NEW OPERA HOUSE HERE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1578, 23 October 1912, Page 7

NEW OPERA HOUSE HERE.

. .—s. : TO COST .£33,000. The tender of Messrs. Sanders Bros., of Wellington, has been- accepted for the erection of a new thentre for the 'Wellington Opera House Company. The building:is to be erected in Manners Street east from plans designed by the Hon. Win. Pitt, of Melbourne-, In-order to proceed with this work the fcapital of the company has been raised by i!30;000, which amount has,, according to the'.secretnry (Mr. W. M'Lean) been o'vermibs'cribed.

The block of land on which the new theatre is to be erected is the vacant section.opposite the Royal Oak motor garage in ; Manncrs Street, which . was acquired from;-tho lata Mr. T. G. '• Macarthv -last year. lhi s gives, the company a'blook haying 116 ft. frontage to Manners Street by, a ; depth of. 210 ft. running down the nght-of-way which formerly led to Kebbelrs; mi 11... ..........

Mft Pitt has designed a theatre of two tiers, which is to seat over 2000 people, which will give.nearly as much stage accommodation ' again as there is at tho Opera House. . The stage will have a depth, in ordinary, of 59ft., whioh may be; extended on special occasions bv another ten or twelve feet bv taking in the scerie-dock at tho back. The stage will '*"<? ;be equipped in modorn style as far as the .lighting arrangements are concerned, jand will include a set- of "dimmers" for l shading effects. ' A-comnloto. ?cheme of ventilation wiTl provide for a sliding roof. The main entrances to the theatre. iyil( heJrmn .Manners btreet, .fflicre, provision .'is- laJsp.jiiado tor. three ..Shops. Twelve dressing-rooms are. to be provided in three tiers on the prompt sido of tho stage, and will lie ventilated by windows looking nut on to a right-of-way on that side of the buildinj?. A 'foyer is .provided for dress-cirolo pat-t-ons, with oloak-rooms, etc. ■ lhe theatre is to be set back ten feet from the existing, building-line, and a cantilever '• concrete verandah will be erected on the Manners Street frontage. ,-The theatre, whioh is to be erected in *rick and steel, is to be ready for openinz Wtt Boxing Night, 1913.