We’re turning on The Ghost Light to give you a monthly behind the scenes view of what’s been happening as we work to breathe new life into Timaru’s Theatre Royal. Make sure you forward this email to anyone you think may be interested, they can subscribe here

What’s Been Happening?

Anyone walking along Barnard Street couldn’t have failed to notice activity at the back of the site. The biggest change has been the removal of the three storey dressing room block, you can see from the back of the building where the hallways used to run and the doors to the stage, and it shows how far below the ground level the bottom floor and stage door sat.

The team from Paul Smith Earthmoving have also been clearing the way for the creation of the laneway, which will create a new public space linking Barnard Street and the new Museum with Stafford Street and the Theatre.

Inside the auditorium a project to remove mould and asbestos is now complete, leaving some big gaps in the auditorium floor, and highlighting one of the issues we’re fixing, that it was built almost straight onto the dirt!

Raising the Roof

Heritage NZ has endorsed a key design change to the main fly tower: lifting the stage tower roof by 1.5 metres. This adjustment will provide a safer working platform for stage riggers and improve the overall functionality of the theatre, all while respecting the building’s historic character.

Project remains on track and on budget

Despite the complexity of the project, the team reports that the project remains on time and budget. Preliminary designs for both the theatre and museum are complete, and the civil works contract is out for tender, with strong interest from local and regional contractors.

Why “The Ghost Light”?

In theatre tradition, a single light—known as the ghost light—is left glowing on stage whenever the theatre is dark. It’s a symbol of continuity and a promise that the show will return. (In more practical terms it also stops people falling off the edge of the stage into the orchestra pit!)

We’ve chosen this name for our newsletter because, while the theatre is closed for redevelopment, we’re keeping that light on for you—sharing updates and stories until the curtain rises again.

Please share the light

We’re wanting to keep as much of the community up to date with the behind the scenes activity on this project, so please share this with everyone you think would be interested. If you’ve been forwarded this and want to sign up to get it directly, you can subscribe below.