Tags

Feeds / cuba st project posts

This feed is published by cuba st project.

This feed is read by this Whakaoko subscription

Added on 19 Aug 2013. Last read 2 minutes ago.

To subscribe to this feed, enter the following location into your feed reader.

This feed currently contains the following newsitems (total count 14):

    • Memories of a James Smiths Message Boy
      • I have been sent a collection of memories by Cathie Ellis the daughter of Don Ratcliffe who worked as a message boy for James Smiths department store Cuba St in 1920. His thoughts about some of the people who managed the various … Continue reading →

    • Evans Drapery Family Store. Share Some Stories.
      • I have been sent a collection of memories from Michael Pringle ( great grandson of the founder)  written by his uncle Richard Byrne about his grandfathers Llew Evans and the family store Evans Drapery in Cuba St. The stories are very … Continue reading →

    • 50 Years of Dining at the Matterhorn
      • The Matterhorn Café was established in 1963 by a Swiss man called Tony  , whom nine years later sold it to George Stucki and his wife Ursula they ran the business during the 1970′s and 1980′s. George was an amateur … Continue reading →

    • Dining in Cuba Street
      • Today Cuba Street is a foodie’s Mecca – wherever you look, on corners, up lanes and upstairs – there’s a place to eat. But the street’s reputation as a gourmet’s Nirvana isn’t new; it’s been a popular place to eat … Continue reading →

    • A call out for contributions
      • Kia ora followers of this Cuba St Blog. Its been a few months since I posted anything unfortunately the daily tasks of making a living and managing my domestic life have left me little spare time to concentrate on finding … Continue reading →

    • Film of the Festival Walk and Talk
      • This is the film of the Cuba St Project walk and talk that I delivered for the Fringe Festival 2013. Commissioned by the Wellington City Council Heritage Dept and Produced by Mark Westerby of Random Films. The film is approx … Continue reading →

    • Fish on Fridays, always available in Cuba St
      • We had fish for diner  last night which I bought at our local fish shop in Cuba St. This Catholic tradition  has been upheld by many European immigrant family’s. Fishmongers have always had a presence in Cuba Street, this fish market  was … Continue reading →

    • Tommy The Miniature Elephant
      • The Perry Brothers Circus offered new and amazing entertainment for the working class people of Te Aro during the depression in the 1920’s. Ref: Eph-E-CABOT-Circus-Perry-1928-02. Alexander Turnbull Library This circus advertised as the greatest ring show on earth, held the Famous … Continue reading →

    • The Old Shebang an 1883 Bachelor Pad
      •   Ref: 1/1-025894-G. Alexander Turnbull Library The ‘Old Shebang’,  a working mans cottage located on upper Cuba St near Tonks Ave.  was tenanted in 1883 by three young gentlemen. William Williams was a keen amateur photographer who has left us a … Continue reading →

    • Oyster Bar and Confectioners now Espressoholic
      • Espressoholic is located where there have always been eating houses. Records show that in 1905 there were two shops operating on the site, a confectioners and an oyster saloon. In the early 1900’s, before refrigerators where invented, oysters were kept … Continue reading →

    • Dancers and Communists in the Barber’s Buildings
      • The Barber Building is a fine example of the Edwardian style of architecture and is a notable feature of the Cuba Street precinct . Originally a five roomed home built of Totara was built at 125 Cuba Street. In 1863, W.P … Continue reading →

    • Modern Theatre has its Roots in Cuba St
      • The first Bristol Hotel in Cuba St was located on the corner of Cuba and Ghuznee St’s and built in the 1920’s. There are records of the hotel being a favorite Hotel for touring theater performers to stay. The current Bristol Hotel located on this site is made up of 2 buildings; however the hotel went through hard times and reduced in size back to one building for a number of decades.  For a time number 127 the second building was used as a clothing factory and by the 1960’s it was in poor repair. This badly maintained building offered cheap rent and an opportunity for a group of theatrical artists .  Nola Millar is credited with being Wellington’s mother of modern theatre. In 1968 Nola Millar created the New Theate and established rehearsal rooms and a small 60 seated performance space on the second floor of 127 Cuba St. Nola Millar was born into a theatrical family in Wellington and she was a driving force in the establishment of the New Zealand Theatre Federation, which was established in 1969. Set up by number of passionate theatre practitioners, its first office was, also located at127 Cuba St. During the day Drama school classes where held here and during the evenings classes where held for amateur theatrical members of the New Theatre and plays where performed in the private members only theatre. Nola Miller the mother of Wellington’s modern Theatre Ref: 35mm-42637-26-F. Alexander Turnbull Library NZ Arts Council appointed Nola to set up the first NZ National Drama School which was also located in 127 Cuba St. The Arts Council paid the rent for the building but other than the financial support they left Nola to run the school as she wanted. Nola set the curriculum and employed other tutors, including Grant Tilley and Ian Mune. The first intake of students in 1970 had nine students including actors such as Jennifer Ludlum and well known chef Ruth Pretty. 1978 NZ Drama school audition. Ref: EP/1978/3601/6A-F. Alexander Turnbull Library From 1944 to 1949 Unity Theatre also had there theatre in Cuba St.  They shared a space with the Royal Ancient Order of Buffaloes. This was also the case in the 1970’s for well known Bats theatre and the drama federation who shared a space with the Buffaloes at 1 Kent Tce. The original Unity theatre was made up of card carrying communists who performed plays with an anti-fascists message.Like the people’s theatres Unity placed an important emphasis on training. It intended ‘to develop its own producers, script writers and technicians, as well as actors’ and emphasised that ‘the people in the group are made up of enthusiasts interested in the serious study of all aspects of drama. In 1943 their policy stated that the group was to pursue the study and practice of the art of drama which is real and sincere in its presentation of life.

Updated Feeds

Recently updated feeds from local organisations.