By Kim Choe
One of Lyttelton's quirkiest attractions is racing against time to get back up and running after losing its building in the earthquakes.
The Loons theatre and circus company says it is a struggle to fundraise when so many other groups also need help and it is scared the small town could lose its creative heart.
"It is vital, if we don’t have a home we can’t develop new works – and that’s really the bottom line,” says Loons actor and acrobat, Skye Broberg.
The bottom line is also about the money, and the company is facing a repair bill of around a million dollars, as well as stiff competition for funding.
“Everybody’s scrambling around for support because everybody’s trying to survive. So we need to raise this theatre company above the heads of the others to show what we’re going to lose,” says Kate Anastasiou, a Loons fundraiser.
Support from the Canterbury Earthquake Assistance Trust and other donors will only cover a fraction of the cost, and it is still unclear how much the company will get from insurance.
While the Court Theatre raised enough money to reopen in new premises in December, the Loons put on Macbeth in the ruins of their building, despite the cold and sometimes snowy winter.
“I think what the Loons brought to Lyttleton in many ways is that people have have a good feed at a restaurant, go and see a show, then visit all the fantastic bars we’ve got. We all feed off each other – that’s what’s so wonderful about the Loons,” says Loons Artistic Director, Mike Friend.
The group has had to temporarily move to Canterbury University's theatre to put on a fundraising show and if they do not get the money soon, their performers will have to look for work overseas.
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