Young Kiwi actors hit hard by beloved Pop Up Globe’s closure

The closure of Auckland’s Pop Up Globe could have detrimental impacts on young and aspiring Kiwi actors, according to a former stage manager.

The theatre was put into liquidation in March this year after being unable to weather the impact of the Covid-19 global pandemic.

Jonathan Wilce, who operated as the Globe’s stage manager for its last three years, says a whole generation of children may miss out on being inspired to pursue theatre acting as a result of the closure.

“There is a whole generation of kids who've come up and seen the work we put on and some of them will have been inspired to pursue lives in theatre either onstage or back of house which is great.

“As time goes on though, there will be kids who never get that experience which is a shame, given no-one else is really doing anything like what we were.”

Mr Wilce says it was a shame it had to close, but it could not survive without the doors open and shows running.

“The management team fought tooth and nail to keep it running. I feel like the funding avenue was explored extensively and at the end of the day the ongoing costs of running a company just caught up with us.”

He says he understands health and safety in the pandemic takes priority.

“Risking the health and lives of not only our patrons but also our own staff is a risk that is never worth taking. Human life is worth more than anything we could do.”

An award winning youth actress, Samantha Birchall, has echoed Mr Wilce’s concerns, saying the recent closure of the Globe was a huge disappointment for young actors like herself.

Ms Birchall says the Globe was one of the main theatres that was effectively pushing classical theatre into the mainstream.

“The Globe really gave students their first look into the world of acting. It helped inspire ordinary people who wouldn’t normally go out of their way to experience theatre.”

Ms Birchall says the Government should do more to subsidise the arts, especially in the midst of the pandemic.