The company was originally located in the auditorium of the Dunedin Athenaeum and Mechanics' Institute in the Octagon, but when that proved too small, moved to the former Trinity Methodist Church on Stuart Street.
[3][4] The Fortune Theatre company was co-founded by David Carnegie, Alex Gilchrist, Murray Hutchinson and Huntly Elliot in 1973.
The company was initially located in the 105-seat Otago Cine Club theatrette at the rear of the Athenaeum building in the Octagon.
However, after hiring full-time acting staff in 1977, it was decided that the venue was too small to continue to be viable and in 1978 the company moved to the former Trinity Methodist Church where it remained until its closure in 2018.
[6] In 2006 Geraldine Brophy, who had acted at the Fortune in Tony Taylor's 1984 company, directed the world premiere of her play The Paradise Package.
The production was to have featured famous English actor Edward Petherbridge in the title role but he became ill shortly after arriving in New Zealand for rehearsals and had to withdraw.
This was Roger Hall's hit, Four Flat Whites in Italy, which was seen by 6,606 spectators in its month-long season (around 7% of Dunedin's permanent resident population).
[14] The 2013 season commenced with a co-production between the Fortune and Wellington's Taki Rua Theatre of Michael James Manaia by local playwright John Broughton.
It continued with off-Broadway success Love, Loss and What I Wore, the hit Roger Hall musical about grandparenting (You Can Always Hand Them Back), Nina Raine's Tribes, the long-running off-Broadway musical Altar Boyz in its New Zealand premiere, and the World Premiere of Patrick Evans's Gifted which toured to four arts festivals, several Otago / Southland regional centres and was revived at Wellington's Circa Theatre in 2015.
[18] As its entry in that year's Otago Festival of the Arts the Fortune staged Samuel Beckett's Krapp's Last Tape.
"[23] The Fortune Theatre's costumes was purchased from the liquidators after they closed and are being looked after by the Stage South Charitable Trust.
Brian McNeill was the Company's Writer in Residence from 1980 to 1982 (writing Smelter Skelter, What an Exhibition and The Perfumed Business Woman in that time) and Robert Lord in 1991.
[27] In 2009 the 2008 Fortune production of A Streetcar Named Desire was revived at a Tennessee Williams Festival in Williamstown USA.
[28] The Fortune presented the New Zealand professional premiere of the renaissance drama, The Revenger's Tragedy (Thomas Middleton, previously attributed to Cyril Tourneur), in 1995.
[29] The Fortune was established by Murray Hutchinson, Alex Gilchrist, Huntly Eliott and Dr David Carnegie.
Campbell Thomas was appointed to commence as Artistic Director at the beginning of 1986 and was the Company's longest serving head, remaining until the end of 1999.
[35] Associate Directors: Lisa Warrington, Richard Finn (1987 - 1993) Production Manager/Designers: Bruce Appelton, John Waite Business Managers: Lindsay Shaw, Lynette Gernhoefer (1987 - 2007), Nicholas McBryde Marketing Managers: Trish James, Peter Brown, Claire Dorking, Lisa Scott (2003-2008) Wardrobe: Maryanne Wright-Smyth Stage Managers and Technicians: Martin Phelan, Melinda Olykan, Erika Browne The Fortune Theatre provided a range of options for schools such as tours around the theatre, and opportunities to talk to the cast and crew of a production.