With six months until Auckland’s Q theatre opens with an onsite café, some of New Zealand’s favourite actors put on morning tea in the construction site to thank the builders who have been working on the job.

With six months until Auckland’s Q theatre opens with an onsite café, some of New Zealand’s favourite actors put on morning tea in the construction site to thank the builders who have been working on the job.

Last Friday Shortland Street’s Faye Smythe, Outrageous Fortune’s, Wesley Dowdell, Eve Gordon from The Almighty Johnsons and Paul Gittins (The End of the Golden Weather) helped serve delicious pastries and quality espresso to more than 40 builders who are working to complete the new performing arts facility by September 2011.

For many of the actors, it was also their first look inside the theatre. “The building is going to be incredible when it is complete,” says actor Wesley Dowdell, who will be one of the first to tread the boards at Q. “Even now, when it is just a shell, the space feels amazing. At the morning tea I learnt the extent and complexity of the work that has gone into constructing Q and it was great to have the opportunity to thank the construction team in person at the future Q café.”

When Q’s café does eventually open to the public it is envisioned as a space where audience members, performing artists and anyone walking past can come day or night. The cafe will welcome visitors who want to spend hours relaxing at a table or accommodate those needing a quick bite before a show.

 “In many ways the morning tea epitomised what Q is all about,” says Q’s new director Carla Theunissen. “It’s more than just a venue where you see a show; it’s where audiences and performers can connect, perhaps over a great cup of coffee in the café.”