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Dame Maggie Smith - Source: ONE News -
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Dame Maggie Smith has become the patron of the Court Theatre in Christchurch as it tries to raise $4.6 million to build a new performance space.
The theatre's old performance space was in the Christchurch Arts Centre, but the February earthquake saw them out on the street.
The Arts Centre had been the company's home for the past 35 years but that lease was terminated after the quake, and the building will be unusable for a long time.
The Court Theatre had been looking for a new space which has now been found in Addington.
The Court Theatre Trust has begun fundraising and Dame Maggie Smith has agreed to help become a public face of that effort.
"I just wish you every possible good wish for what you are going through," Smith said. "I hope you can raise at least some of this money... and indeed your spirits."
Smith is best known for her role as Professor Minerva McGonagal in Harry Potter and recently she starred in Downton Abbey. Her career has spanned 59 years and has seen her win five Baftas and two Academy Awards and numerous other awards.
The news of Smith's involvement follows the recent announcement that Placido Domingo will hold a one-off fund-raising concert in Christchurch on October 6. The Court Theatre will be one of the beneficiaries of that.
