Regent Theatre, Dunedin
Historic Place - Category I[1] | |
| Capacity | 1,684 |
|---|---|
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1 June 1928 |
| Architect | James Hodge White |
| Website | |
| www.regenttheatre.co.nz | |
| Designated | 26 November 1987 |
| Reference no. | 4363 |
The Regent Theatre is a theatre in Dunedin, New Zealand with a seating capacity of about 1,650. It is in The Octagon, the city's central plaza, directly opposite the Municipal Chambers (Dunedin Town Hall) and close to the Dunedin Public Art Gallery.
History
Originally a 2,000 seat cinema the Regent opened on 1 June 1928, and the interior is elaborately decorated in a revived baroque style, characteristic of the super cinemas of the time. The design is a variation of
The Dunedin building's supervising architect was James Hodge White (1896–1970), one of the founders of the Dunedin architectural firm Miller White & Dunn. It was sited behind a building on the Octagon designed by David Ross (1828–1908) which was first opened in 1876. The Octagon building was given an additional storey in 1880 and remodelled at the ground floor in 1928 to provide the present theatre entrance.
Purchased by the Otago Theatre Trust in 1973, the building has since been adapted to work as a live venue, although it still also functions as a cinema during film festivals every year. It is now owned by the Dunedin City Council.
At the end of 2010, the theatre began $7.5 million refurbishments including upgrading the flying system, replacing the chairs, carpet and other work. It was re-opened on 30 July 2011 with a 'thank you' concert for sponsors.[2]
Annual book sale
As it is run by a charitable trust, the theatre relies on the support of the local community for its continued existence.
A major part of this support is the Regent 24-hour Book Sale, the largest sale of second-hand books in New Zealand,
The sale was held at the theatre each year, usually in May, until 2022 (excluding a two-year hiatus made necessary by the
Claimed hauntings
The theatre has some associated
References
- ^ "Regent Theatre". New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 29 April 2008.
- ^ Fox, Rebecca (1 August 2011). "Curtain raised at Regent". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
- ^ a b c Price, Mark (14 May 2009). "Penultimate sale for founder". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 14 May 2009.
- ^ Harwood, Brenda (14 April 2022). "Regent Theatre's 10-day book sale raises $110k". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
- ^ Scott, Tim (12 March 2024). "Book sale going from strength to strength". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ Morris, C., "Ghostly gushing mystifies Regent workers," Otago Daily Times, 13 March 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
External links
