Waikato Times: City puts $70k into opening party for ‘best theatre in the country’

Originally published in Waikato Times, Saturday 24 May 2025.

By Madeleine Powers.

Waikato Regional Theatre manager Gus Sharp in front of the theatre in earlier stages of construction. PHOTO: Mark Taylor / WAIKATO TIMES.

City leaders have rolled out the financial red carpet for ‘the best theatre in the country’.

The Waikato Regional Property Trust has been granted $70,000 from Hamilton City Council to celebrate the opening of what’s promising to be ‘a very big story for the city’ on the national stage.

As the final layers are peeled off and the full face of the $80 million Waikato Regional Theatre comes into view, it’s time to start planning the party.

Councillors approved the $70,000 in financial sponsorship at this week’s economic development committee meeting and while general manager destinations, Sean Murray, said it was “a little bit out of the ordinary”, it would deliver “substantial profile”.

General manager destinations at Hamilton City Council Sean Murray said he ‘felt comfortable’ funding the theatre opening because it would be ‘huge’ for the city.

PHOTO: Mark Taylor / WAIKATO TIMES.

The Waikato Regional Property Trust applied for $100,000 in funding from the council’s event sponsorship fund for the theatre opening, and was awarded $70,000.

Murray said the theatre opening warranted funding because it would be “very high profile” and “of value to the city”, “especially when you consider the significant investment the council has made”.

This render by Jasmax Architects shows what the Waikato Regional Theatre will look like, once the building is opened and filled with people later this year. IMAGE: Jasmax.

There will be TV crews, he said, and it would be, “a very big story for the city”.

“This will be the best theatre in the country.”

The opening programme will include a “curated series of performances and celebrations” and a mix of free and ticketed events featuring local artists.

The programme will be running from late August to October 2025, with timing dependent on construction.

“There will be a huge amount of news, the story about it, the funding for it, how the community has got together,” Murray said.

The final layers of the theatre were unwrapped in mid-May revealing the full façade.

PHOTO: Christel Yardley / WAIKATO TIMES.

“It’s going to be really important for us.”

He said it would send out a “huge message about Hamilton”.

The Regional Theatre Trust was “always challenged for funding”, and it would be the council’s way of supporting them.

Waikato Regional Theatre general manager Gus Sharp said it was “fantastic” news.

“It’s game-changing really.

“We are spending all of the construction funds that we have on making sure that the building is the best it can be for audiences and patrons.

“So by having funding specifically targeted for opening activities is incredibly helpful.”

Waikato Regional Theatre manager Gus Sharp said the funding is ‘fantastic’ news.

PHOTO: Mark Jephson / WAIKATO TIMES.

There will be community performances over three nights, and a “public access period”.

“We are focusing on making sure that the people that are part of Hamilton’s creative sector are invited to witness something that they’ve been championing for many years,” Sharp said.

All of the performers, composers or directors will be from Hamilton, and the performances original.

“One of the things that I really wanted to do was make sure that we're able to commission new work rather than perform things that have been performed in the past.

“This enables us to do that.”

Sharp said while this opening would celebrate the Trust and would be a civic and community opening, Live Nation would be doing a separate public ticketed event.

“We’re really excited to show the people of the Waikato what we’ve been working on, and really excited to have a platform for our local creative community to express themselves and tell their stories.”

As to the claim that it will be the best theatre in the country, he said technically speaking, there was “no question” it was the best theatre in the country.

“In terms of the actual building itself, no question, the fact that it's the most modern, that it was designed using international best practice speaks for itself.

“Operationally, we've got world-class operators and in terms of community access, we've got market leading community access provisions.

“I think we've got all the ingredients to have the best theatre in the country.

“There's not much that we can't do in the building.