“I never looked at any other villages, I wanted to live in Pakuranga Park”
When Laurie Mills moved to Pakuranga Park around 12 years ago, he became one of the youngest people in the village. “Real Living has an entrance age of 55, and I was only 61 years old. I must have been very happy since I can’t believe I have been here 12 years!” Laurie always knew that retirement village life would be great for him, and he already had friends at Pakuranga Park. “It was never a question of NOT coming here, I didn’t look at any others!”. On top of everything, the village is really close to all the things he loves around the area, including Howick Little Theatre.
Howick Little Theatre’s latest production, “The Maltese Falcon”, is being directed by Laurie. The play is based on the 1941 movie with Humphrey Bogart, considered the first film noir in the history of cinema. The show will be on stage from the 9th to the 30th of July, with a total of 15 performances.
Laurie has been involved with this community theatre since he started acting and directing in the late 70s. He had a “day” job in the Reservations/Ticketing sector of the airline industry, but he devoted all his free time to his passion, the theatre world. “One of the things I love about theatre is that, unlike other hobbies, it’s gender free and intergenerational, so you’re always meeting such a variety of different people and age groups”.
Laurie has also directed lots of children’s theatre through the Howick Children's and Youth Theatre, including some musicals such as the Wizard of Oz and Guys and Dolls.
It goes without saying that he’s also a very eager theatregoer and he’s travelled several times to Sydney to watch some productions. His craziest trip though was in the early 80s when the musical Cats was for the first time on stage in London. He wanted to see the show so much that he and some friends travelled from Auckland to London to see the play… in one weekend only!
If you would like to see “The Maltese Falcon” you can buy tickets at www.iticket.co.nz or by phone (09) 361-1000
