As North Shore’s Phoenix Theatre is reborn after a hiatus of several years, Braydon Priest, arts enthusiast, performer, producer/presenter and broadcaster, is at the forefront of this community theatre revival. Christine Young talked to Braydon about his background and the resurrection of Phoenix.
Phoenix Theatre was first formed in 1999; Braydon’s involvement started when he was in the 2013 production of ‘Ghost Writer’ at The Rose Centre, and joined as a committee member. In 2015 he directed ‘Off The Hook’ (also at The Rose Centre). But work, and a shift from Auckland to Christchurch, intervened. In 2021 he moved back to Auckland – and made the shift from central city to the Shore – to take up the role of The Breeze Auckland operations manager and executive producer for the breakfast show.
Braydon’s shift Shore-side was pragmatic, rather than motivated by a love of the Shore. But he’s now a convert: “Moving back from Christchurch in 2021, it was important to find a place that would allow working from home (I have a home studio for voiceovers) and also provide enough space to be a haven away from work. Finding something on the city side of the bridge that fitted the bill (and the budget) proved to be impossible, but what a blessing that has become. I have adored the three years on the Shore so far, and have no plans to move. There is something about leaving the day behind as I cross the harbour bridge with some great music playing, looking at the stunning view out towards Rangitoto and back towards the Chelsea factory ̶ it’s absolute bliss.
“Where I live has the most beautiful native trees, including nikau palms that remind me of the West Coast. There’s so much bird life, and there’s not a day goes by where there aren’t tui, kereru, piwakawaka and kōtare playing in the trees. I love being able to wander through Eskdale Reserve nearby, definitely have my local favourite eateries now, from Patch on Sunnybrae Road [to] Lily in Devonport ̶ and do yourself a favour by trying the prawns from Flying Horse in Takapuna. Since living here, more and more friends have moved to the Shore; it really is the place to be.”
Braydon's love of broadcasting stems back to his primary school days on the South Island’s West Coast, when a touring radio station came to Hokitika to broadcast from an empty shop for a week, inviting schools to make programmes. “I still have a picture of me from the front page of the newspaper. I vividly remember being blown away by what all the buttons did, and couldn’t believe that what we did on air could be heard for miles. That started many years of recording fake radio programmes onto cassette tapes and subjecting my family to them before I began hosting the night show at a local radio station when I was 17.”
After leaving school he completed a Bachelor of Broadcasting Communications at the New Zealand Broadcasting School and since then has worked in Central Otago, Christchurch and Auckland in copywriting, audio engineering, promotions, marketing, producing, operations and on-air roles.
“I’m also a voice artist, and did five years as a producer/presenter on TV3’s The Café, mostly covering entertainment and the arts. I’ve been with The Breeze since 2008. I love the immediacy of radio; we have the ability to switch the microphone on at a moment’s notice when something important happens ̶ that could be anything from a lane closure on the harbour bridge, to the passing of the Queen. Plus, what’s not to love about playing great music?”
When it comes to theatre, he says “I’d always enjoyed performing at school. School reports suggest I was a seven-year-old bossy-boots when it came to how the end of year productions needed to be staged. I think I was lucky coming from a small town where there were very few males to play parts, so I was in my first lead role at age 14, despite [my lack of] experience or talent. Since then, wherever I’ve lived, I’ve always found local theatre groups to be a part of, occasionally on stage, but more recently in committee and production roles. I also volunteered for many years as a judge for the Stage Challenge foundation, and through my work I’ve actively worked with professional and community theatre companies to promote and publicise their work.”
And so to Phoenix Theatre, so named as it rose out of a group of members breaking away from The Torbay Dramatic Society. Its first production was ‘Aladdin’ in October 1999. Although the two groups are now reconciled, Braydon says the name “has certainly become relevant again as we try to rebuild”. The company is lucky, he notes, to have members both on and off the committee who have been with Phoenix since the early days who have “been the heart and soul of the group.”
Phoenix became inactive a couple of years prior to Covid, and plans for any return were further hampered by Covid and the lockdowns. “Through a period of inactivity, it’s tricky to grow or maintain a membership,” says Braydon, “so the existing committee was faced with making a decision on rebuilding or folding. When I returned to Auckland, as I had previously been involved, I reached out to see if it was possible to lend a hand in starting back up. I was very keen to see another community theatre option thrive on the Shore, particularly a smaller group like Phoenix, as I believe it’s a great opportunity to foster a sense of community, and also provide an on-ramp for young people wanting to grow confidence or develop their performance skills.”
In late 2023, the committee held an AGM and recruited some additional committee members. And in mid-February the company held a play-reading with 15 actors and directors from across the Shore. “It was fun and there was great energy in the room,” Braydon enthuses. “It really feels like there is a fresh new energy, and we are determined for Phoenix to be a welcoming, friendly addition to the tapestry of community theatre groups on the Shore."
The committee has worked through the feedback and has chosen its first come-back play: 'Call Girls', a comedy by Devonport playwright and actor James Carrick.
“It was heartening to see the talent we have on the Shore,” he adds, though they’d love to see more teens and twenty-somethings taking part and for Phoenix to continue to nurture new talent. “Over the years we have also had fellow broadcasters (and Shore dwellers) Alison Leonard and Anna Thomas involved in productions, plus numerous actors and theatre practitioners who have cut their teeth before going on to even bigger things.”
At this stage, “the number one thing we need is people”: people who want to lend a hand, “no matter how big or small, things like wielding a paintbrush, sewing, technical roles, manning the bar, obviously on-stage and production roles and most importantly buying tickets when we stage productions.”
Braydon says that theatre lovers should look out for the first production by a revitalised Phoenix Theatre in the next few months at The Rose Centre in Belmont. And with the committee considering works for future productions, it's clear that, buoyed by Braydon's energy and commitment, Phoenix has truly risen from the ashes.
Visit phoenixtheatre.co.nz to be added to their mailing list for when Phoenix is looking for helpers or has a show on, or email hello@phoenixtheatre.co.nz, or visit their FB page at facebook.com/PhoenixTheatreNZ
