Venue Profile

The Century Theatre is used for a variety of live events including music, drama, dance, lectures and conferences and is part of the Hawke’s Bay Museum & Art Gallery complex. It is the usual venue for Chamber Music New Zealand performances in Hawkes Bay. Century Cinema is also a major user of the Theatre.

The Century Theatre was built in 1977 as an initiative of the Hawke’s Bay Art Gallery and Museum Society to enhance the facilities of the Museum, the first part of which was opened in 1936. The project was financed by public fund-raising and with the support of the Napier City Council which adopted it as the “Centennial Project” to celebrate 100 years of local government and thus the name “Century” came about.

The theatre was designed by Natusch, Shattkey & Co. of Napier as a “multi-purpose theatre”, to be a venue for a variety of entertainment including concerts, dance recitals, lectures and drama. The acoustic design was by Professor H Marshall Acoustic Design Consultant of the Auckland School of Architecture. The Theatre opened in August 1977 (almost three years after the actual centenary!)

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