About Us
Auckland Music Theatre Inc., the longest-established musical theatre company in the Auckland region, has a proud and distinguished history. The Society was founded in 1919 as the Auckland Amateur Operatic Society, renamed the Auckland Operatic Society in 1962, and Auckland Music Theatre Inc. in 1995. The changes of name symbolize the progressive stance adopted by the Society in its attempt to maintain a contemporary image in line with the vibrant and ever-developing genre of musical theatre. This enlightened approach has been one of the major strengths of the Society, enabling it to survive against all odds.
Many high-profile citizens have been associated with the Society since its inception ninety years ago. The inaugural patron was His Excellency the Governor-General Viscount Jellicoe, K.G.C.B., O.M., G.C.V.O., while the original committee included Mr W. J. Crowther, Mayor of Auckland from 1891-93, and Mr H.T. Goldie, a mill owner whose father had been Mayor of Auckland from 1898-1901. The Gondoliers (1919), our inaugural production, was sponsored and produced by Tom Pollard, a member of the famous Pollard theatrical family.
The Society has presented musicals, revues, concerts and plays in a variety of venues over the years. Productions range from the spectacular Glory Day musicals in His Majesty's Theatre and St James Theatre to the more intimate shows staged in the Grafton Road Hall, St Andrews Church hall, Auckland Concert Chamber, Centennial Theatre, Customhouse Theatre, Symphonia Theatre, the Bowen Studio Theatre, and the Westpoint Performing Arts Centre. The Society has provided a training ground for many performers, directors, musical directors, choreographers, technical people, composers and playwrights who have gone on to pursue a successful professional career overseas. The high standard of excellence, which has always characterized our productions, is recognized by NAPTA as we continue to win awards regularly.
Since its inception the Society has been domiciled in three separate locations, reflecting the changing demographics and evolution of the Auckland region. From 1919 to 1969 our home was at 33 Grafton Road, Grafton Gully. When this was sold for motorway construction the money received was vested in the Auckland Musical Arts Trust which was set up by the Society in 1966 to protect its assets. In 1970 we moved to the old synagogue, a heritage building, on the corner of Princes Street and Bowen Avenue where we constructed our Bowen Studio Theatre. However, due to the extremely high costs of maintaining the premises, the Trust sold the lease back to the Auckland City Council in 1987, rendering the Society 'homeless' for approximately five years. People of lesser ilk and backbone might have been daunted by this sad state of affairs but due to the enthusiasm and loyalty of our committee and members, who continued to stage shows during this bleak period, we survived with renewed vigor.
The Westpoint Performing Arts Centre, our current home, was built in 1992-93 and is located between Motions and Meola Roads in leafy Western Springs. The complex consists of a versatile 120-seat theatre with dressing rooms, a large separate area which is used for building sets and rehearsing, and the historic 'shed' which houses our costumes and props. Moreover, we have a large parking area, a priceless asset in this day and age. As money becomes available, the Trust continues to make improvements to the complex.
The year of 2004 ushered in a new era when we launched the official Auckland Music Theatre Inc. web site which keeps members and interested parties up to date with news, show information and bookings.
We salute all our members, past and present, as we proudly celebrate our ninetieth jubilee in June 2009.
List of Shows by the Decade
| 1919 - 1929 | 1930 - 1939 | 1940 - 1949 | 1950 - 1959 |
| 1960 - 1969 | 1970 - 1979 | 1980 - 1989 | 1990 - 1999 |
| 2000 - 2009 | 2010 - 2019 |
2010 - 2019
| 2010 | - RENT (Joint venture with Amici Productions) |
|---|---|
| - 42nd Street ( Joint venture with Amici Productions) |
2000 - 2009
| 2009 | - La Cage Aux Follies |
|---|---|
| - Assassins | |
| - Showboat | |
| 2008 | - Beautiful Thing (play) |
| - Putting It Together | |
| - Boy from Oz | |
| 2007 | - The Opposite Sex (play in conjunction with The Caught Jesters) |
| - Ragtime in Concert | |
| - Hair | |
| 2006 | - The Full Monty |
| - Babes in Arms (youth production) | |
| - Cabaret | |
| 2005 | - Honk! |
| - The Secret Garden | |
| 2004 | - West Side Story |
| - Big River | |
| 2003 | - Company |
| - Bugsy Malone (youth production) | |
| 2002 | - 70, Girls, 70 |
| - Lend Me a Tenor (play) | |
| - Jesus Christ Superstar | |
| 2001 | - Try to Remember (revue) |
| - Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat | |
| 2000 | -Victor Victoria |
| - Ladies Night |
1990 - 1999
| 1999 | - Kiss Me Kate |
|---|---|
| - Love Bites: A Concert of Broadway Love Songs | |
| - Follies | |
| 1998 | - Into the Woods |
| - Red, Hot and Cole | |
| - C'est Magnifique: A French revue | |
| 1997 | - Evita |
| - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum | |
| - The Music Hall | |
| 1996 | - Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up? (New Zealand premiere) |
| - The Pirates of Penzance | |
| - A Slice of Saturday Night | |
| 1995 | - Bless 'Em All |
| - The Canterbury Tales | |
| - Making it Big | |
| 1994 | - The Seven Ages of Man (revue) |
| - Godspell | |
| - Love off the Shelf | |
| - Irma La Douce | |
| 1993 | - Fiddler on the Roof |
| - The Wizard of Oz | |
| 1992 | - Guys and Dolls |
| 1991 | - Chicago |
| - Hair | |
| 1990 | - Little Shop of Horrors |
| - Oliver! |
Back to Top
1980 - 1989
| 1989 | - Jesus Christ Superstar |
|---|---|
| 1988 | - Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat |
| - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum | |
| 1987 | - Jack the Ripper |
| 1986 | - The Biograph Girl |
| - Where's Charley | |
| - Amahl and the Night Visitors | |
| 1985 | - The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas |
| - The Mikado | |
| 1984 | - Trumps (revue) |
| - Annie | |
| - Barely Broadway (revue) | |
| 1983 | - Tarantara! Tarantara! |
| - Song of Norway | |
| - I Do! I Do! | |
| - The Fantasticks | |
| 1982 | - The Gondoliers |
| - Pal Joey | |
| - Cowardly Custard | |
| 1981 | - Lock up Your Daughters |
| - The Mikado | |
| - Annie | |
| - Revue-ing the Situation | |
| 1980 | - Oh What a Lovely War |
| - Hans Christian Andersen | |
| - Tap and All That (revue) | |
| - A Christmas Carol |
Back to Top
1970 - 1979
| 1979 | - The Great Waltz |
|---|---|
| - Hello Dolly! | |
| - Sixty Glorious Years (Diamond Jubilee) | |
| 1978 | - Fiddler on the Roof |
| - Salad Days | |
| - HMS Pinafore | |
| - Company | |
| 1977 | - My Fair Lady |
| - Once Upon a Mattress | |
| - From Noel to Cole | |
| 1976 | - Oliver! |
| - The Boyfriend | |
| - An Evening With... (revue) | |
| 1975 | - Robert and Elizabeth |
| - Carousel | |
| - Calamity Jane | |
| 1974 | - Finian's Rainbow |
| - MGM: Memories Gone Mad (revue) | |
| - Carnival | |
| 1973 | - Fiddler on the Roof |
| 1972 | - Zorba |
| - And So to Bed | |
| 1971 | - Palace of Varieties |
| - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum | |
| 1970 | - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum |
| - Kismet |
Back to Top
1960 - 1969
| 1969 | - The Fantasticks |
|---|---|
| - Archy and Mehitabel | |
| - Showboat (Golden Jubilee) | |
| 1968 | - And So to Bed |
| - Can Can | |
| 1967 | - Irma La Douce (New Zealand Premiere) |
| - Palace of Varities Music Hall | |
| - The Pajama Game | |
| 1966 | - The Boyfriend |
| - Salad Days | |
| - The King and I | |
| 1965 | - South Pacific |
| - Call Me Madam | |
| 1964 | - The Belle of New York (with Light Opera Club) |
| - The Beggar's Opera | |
| 1963 | - Something Funny Happened on the Way to The Theatre Tonight (revue) |
| 1962 | - Where's Charley? |
| 1962 | - The Mikado |
| 1961 | - Revue 1961 |
| - King's Rhapsody | |
| 1960 | - Iolanthe |
| - South Pacific |
Back to Top
1950 - 1959
| 1959 | - Kismet |
|---|---|
| 1958 | - White Horse Inn |
| 1957 | - Oklahoma |
| 1956 | - Naughty Marietta (Australasian premiere) |
| 1955 | - Hugh, the Dove |
| - Alice in Wonderland | |
| 1954 | - Two Bouqets |
| - The New Moon | |
| 1953 | - Sit Down a Minute |
| - Adrian (play) | |
| - Dear Miss Phoebe | |
| 1952 | - Chu Chin Chow |
| - Season of Ballet | |
| - Poison Pen (play) | |
| - The Bartered Bride | |
| 1951 | - Showboat |
| - The Browning Version (play) | |
| - Harlequinade (play) | |
| 1950 | - Chu Chin Chow |
Back to Top
1940 - 1949
| 1949 | - The Gondoliers (30th Jubilee) |
|---|---|
| 1948 | - Carmen (with the New Zealand Broadcasting Service and the National Orchestra) |
| - Two Bouquets (Australasian premiere) | |
| 1947 | -Season of Ballet |
| - Goodnight Vienna (Australasian premiere) | |
| 1946 | - The Vagabond King |
| - Dick Whittington | |
| 1945 | - Katinka |
| 1944 | - Our Miss Gibbs |
| 1943 | - Le Cloches de Cornville |
| 1942 | - No Show |
| 1941 | - The Lilac Domino (with Light Opera Club and Lyric Harmonists to raise money for the Fighting Force Fund appeal) |
| 1940 | - Merrie England |
| - Faust (with the New Zealand Broadcasting Service) |
Back to Top
1930 - 1939
| 1939 | - Rose Marie |
|---|---|
| - Rowena Jackson Celebrity Ballet (with Auckland Dance teachers) | |
| 1938 | - The Vagabond King |
| 1937 | - Sally |
| 1936 | - The New Moon |
| 1935 | - A Runaway Girl |
| 1934 | - The Belle of New York |
| 1933 | - Le Cloches de Cornville |
| 1932 | - No Show |
| 1931 | - A Greek Slave |
| 1930 | - Tutankhamen |
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1919 - 1929
| 1929 | - Florandora |
|---|---|
| - Concert (Fund raiser for Mr Birrell O'Malley) | |
| 1928 | - The Belle of New York |
| 1927 | - La Mascotte |
| 1926 | - The Acadians |
| 1925 | - The Abbess of Whitby |
| 1924 | - Tutankhamen |
| - San Toy | |
| 1923 | - Tutankhamen |
| 1922 | - Our Miss Gibbs |
| 1921 | - A Country Girl |
| 1920 | - The Geisha |
| 1919 | - The Gondoliers |
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