Our Community
Showbiz Christchurch provides opportunities for the diverse communities of Christchurch to experience performing arts events of world-class standards. Tickets are priced to ensure that a wide cross-section of the community has access to experience these shows.
Opportunities for schools and special interest groups
Showbiz actively finds ways to encourage younger audiences, students, families and community groups that may experience restricted access to the Arts to attend its shows thereby recognising these groups are part of its future. To that end, the organisation tailors specific opportunities for schools and special interest groups to attend its shows, including accessible performances for those with disabilities and discounted tickets for students.
Engaging with minority communities
In 2019, Miss Saigon required a strong cast of Asian performers which forged a deeper relationship with local and international Asian communities. The 2019 production of We Will Rock You, which was staged shortly after the March attacks, drew a new audience of theatregoers who wouldn’t have otherwise come to see musical theatre. Showbiz also offered First Responders from the Civil Defence, NZ Police and Medical Staff the opportunity to enjoy a night off and see the show at no cost.
Community Participation
The structure of Showbiz Christchurch is built on the voluntary engagement of the Christchurch community participating in its productions. Over the last eight decades, the organisation has seen more than 35,000 volunteers directly participate in shows. Showbiz provides the foundations for a lifetime of engagement in the arts, either as an avid theatre lover or as a future professional practitioner.
Supporting NZ's Leading Theatre Professionals
Showbiz contracts the country’s leading theatre professionals for set and costume design, direction, musical direction, lighting, sound, visual content and stage management on a show-by-show basis. The organisation is one of the primary employers in the theatre sector in Christchurch and is the major hirer of the Isaac Theatre Royal.
These regular engagements provide an income base for many of these theatre specialists allowing them to call Christchurch home and helping establish businesses that operate nationally from a Canterbury base.