Waikato Times: Lighting the lights and scaling the heights of our new Waikato Regional Theatre

Originally published in Waikato Times, Monday 18 August 2025.

By Mike Mather.

Lights, camera, action: The connection of exterior lighting along the frontage of the Waikato Regional Theatre means it is already a stunning sight after dark. PHOTO: Christel Yardley / WAIKATO TIMES.

It’s very likely to be the top place to see a show in New Zealand - and the view from the top of the Waikato Regional Theatre also makes for a pretty amazing experience.

With the construction of Kirikiriroa’s new $80 million theatre coming together like some particularly well-executed stage play, the Waikato Times was offered a rare opportunity to see what only those intimately involved in the project have experienced first-hand.

A recent fine day brought a window of opportunity for a Times reporter and photographer to scale stairwells and ladders to get to the uppermost part of the building: The fly tower.

Foster Construction site manager Dave Middlemiss and Momentum Waikato communications and marketing manager Mark Servian, left, check out the view from the roof of the Waikato Regional Theatre's fly tower. PHOTO: Mark Taylor / WAIKATO TIMES.

This was no frivolous expedition undertaken for fun or, in the words of the ill-fated mountaineer George Mallory - who perished on the slopes of Mt Everest - “because it’s there”.

Much has been written in the Waikato Times about the theatre - Hamilton’s most significant construction project in decades - and its fly tower, the big loft that sits directly over the stage, housing the complex system of ropes, counterweights, pulleys, and battens that will enable swift scene changes during productions.

We were obligated to investigate it for ourselves.

The top of the fly tower allows for stunning views of Kirikiriroa and the Waikato River. This was as close to the edge as we were allowed to get. PHOTO: Mark Taylor / WAIKATO TIMES.

Accessing the top of the fly tower proved to be somewhat of a quest in itself. Under the guidance of our expedition leaders, Foster Construction site manager Dave Middlemiss and Momentum Waikato communications and marketing manager Mark Servian, it proved, in parts, to be a steep climb.

Parts of the ascent proved tricky, and many times we had to stop in our tracks to make way for construction crew members who were swiftly moving back and forth, carrying in joinery and other items for the interior fit-out.

To apply the oft-used description “a hive of activity” would be an understatement. Among the items being brought in are portals from the original Hamilton Hotel, the Queen’s Powder Room suite, stairs and leadlight windows.

This drone shot of the Waikato Regional Theatre reveals the scale of the project - and just how high above the ground the roof of the fly tower is. PHOTO: Mark Taylor / WAIKATO TIMES.

Down below, the sounds of machinery can be heard. Preparations are under way for the streetside footpath outside the theatre - after the necessary pipes, fibreoptic cables and other services are all installed.

The “public realm” - otherwise known as Embassy Park - is also taking shape. And much of the exterior lighting has been connected, making the building a head-turning spectacle after dark.

“They are still testing the lights, to get the right wash on the walls and the kind of appeal the lighting director is after,” Middlemiss says.

Further up and into the interior of the theatre we journeyed, past girders, ducts and some massive ventilation fans. Parts of the trek afforded tantalising glimpses into the main auditorium, which was still partly filled with scaffolding.

The ‘final beam’ of the theatre is adorned with the signatures of those involved in the project. PHOTO: Mark Taylor / WAIKATO TIMES

Theatre actor working as a rigger on the theatre. PHOTO: Kelly Hodel / WAIKATO TIMES.

Below, construction of the sprung stage floor - a feature that will vastly improve the venue’s versatility - is well advanced.

Near the top of the climb we encountered a significant if not historic element: The final beam that had been lifted into place in a ceremony in February, still adorned with the signatures of those involved in the construction.

Among the names we spotted was that of rigger (and theatre actor) Paris Eyeington, who was responsible for the first on-stage performance in the theatre in May last year.

The final stage of the odyssey took us through a hatch, and then up a ladder and onto the roof.

The 360 degree views are breathtaking. The Waikato River is, on this day, a serenely-moving azure blue. To the south-west the mighty Mt Pirongia stands in stark relief on the horizon. Directly south a tiny white peak of Mt Ruapehu can be seen.

A thick coat of rolled tar on the roof of the theatre means there is little chance of leaks ever getting through to the performers or audience below. PHOTO: Mark Taylor / WAIKATO TIMES

And to the north the roof of the Sky City Casino is its own activity hive, with builders scurrying over a network of scaffolding like ants.

Although not a breath of wind is blowing, Middlemiss is extremely safety-conscious, and stepping anywhere close to the edge of the theatre rooftop is not permitted. This is a rare and potentially dangerous experience that is understandably forbidden to the public.

Underfoot is a surface of meticulously rolled surface made of hot tar, a waterproof shield for what lies below. Jutting up at regular intervals are metal spikes that abseilers contracted to clean the building can attach their lines to.

Not far yonder is the site where a 25-storey hotel will be built on Victoria St. Will it literally overshadow the theatre?

The fly tower view provides a breathtaking 360 degree view of Kirikiriroa - including some other big construction projects under way. PHOTO: Mark Taylor / WAIKATO TIMES

“It’s not really going to affect us here. There may be some brief shadowing in winter, when the sun is lower in the sky,” says Middlemiss.

Adds Servian: “It will almost be like a sundial, just passing over.”

The rooftop visitation is a brief but very worthwhile experience for the view alone. As the famed and fictional Ferris Bueller observed: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”