The front of the Civic Theatre, lit up at night.

In the 110 years since the Civic Theatre in Invercargill was built, it has undergone several renovations, a name change and a myriad of performers taking to the stage. Reporter GEORGIA WEAVER takes a look at the theatre's extensive history.

In August, 1893, the future contractor for the Invercargill Civic Theatre, Joseph Howie, had a bit too much to drink.

The Southland Times reported in their court list that he was "charged with having at Crinan St, on the 12th inst., while drunk, behaved in a riotous manner."

SUPPLIED The backstage area of the Civic Theatre in Invercargill is demolished in 2004 before starting on the 15 million dollar rebuild.

At one point in his life, Howie had fallen from a building, and he had injured his skull, the reporter wrote.

"Consequently when he took too much to drink, it affected him very much and occasionally he became very violent."

He went to his neighbours house to abuse him, only to find him not there. The man's wife called for the police.

BARRY HARCOURT John Darcy of Signal (L) and Paul Horner from the ICC look over the progress inside the Civic theatre in 2004

In court, Howie pleaded guilty and because of this, a second charge was dropped.

"The sergeant asked leave to withdraw a second information charging him with having at the same time made use of profane language."

The policeman agreed that when sober, Howie was a good and well-respected citizen.

GEORGIA WEAVER/FAIRFAX NZ The old ticketing window in Invercargill's Civic Theatre.

It was his first and last court appearance, having sworn off drinking.

About 13 years later, he would bring Edmund Richardson Wilson's design of what was originally known as the Invercargill Town Hall and Theatre to life.

This year marks 110 years since the official opening of the theatre in Invercargill on November 14, 1906.

GEORGIA WEAVER/FAIRFAX NZ The old entrance to the stalls in Invercargill's Civic Theatre.

The Southland Times reported on the opening in 1906, saying "no longer will the Invercargill public be obliged to take their pleasures sadly in 'another place' where everything conspired to render the attainment of the maximum comfort impossible."

The idea of the theatre was born in March, 1903 when a proposal was put before ratepayers.

It suggested borrowing £16,000, bearing four-and-a-half per cent interest annually, to build the Invercargill Town Hall and Theatre.

GEORGIA WEAVER/FAIRFAX NZ The drawing room in Invercargill's Civic Theatre.

In the end it was built for £21,700.

Ratepayers mostly voted in favour of the proposal, 322 to 253.

A competition for the design was held, but the winning one belonged to Edmund Richardson Wilson, of Mackenzie and Wilson in Invercargill.

GEORGIA WEAVER/FAIRFAX NZ Posters line the walls backstage in Invercargill's Civic Theatre.

A booklet distributed for the 2005 renovation written by Lynley Dear says Wilson put his own personal touch in the theatre auditorium, with the plaster cherubs bearing the face of his then 18-month-old son.

On November 10, 1906, an advert in The Southland Times says the theatre would be officially opened by The Governor Lord Plunket, and Sir Joseph Ward.

Listed was seven songs a full choir and orchestra would perform on the night, including the Hallelujah Chorus and the Imperial March.

Upon completion, the theatre had municipal offices and a lecture hall as well as a stage and tiered seating.

However, it has changed somewhat from what it used to be. The biggest refurbishment came in 2005 when the Civic Theatre was extensively renovated at a cost of $15.8 million.

Heritage New Zealand architects worked with the theatre consultants to make sure the changes did not effect essential historic elements.

The backstage and dressing room block was demolished, redesigned and rebuilt to meet modern performing arts demands.

Only the back of house remains as what it originally was.

These days, it holds 1015 audience members.

The name change came in 1930. From then it was simply known as The Civic Theatre.

After many years of theatre, ballet and singing performances, in the 1970s, city engineer Ken Ballinger expressed his concerns about the safety of the building.

There were cracks in the facade that were moving the building out toward Tay St. The north wall was being pushed out and the trusses were not fixed to the walls nor holding anything in place.

Ballinger strongly advocated demolition.

However, architects and the public spoke passionately for retention.

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 $11,000,000.

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."

The former seats from the Civic Theatre were sold following replacement, at $10 each.

The theatre's manager Garnet Ashbrook has worked there since 1975, starting backstage.

He remembers it well before the 2005 renovation.

"It had a lot of character, but it was cold."

As with most old buildings, there are rumblings of a ghostly entity that lingers about.

"Ah, Freddy," Ashbrook says.

He doesn't know much about him, but others are sure they have seen him.

Some time ago, a young woman visited him at the theatre and asked who was the man in the black coat, sitting in the stall seats.

There was no one there of that description.

"She must have seen him," Ashbrook says.

The restoration booklet makes mention of the "benign ghost."

"Surely a cavalcade of spirits to all those performers who over a century have showed their talents like stardust within these walls, will jubilantly celebrating with us this stunning new life at our city's heart."

However, the last time anybody saw Freddy, he was lingering around the Phantom's chair after the 2015 Invercargill Musical Theatre production of The Phantom of the Opera.

The talk is that he was packed up with the set and sent off to Dunedin Theatre.

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 renovated says "The 'conservative' audience remained fairy calm and his act was later pronounced 'completely out of place in the stately Civic Theatre.'"

In 1965, The Rolling Stones performed in Invercargill. Front man Mick Jagger scrawled his name on the low ceiling of the below-stage Musician's Room.

These days, the Civic Theatre continues to play host for a myriad of performers, from the Royal New Zealand Ballet, to Southland's finest partaking in the Southland Entertainment Awards.

It remains a part of Invercargill's history and hard to miss at that.

At night it is lit up amongst a backdrop of black, as a reminder of the the beautiful design crafted 110 years ago.

As Mayor Tim Shadbolt says in the 2005 renovation booklet - "The Civic Theatre will enrich and empower the cultural lifeblood of our province and will lift the spirit and pride of every Southlander."

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- Governor General Lord Plunket placed a scroll in a bottle underneath the foundation stone of the theatre on February 1, 1905.

- Moving pictures were shown in the Civic from about 1919 to the 1950s.

- As a boy, designer Edmund Wilson locked his teacher in a classroom to escape an after school detention.

- One night in the 1920s, 1677 packed the 1350 seat theatre. There were no restrictions and people were allowed to stand.

- The last silent movie played in the Civic Theatre on May 31, 1930.

- In October, 2005, Invercargill and the Civic Theatre played host to the world premiere of The World's Fastest Indian.