Hawkes Bay celebrates re-opening of Opera House

Rebranded as Toitoi, Hawke’s Bay Arts & Events Centre officially opened to the public on Saturday, February 29, after five years of closure for earthquake strengthening.

The opening began with a dawn blessing followed by a community festival on Sunday, March 1. “We strongly believe the arts should be accessible to everybody, so we’re creating an inclusive space and programme. When the people of Heretaunga come to Toitoi we want them to see their faces in this place – to see that everyone in Hastings belongs at Toitoi and Toitoi belongs to them all,” says Toitoi manager Megan Peacock-Coyle.

About 200 people gathered on the steps outside the theatre at 5.30 a.m. for the blessing, and over 4,000 came to the community festival, exploring the theatre at their own pace and enjoying the entertainment provided by a range of community groups, including Deco Bay Brass, poet Ben Fagan and Rezpect Dance Academy.

Work on the Spanish Mission-style Opera House, Eastbourne, Cushing Foyer and Functions on Hastings, at a total cost of $17.8m, involved encasing the original load-bearing brick masonry walls in steel and concrete shear walls, extending the original foundations, recreating all the Art Nouveau style decorative elements, a new roof and new acoustic treatments, rigging systems and utilities.

MDR Sound & Lighting and Intec Systems worked with the Toitoi team to upgrade the lighting and sound.