Nestled in the heart of Takapuna, the Bruce Mason Centre has been the beating heart of the North Shore’s arts and community celebrations for a quarter of a century. Today, locals are increasingly likely not to recall a time before the Centre stood proudly on the corner of Hurstmere Road and The Promenade. Its opening, however, was a hard-won victory that took 12 years to realise, and 25 years later is a cause for celebration with a flurry of community events to mark the occasion.
The dream of a world-class home for the arts in Takapuna was first mooted in 1984, with the North Shore Theatre and Conference Trust formed to helm the project that worked 'towards a community cultural and civic amenity for North Shore City'. Under the leadership of arts champion Angela Antony, the group set about establishing relationships with local stakeholders and securing a site to realise the local community’s dream.
While the Trust knew it might take a few years to build the Bruce, what followed was a dozen years of planning, fundraising, and navigating ever-changing local governance as Takapuna City Council was amalgamated into a larger North Shore City Council. The Trust, however, was resolute and well-organised, and not even a threat to take over the land to build a supermarket and car park could rattle them as they charged through choppy waters to create a home for local arts.
In 1996, the Bruce Mason Centre was finally opened in memory of one of New Zealand’s most-beloved playwrights, Takapuna local Bruce Mason. The heart of the centre has always been its community, and it remains the largest dedicated theatre and performance venue on the Shore, attracting over 100,000 visitors annually to performances and programmes of theatre, music, dance, comedy, and more.
Thirty-seven years after the idea was first floated, the Trust has been dissolved, North Shore City Council has been absorbed into the wider Auckland Super City, and Auckland Live now steers the ship at the Bruce Mason Centre. The essence of the venue, however, remains for the locals for whom it was built.
Auckland Live welcomes everyone to join in the celebration of this community milestone with a line-up of both ticketed and free family-friendly events everyone can enjoy. This includes:
Auckland’s favourite circus company, The Dust Palace;
a bevy of local dance schools showcasing their talents in free performances on Sunday 8 August;
and the Auckland Principal Brass Quartet offering locals a chance to hear reimagined musical classics with a cuppa and a biscuit on Monday 9 August at the popular Auckland Live Morning Melodies.
To learn more about the performances and book tickets, visit aucklandlive.co.nz
