'Just come and be in it' - 87-year-old community theatre director
June Renwick from Auckland's Selwyn Community Arts Theatre still gets "really excited" about seeing people discover their hidden performance talents.
When she retired from teaching at Auckland's Selwyn College, June Renwick was determined to "get a community theatre happening". Now she directs and produces shows at the Selwyn Community Arts Theatre (SCAT).
Not only is community theatre a lot of fun, it also encourages diverse connections, Renwick says, not just in nationality, but in age.
"People make lasting friendships, like we're all going for a curry night soon up to Orewa", she tells Culture 101.
"When you're old, you just say, 'I think I'll do this'" - Auckland theatre legend June Renwick.
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Renwick, who has worked behind the scenes and performed in theatre productions since she was young, learnt dancing and singing from the age of four.
"Every Saturday, during World War II, my parents would have people come around. Mum would play the piano, Dad would play the violin… and they'd have these great, great sing-alongs.
"I was always wanting to do concerts and put people into things, and that continued."
A young June Renwick performing in a dance recital.
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Until 4 October, Renwick is directing Mamma Mia!- an uplifting play about "friendship, love, understanding" that she thought suited a difficult time for the world.
SCAT have put it on once already, but they've also done Priscilla Queen of the Desert twice, she points out, and the final say is with her.
"When you're old, you just say, 'I think I'll do this.'"
Cast members in the 2024 SCAT production of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert
Selwyn Community Arts Theatre
Often, when people see productions at Selwyn Community Arts Theatre, they think "Oh, that was as good as what I paid $100 to see somewhere else," Renwick says.
"We've got all these wonderful people in the community, some of them have never experienced a chance to go on stage, and when they get there, they find something they didn't know they had.
"Some people say 'I can't sing'. But we work on the principle that everyone can sing. Just come and do it. Come and be in it. It's an adventure. It's rewarding, and when you finally see them do their thing, it gives you a lot of pleasure.
"It is people discovering that they can do more than they thought they could. That's what I love about it... Many people have unknown talents, that's what I believe."
June Renwick (left) with Chris Sutton in a 1975 production of Harold Pinter's The Lover by the Lautoka Arts_Club in Fiji.
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Renwick, who also mentors people and helps with costumes and sets, suspects that her impressive work ethic comes from her family.
"My parents would be out in the garden at 5:30 mowing the lawn, so I think I've had a background of hard work, which hasn't worried me, because you just use the time you've got and do what you want."
"I'm the sort of girl that just says 'Don't give up'. Just do it, and I don't sort of use it as a reason to stop doing things. Because where there's a will, there's a way.
For the audience, Mamma Mia! is a good choice because they know the ABBA songs, and the subject matter isn't too "heavy", Renwick says.
"I wanted to do something that lifts people, and people often get up at the end and sing along to the finale. That's fun for them, and they dress up.
"I don't think we have enough love in our lives or happy times at the moment, you know?"
