors and designers the opportunity to work on proven texts and place their own creative stamp on it, Slevin said. “There were remarkable and brave interpretations over the years.”

Director-producer Simon Bennett, who has worked on Shortland Street and Outrageous Fortune, acted in the 1986 production of Romeo and Juliet and directed the 1988 production of King Lear. The closure news came as a “real shock”.

The productions opened his imagination to Shakespeare and theatre, which ultimately led him into television drama, he said. “It helped me discover my sense of vocation.” Bennett was hopeful Summer Shakespeare would return, albeit in a new form.

Jonty Hendry, chief executive of Wellington’s BATS theatre, who was in the 1986 production of Romeo and Juliet, said it allowed emerging talent to take risks, do work of scale and grow. “It provided opportunities for many who have gone on to stunning achievements.”

Greens co-leader Shaw said he would never forget his time as Pompey in Measure for Measure. “The cast and crew were a blast. It was a formative experience in my youth and I'll always value it.”

Katie Wolfe, an actor and director, said being part of the 1988 production of King Lear was “incredibly informative” as a developing artist, and she would always treasure her memories. “I have confidence that youth wanting to perform Shakespeare will endure.”

Dawn Sanders, chief executive of the Shakespeare Globe Centre of NZ, said she was “desperately sad” about the news. The productions had given young people a valuable opportunity to experience Shakespeare for the first time or for established performers to get more opportunities.

“Hopefully a phoenix will arise and there will be another,” Sanders said.

There was great appetite for Shakespeare as shown by the centre’s national Shakespeare festival having impressive turnouts in Wellington earlier this month, and Auckland Theatre Company having to extend its showing of King Lear due to demand, Sanders said.

Shakespeare was a vehicle to explore bigger issues, she added. “He means something to us all. It’s total relevance.”