Work in progress: The Court Theatre

With funding now secured for The Court Theatre’s new central city home, Christchurch City Council has appointed Hawkins as the main project contractor.

The council is committing $46 million towards the development of the Performing Arts Precinct, which includes the construction of The Court Theatre, the public realm and also landscaping.
The Court is fundraising $10 million towards the move to its new home, with $7 million a direct contribution to the construction.

The Crown has provided the land and $3 million under the terms of the global settlement agreement with the council.

Additional funding was allocated by council to the project, after tender prices for construction came in significantly higher than the original budget, due to world-wide construction cost escalations. With $6 million already spent on development and early works, the total cost of the project is now looking to be $56 million.

The Court Theatre’s new home will be located on the corner of Colombo and Gloucester streets, opposite Tūranga. Theatre chief executive Barbara George says the new three-storey building will include a 375-seat playhouse theatre, a 130-seat theatre, an education studio and a number of multipurpose spaces.

“All the aspects of a working theatre, such as set building, costume making and rehearsals, will be based on site – it’s always fascinating to look behind-the-scenes at the entire Court Theatre industry,” she adds.