The Regent on Broadway is a large theatre in

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...

, New Zealand, named so because it is the Regent Theatre on Broadway Avenue.

History

Designed in 1929 by Charles Holingshed of Sydney, the

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...

complex was officially opened to the public on 4 July 1930. Its original use was as a cinema and

opera house An opera house is a theater (structure), theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a Stage (theatre), stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and building sets. While some venu ...

, but, with the decline of the

movie A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

over the decades, the Regent closed in 1991. However, the public response was so great, that, in 1993, Palmerston North City Council agreed to contribute the sum of $10,000,000, followed by a community donation of $1,700,000, and $1,000,000 from New Zealand Lotteries Grant Board. The

auditorium An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theatres, the number of auditoria (or auditoriums) is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoria can be found in entertainment venues, communit ...

has painted panels on the roof, all of which were cleaned during the renovations of the 1990s. The staircase leading up to the mezzanine floor is carpeted in the centre, with

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorpho ...

on the sides. The lobby is carpeted, with a special weave being manufactured by Feltex

carpets A carpet is a textile floor covering typically consisting of an upper layer of pile attached to a backing. The pile was traditionally made from wool, but since the 20th century synthetic fibers such as polypropylene, nylon, or polyester hav ...

, an exact copy of the linoleum, still lying underneath the carpet. The mezzanine floor has carved kowhaiwhai panels in the ceiling.

Today

Regent On Broadway is described as being "among the top four performing arts centres in New Zealand",^{y whom?/sup> alongside Wellington Town Hall

The Wellington Town Hall ( mi, Te Whare Whakarauika) is a concert hall and part of the municipal complex in Wellington, New Zealand, which opened in December 1904. It has been closed to the public since the 2013 Seddon earthquake, and it is cur ...
, Christchurch Town Hall

The Christchurch Town Hall, since 2007 formally known as the Christchurch Town Hall of the Performing Arts, opened in 1972, is Christchurch, New Zealand's premier performing arts centre. It is located in the central city on the banks of the ...
and Auckland Town Hall

Auckland Town Hall is an Edwardian building on Queen Street in the Auckland CBD, New Zealand, known both for its original and ongoing use for administrative functions (such as Council meetings and hearings), as well as its famed Great Hall and ...
. The auditorium can seat 1393 people; 721 on the ground floor and 672 in the circle (upstairs). Some of the downstairs seating can be removed for functions such as dinners and ballroom dancing

Ballroom dance is a set of partner dances, which are enjoyed both socially and competitively around the world, mostly because of its performance and entertainment aspects. Ballroom dancing is also widely enjoyed on stage, film, and television.

...
. Adjacent to the auditorium are several small dressing rooms, and larger dressing rooms are up a flight of stairs. The venue boasts a large function room, upstairs from the mezzanine, and a rehearsal

A rehearsal is an activity in the performing arts that occurs as preparation for a performance in music, theatre, dance and related arts, such as opera, musical theatre and film production. It is undertaken as a form of practising, to ensu ...
studio, which is used for a variety of activities, ranging from ballet dancing to stage rehearsals. Because of the wide range of activities available, it is one of New Zealand's busiest venues. It remains the only large theatre in the greater Palmerston North area.

References

External links

Regent on Broadway website

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Theatres in New Zealand
Culture in Palmerston North
Buildings and structures in Palmerston North
Theatres completed in 1930
Tourist attractions in Manawatū-Whanganui
1930s architecture in New Zealand}