New Plymouth Operatic Patron John Murphy passed away at 2:00pm today (7 October 2008).
John received a MTNZ Merit Award in 1999 for services to musical theatre and is of course, Kevin Murphy’s (ex MTNZ President, Vice President and now Financial Advisor and a personal friend of the MTNZ Executive both past and present) father.
John's farewell is on Friday at 10:30am at St Josephs Church, Powderham Street, New Plymouth.
If you would like to send a card or message the address is C/- NPOS, PO Box 485, New Plymouth or npos@xtra.co.nz
John Antony, MTNZ President, will be attending John’s farewell, not only as a good friend of Kevin and the family, but also as a representative of MTNZ members.
The MTNZ Executive are very saddened to hear of John's passing, he was a huge musical theatre stalwart not only in his community of New Plymouth, but also nationwide and has left behind an amazing legacy. Our love and thoughts are with Kevin, Shirley, Carolyn and the Murphy and extended family and the New Plymouth Operatic Society members.
From the NPOS website - www.npos.co.nz
The Opera House
Perhaps the most significant event in the society’s history has been
the saving of the Opera House. A theatre was originally built in 1883 on the
Devon Street site of the Opera House. Known as the Alexander Hall, it was
enlarged in 1904 and sold to the New Plymouth Theatre Company and renamed the
Theatre Royal but was then destroyed by fire in 1916. After being rebuilt it
opened on the 28th of November 1925 as The New Plymouth Opera House and has been
the ‘home’ to most of New Plymouth Operatic’s productions ever since. However,
the theatre faced demolition in 1969 when its owners ran into financial trouble
and the New Plymouth City Council refused to purchase the building. Members
campaigned fearlessly to save the Opera House. Then President John Murphy was
spat on in the street by people objecting to his campaign to have the council
spend money on purchasing the building.
In 1970, although the government valuation was $135,000, New Plymouth Operatic was able to purchase the Opera House for $80,000. Operatic raised a mortgage over its rooms in Robe Street to provide funds for the deposit. To enable the purchase, a number of members; Brien Bennett, Don Clarke, Brian Inns, John Murphy, Leo Noble Campbell, David Parker, Mike Parkes, Geoff Samson, Al Offord and Charles Rush had to sign joint personal guarantees to secure funding. The Society gifted the theatre to a trust for the people of New Plymouth in 1972.
In 1999 there was a major development of the complex driven by New Plymouth Operatic and its members. Today three venues are housed within one complex – the TSB Theatre (the Opera House), the smaller Theatre Royal and the Alexandra Room realising the vision John Murphy had for the venue back in 1969. John’s legacy will always be remembered at the Opera House, with the naming of the ‘John Murphy Green Room’ after the 1999 redevelopment.