Trust Horizon grant shines light on new possibilities at Ōpōtiki’s De Luxe Theatre
Racquel Standen and her dance students from the Opotiki Performing Arts Academy as they present their Christmas Show at the De Luxe Theatre in December 2023. Photo courtesy of Opotiki News.
The curtains will soon go up on act 2 of the Ōpōtiki De Luxe Theatre’s ongoing upgrade, with a $63,977 grant from Trust Horizon set to equip the facility to host a growing range of events.
Since opening its doors in 1926, the iconic De Luxe Theatre has been a much-loved part of the Ōpōtiki community – owned and operated by the Ōpōtiki Community Theatre Trust for over 40 years.
In 2023, the Ōpōtiki Community Theatre Trust undertook stage 1 of a significant facility upgrade. With funding from Trust Horizon, this first stage focused on energy-efficiency and insulation, providing a temperature-controlled work environment for the theatre’s patrons and front-of-house volunteers, and specialist commercial-standard sound and lighting equipment for the main theatre.
This year, stage 2 of the project begins, with the aim of building the main theatre’s capabilities to host large-scale events.
“We’re a community facility, which means we’re all about catering to what our community needs,” says Ellie Collier, Ōpōtiki Community Theatre Trust Board Chair. “Being able to run community-led events is a really important part of that, and this funding will help make the space fit for purpose for a wide range of events.”
The De Luxe’s main theatre seats over 450 patrons, making it a valuable and flexible option for occasions such as school productions, Kapa Haka, and large private functions. Trust Horizon’s grant will cover the cost of additional lighting, sound, and projection equipment, which will make these events – and more – possible.
“The big theatre lends itself well to bigger functions. It has a stage, a green room, everything you need for a professional theatrical space,” says Collier. “We’d love to see more schools using the theatre, so the kids can experience that professional feeling of being on-stage and in the spotlight.”
Hire enquiries are already coming in, with a large private function booked for May. “We hope that as people attend functions here, and see what the funding has helped us achieve, more and more will be encouraged to hold their own events in this space.”
For Trust Horizon trustee and Ōpōtiki local, Kevin Hennessy, this project was particularly close to home. “The De Luxe Theatre is such an institution in our community. As Ōpōtiki continues to see significant growth, it’s important that the facility evolves to meet its needs,” says Hennessy. “I have huge respect for the theatre’s many volunteers over the years, and the effort they put in to keep this fantastic community asset thriving. It was a pleasure to be able to provide Trust support for their initiative.”
The Ōpōtiki Community Theatre Trust is also currently on the look-out for more volunteers to add to their team. “We’ve got about 15 currently, and we’d love to grow to as many as 25,” says Collier. Volunteers are responsible for looking after the front-of-house, selling tickets for movie sessions Wednesday to Sunday, mainly during the evenings. “Our volunteers can come in once a week, once a fortnight or every month, whatever works for them. We want it to be fun, not a chore,” Collier explains. “Regular volunteers also get to come and watch movies for free, which is always a nice bonus!”
Collier and the Ōpōtiki Community Theatre Trust Board are excited for what the future holds for the De Luxe. “In some small towns facilities like this are fading, but we absolutely believe there’s a place for it in our community,” says Collier. “We’re very thankful to Kevin Hennessy and Trust Horizon for their guidance throughout the application process, and for helping us make sure the theatre continues to grow and thrive.”
If you want to apply for funding, look at our funding page for more information on what we fund and how to access funding.