Everybody’s Theatre (Opunake)
Address:
72 Tasman Street Opunake South Taranaki Contact Person: Kim Gatenby, Chairperson Phone: 027 383 7926 Email: [email protected] Website: www.opunakenz.co.nz/everybodys.html |
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Details
Capacity:
Screen: Single screen, no 3D. DCP from June 2014. Twin 35mm projectors (for display)
Sound: Recently upgraded to Dolby 5.1
Seating: New, contemporary seats upstairs; an interesting arrangement of sofas and armchairs downstairs
Snackbar: Small snackbar , coffee and treats
Accessibility: Level downstairs access
Capacity:
Screen: Single screen, no 3D. DCP from June 2014. Twin 35mm projectors (for display)
Sound: Recently upgraded to Dolby 5.1
Seating: New, contemporary seats upstairs; an interesting arrangement of sofas and armchairs downstairs
Snackbar: Small snackbar , coffee and treats
Accessibility: Level downstairs access
Geoff's Review
This interesting, small-town cinema has been screening films since 1921 and has been locally owned and run since it was purchased by the Opunake community in 1980. There was a pause when it was closed by local council order in March 2012 but re-opened in June 2014, with earthquake strengthening done and DCP installed, financed by Pub Charities and commmunity fund-raising.
Everybody's is run entirely by a local committee and volunteers, enabling low ticket prices (adults $10). It is easy to spot as you drive the Surf Highway around the Taranaki coast, and encounter Opunake's main street, with large film-star murals featured above the cinema frontage.
The foyer, with original features, opens out in a large auditorium, and an upstairs mezzanine.
Refurbished in 2015, with extensive improvements (new kitchen, wall lining, curtaining, carpets, stage upgrade). This was financed from a generous combined grant from the Lottery Fund, TSB Community Trust and the local council.
The architecturally-designed refurbishment is now complete and Everybody's re-opened in early 2016, looking very sharp (see photos). Upgrades continue, with the sound system and lighting next in line. A necessary stop when you travel Route 45 Surf Highway.
The downstairs seating is an eclectic mix of comfortable sofas and armchairs, with locals nominating favourite places to sit.
When I first talked to Chairperson Debbie in 2012,she declared, 'If we get it looking charming, they will return'. This seems to have happened, in a small Taranaki town where entertainment options are limited but where a community spirit prevails--in a town which celebrated 150 years of existence in 2015.
Current releases screen four times per week, with more in summer as holidaymakers return to the nearby beaches. There are also live music nights.
Although projection is now fully digital, the Projection Room, where you also buy your snacks, is a museum of film projection history, with arc light projectors and home-made slide projector.
Everybody's features in the doco "The Reel People of New Zealand (Nick Homler, 2017).
Also check out the King's Theatre in nearby Stratford, 20 minutes drive around the flank of Mount Taranaki
This interesting, small-town cinema has been screening films since 1921 and has been locally owned and run since it was purchased by the Opunake community in 1980. There was a pause when it was closed by local council order in March 2012 but re-opened in June 2014, with earthquake strengthening done and DCP installed, financed by Pub Charities and commmunity fund-raising.
Everybody's is run entirely by a local committee and volunteers, enabling low ticket prices (adults $10). It is easy to spot as you drive the Surf Highway around the Taranaki coast, and encounter Opunake's main street, with large film-star murals featured above the cinema frontage.
The foyer, with original features, opens out in a large auditorium, and an upstairs mezzanine.
Refurbished in 2015, with extensive improvements (new kitchen, wall lining, curtaining, carpets, stage upgrade). This was financed from a generous combined grant from the Lottery Fund, TSB Community Trust and the local council.
The architecturally-designed refurbishment is now complete and Everybody's re-opened in early 2016, looking very sharp (see photos). Upgrades continue, with the sound system and lighting next in line. A necessary stop when you travel Route 45 Surf Highway.
The downstairs seating is an eclectic mix of comfortable sofas and armchairs, with locals nominating favourite places to sit.
When I first talked to Chairperson Debbie in 2012,she declared, 'If we get it looking charming, they will return'. This seems to have happened, in a small Taranaki town where entertainment options are limited but where a community spirit prevails--in a town which celebrated 150 years of existence in 2015.
Current releases screen four times per week, with more in summer as holidaymakers return to the nearby beaches. There are also live music nights.
Although projection is now fully digital, the Projection Room, where you also buy your snacks, is a museum of film projection history, with arc light projectors and home-made slide projector.
Everybody's features in the doco "The Reel People of New Zealand (Nick Homler, 2017).
Also check out the King's Theatre in nearby Stratford, 20 minutes drive around the flank of Mount Taranaki