Dargaville Little Theatre was incorporated in 1963 but has roots further back into the early part of the 1900s.

When our society first formed, the group attended rehearsals at members' homes and put their first shows on in the Northern Wairoa War Memorial Hall and other halls around the district.

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In 1981, after considerable fund raising, we bought the former Mititai Masonic Lodge for use as a theatre. The epic undertaking of barging the lodge up the Wairoa River to its new home on Victoria Street extension is still spoken about in the community today. 

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In 2013 we held a Golden Jubilee in celebration of the previous 50 years of theatre in Dargaville.  Attendees included founding member Harold Sherson who starred in The Happiest Days of Our Lives in 1963 who travelled from Morrinsville to attend.  In total around 90 people attended the celebrations held over Queen’s Birthday weekend, which included an original show, a celebratory dinner and a special exhibition at the Dargaville Museum showcasing costumes made for shows during the previous 50 years.

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In more recent years, our theatre has seen a resurgence of activity with the community’s love of musicals steering our programme each year.

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We are passionate about locally produced works and have many talented members who have written and directed their own works, including children’s shows, full length plays, musicals and one act plays. 

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In 2022 our theatre was awarded the Book of Honour at the National Theatrefest Competition in Wellington.  

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We are passionate about everything theatre and enjoy not only fostering individual’s desires to be involved on or off stage but providing quality entertainment for our audiences.

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If you would like to be involved, please get in touch, we would love to hear from you.

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Mission Statement

Dargaville Little Theatre’s mission is to provide and foster quality performing arts opportunities for our local community. This includes performances, workshops and training, entertainment events, facilities and the promotion of new works from our members. 

 

Vision

We aspire to raise the profile of performing arts in Kaipara. 

 

• We aim to grow our capacity to provide performing arts opportunities that entertain, inspire, grow and encourage people, creating a sense of belonging for all involved.

 

• We aim to provide a venue that is attractive, user friendly and delivers a memorable audience experience. 

 

Core Values

Community 

We believe in connecting people, contributing, sharing, inclusivity and commitment

 

Fun 

We believe our theatre should be creative and full of imagination

 

Respect 

We believe in communication, honour, trust, showing integrity and compassion

 

Quality 

We believe in accountability, effectiveness and professionalism

 

Growth 

We believe in sustainability, adaptability, decisiveness and taking calculated risks