28/08/2026
Garnie’s first job at the Civic Theatre didn’t exactly go to plan.
It was 1974 and he was an electrical apprentice earning about $35 a week. When the chance came up to earn a bit extra helping with lighting at the Civic, he took it. He wasn’t particularly interested in theatre – he just wanted the extra cash.
One of his first shows was the New Zealand Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet. With directions coming from the stage manager, Garnie's approach to following the dancers with the spotlight was fairly simple: aim for the middle and hope for the best. He’s pretty sure he missed the dancer completely the first time.
Fortunately, he got better, and he kept coming back. What started as a second job became 50 years spent behind the scenes at the Civic.
Over those years, Garnie watched the theatre move from h**p ropes and lamps fitted with coloured gels to modern flying systems and LED lighting. He met performers including Windsor Davies, John Farnham, The Irish Rovers and John Inman, and even helped rewire the theatre during electrical upgrades in 1982.
One show that still stands out is Les Misérables in 1994. Featuring a largely local cast alongside Chris Fennessy as Jean Valjean, it was originally advertised for two weeks but sold out and ran for three, bringing more than 10,000 people through the Civic.
In 2001, after years of working at the theatre alongside his day job, Garnie became a full-time member of the Civic team.
Not bad for someone who first walked into the Civic because he wanted a few extra dollars a week.
🎂 Celebrating the people, performances and stories that have shaped 120 years of the Civic Theatre.
