PERFORMANCES

Performance Information - The St James Theatre
Performance Information - The Opera House

The St James Theatre

Built in 1912 primarily for vaudeville, The St James Theatre is a traditional proscenium arch 3 level theatre. The auditorium is highly ornamental, featuring elaborate cherubs, plaster curlicues and painted and gilded lyres, horns, harps, dancing cupids and masks representing Comedy, Drama and Opera.

The St James Theatre offers the best stage for dance in the country while the refurbished auditorium and back of house facility is of international standard. The manual counterweight flying system has 99 lines.

The theatre has been recognised by New Zealand Historic Places Trust as a Category I building of outstanding cultural and historical significance and is considered one of the finest lyric theatres in Australasia. It was extensively refurbished in the 1990s.

Front of house, an impressive entrance foyer leading to generous hospitality spaces on the first floor enhances the theatre experience for the public, sponsors and patrons. A street level café/bar (The Jimmy Bar and Café), open all day and into the evening, adds to the vibrancy of Wellington's Courtenay Place theatre precinct.

The Opera House

Built around the same time as the St James, the Opera House opened on Easter Saturday 1914. The traditional proscenium arch is flanked by two tiers of boxes with the audience seated on 3 levels.

Since 2001, the theatre auditorium and foyers have been been refurbished and the Ground and 1st floors given new seats. Backstage, a manual counterweight flying system with 87 lines was installed in 2005.

It is possible to hire either 2 levels (849 seats) or 3 levels (1,341 seats) of this theatre depending on the size of your expected audience.

Less ornate than the St James, the Opera House is a smaller, more intimate theatre where performers can feel really close to their audience. It's warm and cosy feel is enhanced by the traditional ruby-coloured auditorium.

As the name suggests, the theatre was originally constructed with a raked stage for large operatic productions, but over the years it has also been a successful venue for dance, music, drama and comedy performances.

The building has been classified as a Category I Historic Building by the Historic Places Trust of New Zealand.