'Such an honour' - Teeks opens Hamilton's new $80 million theatre
The BNZ Theatre will be a game-changer for the Waikato arts scene, Māori soul singer Teeks told a sold-out crowd last night.
During his intimate 75-minute performance to a 1,300-strong capacity crowd, Teeks said it was "such an honour" to be the first musician to grace the BNZ Theatre stage.
The award-winning musician also spoke about growing up in the rural Northland town of Opononi and how living in smaller towns usually means limited access to quality live music. Hamilton's new performance space "can change all that", he said.
"[The theatre] will not only benefit the current music and arts scene but it has the potential to inspire an entire generation of artists and visionaries while cultivating a deeper sense of connection, culture and community."
Teek's intimate show at the BNZ Theatre on Friday night was his first-ever performance in Hamilton.
Levi Santana
Accompanied by a pianist and six string players, Teeks performed his own hits and a couple of covers - 'Landslide' by Fleetwood Mac, 'Make You Feel My Love' by Adele and 'Drive' by Bic Runga (who'll play at the BNZ Theatre on 21 March).
He also shared new songs from an upcoming album - the follow-up to his 2021 debut Something to Feel - and at the end of the night brought out award-winning songwriter Maisey Rika, an artist he said he's admired for years, been mentored by and always dreamed of singing with.
TEEKS performing at Hamilton's brand new BNZ Theatre.
Levi Santana
As a performance space, the wood-panelled BNZ Theatre has "amazing" sound, venue manager Michael Gilling told RNZ’s Summer Weekends.
“Acoustically, the building's beautiful… It's going to make it a bit challenging for a sound guy, because you almost don't need a sound system, it’s that good."
Earlier this week, its capacity to be easily converted from theatre to concert mode was put to the test, following its civic opening on Monday and Tuesday nights, where funders and stakeholders watched the community production To The Stars / Ki Ngā Whetū.
With removable seating, Hamilton's new BNZ Theatre can be easily converted from a theatre to a concert venue.
Stephen Barker
The decision to build the city of Hamilton a brand new theatre "caused quite a lot of angst" after the now-demolished Founders Theatre closed in 2016 due to safety concerns, former chair of the community group Momentum Waikato Leonard Gardner told the Waikato Times.
"That was the challenge, and it became an opportunity. Could we spend an enormous amount of money on the existing theatre and have it last another 20 years... or could we do something better?"
The BNZ Theatre overlooks the Waikato River.
Supplied
Momentum Waikato eventually settled on the Victoria Street site of the historic Hamilton Hotel (1865 - 1985), which was gifted by prominent local philanthropists and business owners Mitch and Kate Plaw.
"None of this would have been possible without their generosity," Gardner told the Waikato Times.
Since work on the site began in late 2021, Hamiltonians and visitors to the city have been closely watching the BNZ Theatre - formerly known as the Waikato Regional Theatre - take shape.
A Ralph Hotere mural, commissioned by the Founders Theatre in the 1970s, now sits in the public foyer.
Stephen Barker
The new building retains some of the Hamilton Hotel's historic features, including the original façade, staircase and a suite that hosted Queen Elizabeth II in the 1950s. Its public foyer is now home to the large-scale Ralph Hotere mural painted for the Founders Theatre in 1973 and kept in storage for several years.
Hot on the heels of Teeks, Kiwi music legend Sir Dave Dobbyn will take to the BNZ Theatre stage tonight and tomorrow night. On 3 February, English pop musician Sophie Ellis Bextor will become the venue's first-ever international artist.
"Hamilton's going to be blown away when they walk into this building, it's been a long time coming," Michael Gilling told RNZ’s Summer Weekends.
