Theatre community baffled by Maidment mystery

The doors of the University of Auckland’s Maidment Theatre have been closed for months, and members of the local arts and culture community are starting to wonder if they will ever open again.

The theatre, which is located on Alfred Street in the inner city, closed suddenly on December 18, 2015, after an engineering evaluation determined the building was in need of seismic strengthening.

In a statement released at the time, the university advised it would remain shut for the foreseeable future, with a number of shows already booked for the premises being moved or cancelled.

James Wenley, a professional teaching fellow and doctoral candidate within the university’s drama department, says the loss of the Maidment has hit the university and the wider theatre community hard.

“I would say it’s devastating for the theatre community. The university theatre community, arts lovers, but also in general, the wider industry,” said Mr Wenley.

With the university’s drama department and drama club having relied on the Maidment as a venue for past productions, Mr Wenley said the loss presents ongoing challenges for students who must hire outside premises or use the university drama studio, which he described as a “pretty tiny black box space”.

With no word of progress since the closure, Mr Wenley said there is concern that the theatre has been abandoned.

“There hasn’t been any activity around there whatsoever. I haven’t observed any contractors or work.”

“I think generally, in the theatre community, everyone’s very suspicious,” he added.

Former associate professor of drama Murray Edmond spent more than 25 years teaching theatre and drama at the university, and considers the loss of the space to be significant.

“The Maidment is a place where the student community can gather and can perform, argue, debate and behave as a lively community might. Its closure means that there are no performing or projecting spaces, apart from lecture theatres, in the whole university. Students have nowhere to rehearse, to gather, to perform,” said Dr Edmond.

“The Maidment does provide the potential house for community to gather and so one wonders whether its value is not high in the university’s scheme of things.”

Both Dr Edmond and Mr Wenley said connections have been made between the closure of the Maidment and the impending Auckland Theatre Company Waterfront development, due to open later this year.

The development will provide Auckland Theatre company, formerly one of the Maidment’s main clients, with private premises on which to perform, thus dispensing with the need to hire outside spaces.

“The falling away of outside hirers has coincided with the sudden discovery of the need for earthquake strengthening,” said Dr Edmond.

“The deeper point for me relates to how and for whom the facilities of a public institution like the university are used.”

Mr Wenley said that although the loss of Auckland Theatre company as clients would affect the Maidment, it was only a small part of what the theatre was used for.

With departmental shows including the Law Review, the Engineering Review and the Medical Review traditionally held at the Maidment, Mr Wenley said the loss affects the entire student body.

“They’ve all had to go to SkyCity this year which is just exorbitant for them. And again it’s for the local community and its not being done here.”

The University of Auckland was invited to provide a comment for this story but did not supply a statement.