Students get inspiration
Singer Stan Walker is coming to Hamilton today to meet and inspire secondary school students from across the Waikato, including two students from Te Awamutu College and two from Cambridge High School.
The pop star’s visit will be a prelude to his upcoming New Takeover Tour that will bring him back to the city for a show at the Altitude and Gravity venue on Friday, November 16.
Today, Stan will be joined by Mike Chunn of Play It Strange, the leading support agency for young New Zealand songwriters, for a life experience and music performance workshop hosted by Zeal Hamilton, in partnership with Momentum Waikato.
They will challenge the teens to develop their abilities and aspire to a career in music and the performing arts.
Stan’s visit is also about supporting the new Waikato Regional Theatre.
The Waikato Regional Theatre in Hamilton is on track to be built and open in June 2021, with Momentum Waikato on target to complete the project within its $75 million budget.
The 1300-seat theatre by the Waikato River in Victoria Street was approved by the city council in June.
The theatre is in the detailed design phase, with early contractors also brought in to help.
Over 68 per cent of funding has been confirmed for the theatre, with another 27 per cent confirmed as “highly probable,” leaving five per cent of funding outstanding.
This amount — almost $4 million — is expected to come from the wider community.
The theatre will host everything from ballet and orchestras, to kapa haka and rock gigs.
A major goal of the project is that young people will be able to experience world-class shows on the same stage where they themselves can perform.
Opportunities like Stan and Mike’s workshop will be a regular feature of the theatre’s programme.
Students from secondary schools across the region will be attending the workshop event at Zeal Hamilton’s youth centre.
Schools were invited by Momentum Waikato to send two students and a staff member. Currently, 86 students and 41 staff from 39 schools are expected to attend.