Dunedin Opera Co Inc (Opera Otago)
Chairmans Annual Report - 24 March 2009
Chair: Mr Geoff PattonIn the 2008 Annual Report, it was noted that the development of the new committee structure had begun to work well for the Dunedin Opera Company, and I am happy to report that this success has continued throughout 2008.
The four divisions, under the leadership of the Company Executive Committee, have all had a successful year’s operation, justifying the belief that this structure was the way forward for the company.
Opera Otago is the trade name for the first of the performance divisions, and they have continued with a brief of performing smaller 18th century and new works. This division was delighted to once again be associated with the Otago Festival of the Arts in 2008 and produced an acclaimed presentation of Mozart’s “Cosi Fan Tutte”. A cast of up and coming young performers presented a fresh new version thanks to a new translation of the libretto by John Drummond. It was pleasing to see that three of these singers were now making a living in the world of opera after first treading the boards as teenagers in Dunedin Opera Company productions. The Opera Otago committee, under chair Mary Dixon, are to be congratulated for the high standard of this production, and for the enormous amount of time spent fundraising that then allowed the production to slightly better its budget. Opera Otago have begun planning their 2009 season, and are looking to present two one act operas, composed by John Drummond and Anthony Ritchie. These will be presented in Dunedin and also toured to Southland and Central and North Otago.
The second performance division is Mayfair Productions. This was set up to provide an opportunity for performers who are looking to develop their stage skills by presenting lighter works than are produced by Opera Otago. Salad Days was the production chosen as the vehicle for this, and saw some young performers take advantage of the opportunity presented to them to work alongside some more experienced singers. This was a popular production and again I extend thanks to the committee lead by Betty Cathro for a successful production, which was also financially successful.
Mayfair Costume Hire, run by Karen and Vera Weatherall, and assisted by a team of volunteers, has once again provided a welcome income for the Company. The business is now more reliant on fancy dress rather than theatrical costumes, but is still servicing a need in the community and in doing so helping the production divisions to continue to operate, despite an increase in competition in the city.
The Mayfair Theatre continues to be the home for the Dunedin Opera Company. With financial support from the Dunedin City Council, the company has been able to continue employing Bruce Collier as Theatre Manager and he, along with cleaner Tony Rendall, have provided a venue that has seen increasing days of hire to the wider Dunedin community over the last few years. The Theatre Committee have sought to seek a direction for the Theatre over the last year, and to that end have commissioned Octa Associates to prepare a Feasibility Study on the Theatre to outline the options. Financial support for this has come from The Community Trust of Otago, The Dunedin City Council and The Lottery Grants Board. This report has just been completed, and is available for members to inspect, but in brief summary, states that the building is sound, and the works required to bring it up to modern compliance standards will not be unduly major. The Theatre Committee will be meeting the Councils Community development Committee in the next few weeks to discuss this report, and will. Then have a better picture of the future of theatres in Dunedin.
All of the Company’s work over the last year has been made possible only by the hard work of dedicated groups of people who long to see the art forms of Opera and Musical Theatre continue in Dunedin’s life. I would like to extend my thanks to all the committee members, the associated helpers, indeed all the volunteers who make all this possible. This then leads to the challenges facing the company. It is important now for the company to involve more people in all areas of its operation, and especially young people, so that the next generation is there to carry on the proud history of the Dunedin Opera Company. This is our challenge for 2009.
Office Phone: (03) 455 4962
Email: dunedinopera@xtra.co.nz
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