Sun, 15 Oct
|3 Titan Street Dunedin
Robert Lord Writer's Cottage Open Day
Playwright Robert Lord (1945–1992) this cottage in 1988, after holding the Burns Fellowship at the University of Otago in 1987. Before his death, Lord set up a trust to make his home a place of welcome for writers to come to Dunedin and take part in the city’s literary life.
15 Oct 2023, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm NZDT
3 Titan Street Dunedin, 3 Titan Street, Dunedin North, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
This brick cottage on one of North Dunedin’s densely-built streets was home to Robert Lord, New Zealand’s first professional playwright and now provides a haven for writers. Robert Lord’s Cottage has special historical, cultural and architectural significance, recalling Lord’s role in developing professional theatre and playwriting in New Zealand and the vital role of residencies and community support for New Zealand writers.
This cottage, built for Richard Tilbury in 1909, remained a residence throughout the twentieth century. In 1988, New York-based playwright Robert Lord bought the cottage, planning to split his time between New York and Dunedin. Returning to Dunedin in 1990 as the Fortune Theatre’s playwright in residence, Lord set about organizing the garden, planting trees, and altering the house to his requirements and aesthetic. He lived at Titan Street until his untimely death in January 1992. The cottage has been run as a rent-free residency for writers since 2003. Source: Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga List 9724, Category 1.