Waikato Times: Mystery box - Regional theatre's fly tower a 500-tonne marvel

Originally published in Waikato Times, Saturday, 30 November 2024.

By Mike Mather.

The ever-developing scene at the Waikato Regional Theatre. PHOTO: Mark Jephson / WAIKATO TIMES.

As the Waikato Regional Theatre slowly but surely takes shape in downtown Hamilton, passers-by suddenly have a burning question: What’s that big black box sitting on top of it for?

The massive box-shaped structure is currently 500 tonnes of structural steel that, when completed, will be home to the theatre’s fly tower. Which, of course, begs the question: What’s a fly tower?

An essential element of “proper” theatres, fly towers are effectively big lofts that sit over the stage and from which pieces of scenery are hung.

These backdrops and other elements can be quickly whisked in and out via complex counter-weight systems, creating some of the most dramatic elements and scene changes during a production.

Crew with a view: The Rigger Brothers team gather to appreciate their handiwork on the fly tower. PHOTO: Mark Jephson / WAIKATO TIMES.

Wendy Lucas, the Waikato structural steel specialists Rigger Brothers and her team have been a vital part of the fly tower - and in fact much of the entirety of the theatre’s construction over the past few years.

Led by site manager Cody Bell, a crew of nine workers from the Cambridge firm have been directing and affixing most of the structural steel - “although we had the full team of 14 on site when we were fully busy busy,” Lucas says.

Rigger Brothers have been effectively “directing the steel” on the theatre site since early 2022, when the firm was simultaneously involved in the reconstruction of Waikeria Prison.

“That was a pretty big job too, but this one has been the longest and most complex for sure. There’s all kinds of connections and engineering.

This shot taken inside the Waikato Regional Theatre shows the expansive views of the Waikato River, from atop the staircase in the foyer.

In total, the crew would have managed about 1500 tonnes of steel that form the bones of the theatre - about 500 tonnes of which can be seen in the fly tower,

By coincidence, it was the flying system in Hamilton’s old Founders Theatre that broke down in early 2016, in what proved to be a decisive nail in the coffin for that facility.

Although it sticks up well above the rest of the regional theatre, the fly tower is a solidly-placed piece of architecture, Bell said.

“It’s not exactly going to fall into the river.”

And there will be another three metre-high “hat” added to the top of it soon.

“The higher we go, the bigger the challenge,” Lucas said. “I’m just super proud of the guys. It hasn’t been the most straight-forward job, but everyone has been super resilient and adaptable.”

Working with fellow construction firms Grayson Engineering and project leaders Foster Construction had been a marriage made in heaven, she said.

“We are just loving working with them. They are like family to us now.”

There’s all kinds of other advances being made with the theatre. Very soon, the remaining steel A-frames propping up the old Hamilton Hotel façade will be removed allowing restoration specialists to get to the intricate and delicate job of making the acroterion - the fancy-looking moulded bits - look brand new.

Already part of the façade facing onto Victoria St has been “sheeted off”, so this work can be done independent of the weather.

On the other, river-facing side of the building, some striking Hinuera stone now adorns the sides of the distinctive blade walls.

And sometime in the first quarter of 2025 the two gigantic cranes that have been dominating the city skyline for years will come down, one after the other - which will allow the theatre building to finally become “watertight”.