The Devonport Flagstaff Page 18
Interview
May 5, 2017
Ska man upbeat about his work at the Vic Philipp Jaser has been running the Victoria Theatre for almost five years. He spoke to Maire Vieth about the challenges of his job, his Bavarian roots and his passion for ska music. When Philipp Jaser became the new operator of the oldest purpose-built picture theatre in the southern hemisphere, he had no experience of running a cinema. Prior to taking over Devonport’s Victoria Theatre in 2012, he had been a wine wholesaler, a drummer and an arts festival manager. He has since achieved what was seemingly impossible for his predecessors: he has made the Vic a popular destination for locals and turned it into a viable business. Since 2012, seat sales have more than doubled to over 60,000 a year. It hasn’t been easy. Jaser says he has practically lived at the Vic, starting his work day when opening the doors for daily matinees and heading home after the day’s last picture show. “Let’s just say it’s been a labour-intensive time,” he says. Jaser is employed by the Victoria Theatre Trust, which looks after the council-owned Category-1 listed heritage building and has long-term plans for its seismic strengthening and complete restoration. His challenge was to turn the heritage jewel into a sustainable community venue. “There is a lot of thought and work behind that word ‘sustainable’, because whatever we do we have to be able to deliver on an ongoing basis and we have to give the community what it wants,” he says. This Movie business… Philipp Jaser has turned the Vic into a viable has meant upgrading the theatre screens, operation. projectors and seating. schedule, up to 18 film screenings can be busy year as Dida’s in 2012, but lost the buzz Five years in, Jaser’s job is becoming held each day. “So if we start a whole set of after Bette’s opened down the road. “We are sustainable as well. “Now I have my staff new films one week, we can show only three now thinking about turning it into a pop-up open in the morning, so I can come in later. or four films, because the distributor often movie lounge that can cater for birthdays, And in the evening, I have dinner with my requires you to show a new movie three art-house films – small audiences like that. kids at home and only come back to finish times a day in order to get it,” he says. “So It would give us a fourth screen that way,” up,” he says. that’s nine or 12 screenings full before any he says. Occasionally he still finds himself at work special screenings, community events, kids’ Seismic strengthening, which is under the at 2 am, finalising a tricky programme in birthday parties. It’s a squeeze.” ambit of the Victoria Theatre Trust, is a huge the small, crammed upstairs office. “Some Working out of a heritage building has its undertaking. “It’s going to be expensive,” weeks it’s just an enormous juggle to make constraints as well, but Jaser loves the Vic’s Jaser says. everything fit.” history. “My five years here are nothing Jaser became a Devonport local three years With three theatres and a 12-hour compared to the life of the Vic.” ago when he, wife Donna and daughters The 1912 building – it turned 100 the Ariana (17) and Sasha (15) moved from Glen year Jaser arrived – needs constant tender Eden to cut two hours of commuting out of Celebrating loving care, he says. Making it warm and his already long work day. hospitable has taken work and keeping the He and Donna have since separated, but rain out has been an ongoing challenge. Jaser says he and his kids love living here. Everything I am, you helped me to be. “Knock on wood, we seem to have fixed Sasha is in Year 11 at Takapuna Grammar the leaking gutters at last, just as Cyclone School while Ariana commutes to Avondale Debbie came,” he says. College via ferry and train for her last school Sunday Internal gutters struggle to cope with year. 14th May heavy rain, when water leaks into the Jaser is originally from Burgau, a small at 9.30am building. “It’s come down the side walls town in western Bavaria, close to Austria, into cinema three, then the staircase and at Switzerland, Italy and France. times even dripped into the foyer. Catching His family liked to travel, whether it Holy Trinity Church it has been a lot of hard work, with a lot of was skiing in the Alps or spending summer 20 Church Street buckets of water down the toilet,” says Jaser. holidays in Italy. There are other challenges too, such as He caught the travel bug too. “I went for Bring your mothers, grandmothers and godmothers to this special service the Vic’s bar space. “The bar has just never my first Interrail Pass trip with a cousin really worked,” he readily admits. It had a and a friend when I was 15. It cost us 300
Mother’s Day