A fundraising campaign to get the Waikato Regional Theatre to show time has hit the ground running.
The Share the Stage campaign to raise funds for the Waikato Regional Theatre aimed to get all sectors and all ages of the region’s community involved in their new asset.
It needs to raise $5 million to ensure the $80 million facility in downtown Hamilton opened on schedule – and debt-free – in or about April 2024.
Momentum chief executive Kelvyn Eglinton said fundraising was going well –and he was both humbled and excited by the community’s response.
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* Share the Stage: How the campaign to get the Waikato Regional Theatre to showtime will work
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Christel Yardley/Stuff
Momentum chief executive Kelvyn Eglinton at the launch of the theatre’s final fundraising initiatives.
“People want to contribute to something that will benefit the city,” he said.
“We are appreciative of the fact that people are making an effort to support this production.”
He was unable to say how much had been raised, but said they had been receiving $10 donations from children to much larger private donations.
Eglinton said it was still reaching out to philanthropic trusts and private donors, but equally wanted locals to get involved.
“We want people to walk in and feel like they have contributed, or are supposed to be there.”
Hamiltonians eager to take in shows at the new theatre could donate and do their bit to make sure the theatre came to life as soon as possible.
Jasmax
This artists’ concept for the new Waikato Regional Theatre gives those eagerly awaiting the facility a vision of the future.
The campaign involved a “Take a Seat” initiative which allowed supporters to have their name on a plaque on the back of one of the 1300 chairs in the theatre’s main auditorium.
Eglinton said Momentum was getting enquiries from people wanting to purchase a seat on a daily basis.
Some people wanted to leave a legacy and name a seat after their children, while others just simply wanted to support the project.
Once completed, the theatre would be a multipurpose performing arts centre with circle balconies, and flexible staging.
It would have the ability to host drama, kapa haka, orchestral concerts, rock-pop-and-rap gigs, musicals, ballet, opera, and community ceremonies.
