Diana, Lady Isaac: 1921-2012, honoured by Isaac Theatre Royal

The Board, Trustees and Management of Christchurch' Isaac Theatre Royal offer their sincere condolences and deepest sympathy to family, friends and colleagues of the wonderful and much-loved Diana, Lady Isaac who passed away on Friday 23rd November 2012 aged 91.
In a statement, Isaac Theatre Royal General Manager Neil Cox wrote "the Isaac Theatre Royal (ITR) in Christchurch, which bears her name, will be eternally grateful for her generous support during the 2004/2005 refurbishment. The ongoing rebuild and restoration of the ITR after the earthquakes of 2011 will continue to celebrate and honour her memory for countless future generations."
Tributes to Diana, Lady Isaac have been led by New Zealand Prime Minister John Key saying "she was an outstanding champion for Canterbury, the arts and conservation", adding that "her legacy will endure through the Isaac Theatre Royal and the Isaac Centre for Nature Conservation."
Cox continued "Lady Isaac was vibrant, generous, witty and gracious. She will be missed immensely, but her philanthropic work will live on for years to come through the many thousands of patrons who walk through the re-opened doors of the restored and rebuilt Isaac Theatre Royal from mid-2014."
Last week saw major rebuilding work commence at the ITR with sheet-piling preparation for the extensive piling and foundations of the new auditorium walls and foyers.
Cox added "in recognition and honour of Diana, Lady Isaac, we are proud to present the first published image of the design concept for the restored Isaac Theatre Royal.
"Many ... would have (seen) our poor Theatre in the past few weeks and probably wondered if she will ever be open again but the foundation works signify the start of 'moving upwards' where so much of the past 18 months has been very much the opposite!
"Our heritage Façade will very soon be protected and covered by a four-high and three-wide container wall for stabilisation purposes to allow the foyer walls to be carefully deconstructed. Work will continue on the new foundations during that time as we finalise the design plans for the Theatre's restored (but technically and facility enhanced) iconic heritage auditorium and much improved foyer spaces, to eventually reopen the Isaac Theatre Royal in the 2nd quarter of 2014.
"We look forward to seeing (patrons) back at a much improved and significantly stronger ITR in 2014 as a testament to the love, support and generosity that Diana, Lady Isaac gave to our Grand Old Lady of Theatre, and to the arts and conservation of Canterbury."

http://www.isaactheatreroyal.co.nz/