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Throughout the years there have been many
                                                                                international and national visitors to the Civic
                                                                                Theatre. In 1959, Invercargill had a visit from
                                                                                Johnny  Devlin  -  New  Zealand's  answer  to
                                                                                Elvis  Presley.  It  was  said  that  during  his
                                                                                performance at the theatre, fans tore off not
                                                                                only his shirt, but his trousers too. After his
                                                                                second concert he had to stay in the Civic until
                                                                                about  1.30am  when  about  1000  fans  broke
                                                                                down  the  stage  door.  Devlin  managed  to
                                                                                escape through a toilet window.
                                                                                Almost  the  complete  opposite  happened  in
                                                                                June 1975, when Gary Glitter performed and
                                                                                revved  a  motorcycle  on  stage.  The  booklet
                                                                                distributed for the 2005 renovation says "The
                                                                                'conservative' audience remained fairly calm
                                                                                and his act was later pronounced completely
                                                                                out of place in the stately Civic Theatre."

                                                                                These  days,  the  Civic  Theatre  continues  to
                                                                                play host for a myriad of performers, from the

        After an earthquake in the late 1970s had the
        building  swaying  in  different  directions
        simultaneously,  it  was  decided  they  either
        needed to strengthen the theatre, or demolish
        it and rebuild at a cost of $11 million. This
        move  set  in  motion  the  gradual  process
        towards the 2005 renovation.

        Alterations were done throughout the decades,
        including the demolition of the entire middle
        portion to make way for a new staircase and
        direct  dress  circle  access  to  the  enlarged
        Victoria Hall in 1981.

        In  2004,  The  Southland  Times  reported  a
        sombre  mood  as  Southlanders  came  to  say
        goodbye to the former Civic Theatre before
        it  was  closed  to  undergo  a  full  renovation.
        Several hundred Southlanders creaked across
        the stage floor, peeked into dimly lit dressing
        rooms and reminisced over the dozens of old
        show posters which plaster backstage walls.  seen  him.  Some  time  ago,  a  young  woman  Royal  New  Zealand  Ballet,  to  Southland's
        The former seats from the Civic Theatre were  visited him at the theatre and asked who the  finest,   partaking   in   the   Southland
        sold, following replacement, at $10 each.  man in the black coat was, sitting in the stall  Entertainment  Awards.  It  remains  a  part  of
                                            seats.  There  was  no  one  there  of  that  Invercargill's history and hard to miss at that.
        The theatre's manager, Garnet Ashbrook, has  description.  "She  must  have  seen  him,"
        worked there since 1975, starting backstage.  Ashbrook says. The restoration booklet makes  At  night  it  is  lit  up  amongst  a  backdrop  of
        He remembers it before the 2005 renovation.  mention  of  the  "benign  ghost."  "Surely  a  black,  as  a  reminder  of  the  beautiful  design
        "It had a lot of character, but it was cold." As  cavalcade  of  spirits  to  all  those  performers  crafted  110  years  ago.  As  Mayor  Tim
        with most old buildings, there are rumblings  who over a century have showed their talents  Shadbolt says in the 2005 renovation booklet
        of  a  ghostly  entity  that  lingers  about.  "Ah,  like stardust within these walls, will jubilantly  - "The Civic Theatre will enrich and empower
        Freddy,"  Ashbrook  says.  He  doesn't  know  celebrating with us this stunning new life at  the cultural lifeblood of our province and will
        much about him, but others are sure they have  our  city's  heart."  However,  the  last  time  lift the spirit and pride of every Southlander."
                                                                anybody   saw
                                                                Freddy,  he  was  Governor  General  Lord  Plunket  placed  a
                                                                lingering  around  scroll  in  a  bottle  underneath  the  foundation
                                                                the   Phantom's  stone of the theatre on 1 February 1905.
                                                                chair  after  the
                                                                2015  Invercargill  Moving  pictures  were  shown  in  the  Civic
                                                                Musical  Theatre  from about 1919 to the 1950s. The last silent
                                                                production   of  movie played in the Civic Theatre on May
                                                                Phantom  of  the  31,  1930.  In  October  2005,  Invercargill  and
                                                                Opera. The talk is  the  Civic  Theatre  played  host  to  the  world
                                                                that   he   was  premiere of The World's Fastest Indian.  ✶
                                                                packed  up  with
                                                                the  set  and  sent  Credits:
                                                                off  to  Dunedin
                                                                Theatre.        Initial research: Gerry Kennedy

                                                                                The Southland Times Newspaper



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