The Opera House is a proscenium theatre in Wellington, New Zealand, located on Manners Street opposite Te Aro Park. William Pitt, the architect, was based in Melbourne, Australia, and much of the work was overseen by local architect Albert Liddy.
Construction work on the building, originally known as the "Grand Opera House", began in 1911. It is a brick building, with wooden floors. In 1977, it was restored by the State Insurance company, and for many years it was known as the State Opera House. Today, it is simply 'The Opera House'.
The Opera House has three levels: stalls, circle and grand circle. It has fine moldings and an ornate dome. On either side of the proscenium arch are two boxes - arranged on top of each other.
In recent years, The Opera House was operated by the same Trust which did operate the St James Theatre - 'just up the road'.
In July 2011 Positively Wellington Venues, an integration between the Wellington Convention Centre and the St James Theatre Trust, began managing this theatre along with five other venues in the capital city.
In October 2012 it was announced that the Opera House is below 34% of the earthquake code and may have to close for strengthening .
Famous quotes containing the words opera and/or wellington:
“If music in general is an imitation of history, opera in particular is an imitation of human willfulness; it is rooted in the fact that we not only have feelings but insist upon having them at whatever cost to ourselves.... The quality common to all the great operatic roles, e.g., Don Giovanni, Norma, Lucia, Tristan, Isolde, Brünnhilde, is that each of them is a passionate and willful state of being. In real life they would all be bores, even Don Giovanni.”
—W.H. (Wystan Hugh)
“Something is about to happen. Leaves are still.
Two shores away, a man hammering in the sky.
Perhaps he will fall.”
—Alfred Wellington Purdy (b. 1919)