Navigating the way to theatre showtime
Quiz nights, talent quests, fancy dinners and even school mufti days.
The just-launched Share the Stage campaign to raise funds for the Waikato Regional Theatre aims to get all sectors and all ages of the region’s community involved in their new asset.
The campaign was launched yesterday afternoon at a starstudded event at Embassy Park, next to the theatre construction site – the opening act in a veritable cavalcade of events. The small but productive team at Momentum Waikato has been busy devising numerous elements that will ultimately ensure the theatre opens debt free around April 2024, with a full slate of shows on the schedule and – to use a showbiz colloquialism – plenty of bums on seats.
And those seats are themselves the focus of an upcoming sub-campaign in Momentum’s overall strategy.
Aptly named, the ‘‘Take a Seat’’ initiative will literally allow supporters to have their name inscribed on a plaque which will be affixed to the back of one of the 1300 chairs in the theatre’s main auditorium.
‘‘It’s a bit like what our friends at the Meteor Theatre did with their ‘sponsor a brick’ campaign a while ago,’’ communications and marketing manager Mark Servian said.
‘‘It’s something that is a little bit further down the pipeline . . . later on in the year. But it is a clear and simple package in which, for a $1500 donation to the campaign, you will be able to get your name inscribed on a seat.’’
Another arrow in Momentum’s quiver is titled ‘‘Made in Waikato’’. This aims to enlist the support of some of the Waikato’s iconic homegrown companies and brands.
‘‘We are still bouncing around ideas about who we can approach, and how it would work,’’ Servian said.
‘‘Say, for example, one of the local boutique breweries comes on board and conjures up a special brew for us, which they can then sell as a limited edition with a portion of the take going to the theatre as their donation.’’
Those in the Waikato’s thriving creative sector are also being asked to do their bit for what will become the region’s new flagship facility – firstly in the form of a quiz night with teams from every performance outfit in Hamilton and beyond.
‘‘I’m thinking Riverlea, Free Lunch Theatre, Clarence Street, and all the rest. It is going to be great to get the whole scene in one room, all together. After all, they are the ones who are ultimately going to benefit from this theatre.’’
Other events are more distant and provisional. One of these is a Waikato’s Got Talent show that will be ‘‘pitched towards the TikTok generation’’.
‘‘We are still floating the idea to see if it has got legs . . . the prizes will be tiered, with time with some well-known performers in the mix.’’
Other parts of the wider fundraising push have already been in motion for some time. Former Hamilton West MP Tim Macindoe has come on board as Momentum’s ‘‘ambassador’’ and has been approaching private firms and other organisations to shore up their financial support for the cause.
‘‘Tim has been great and has been getting in front of audiences throughout the region and talking about what Momentum’s doing.
‘‘His outreach is invaluable. We are very aware that while the theatre is located in Hamilton, it’s something that will benefit the entire region and that’s part of the message he is really good at getting across to those people in the wider region.’’