Oamaru Opera House - Events Venue

The Opera House is a unique place to hold your next performance, conference, meeting or wedding.



The Whitestone Contracting Auditorium:



An Edwardian proscenium arch lyric theatre seating 500. Complete with ornate plasterwork and guilding the theatre has been refurbished to recreate the grandeur of a 1907 Opera house. Audience comfort is paramount and new, generously spaced seating, excellent sightlines, wheelchair accessibility to both the stalls, circle and airconditioning make the any performance and enjoyable experience.The Whitestone Contracting Auditorium can be hired in a number of configurations ranging from apron stage and stalls only through to full stage applications.  



The Footlights Stage



An ideal venue for all theatrical productions.When hired independent from the auditorium (House curtain in) The Footlights Stage becomes a black box warehouse space. Used without stage drapery the space is brutally architectural and ideal for contemporary theatre and dance pieces. Seating and performance space can be arranged in any configuration using loose seats. Stage drapery and technicals can be configured as required.



The Grand Foyer



This space has all the class needed to host cocktail functions and service the front of house needs of the theatres.Sip Cafe & Bar is open Monday to Friday 830am to 330pm plus is available for hire before, during and after any function at the Opera House. Our range of delectable treats & light meals plus our world famous Allpress coffee have put us on the map. Sip offers a great selection of New Zealand wines & boutique beers, plus a full catering menu is available for morning & afternoon teas and lunches.For pre-function nibbles & drinks or a private casual meeting space, The Grand Foyer is a versatile & welcoming place to gather and entertain.  



The Whitestone Cheese Empire Room



A light and airy function room overlooking historic Thames Street. This room is an ideal venue for smaller wedding receptions, conference activities and banquets.The Empire Room can be setup in many configurations, catering to a small classroom style presentation to a full training session.The Opera House has a dedicated technical team, who can help you with lighting, sound and projection systems for your next conference or event.  



The Meridian Board Room



Appointed with a board table and 16 executive chairs this is ideal for smaller meetings, business consultation and interviewing. As with all of the rooms the Meridian Board Room can be supplied with catering to and technical equipment to suit.  The StudyThe study is a small versatile room that caters for meetings of up to 5 people. It can also be used as a breakout room for any event at the Opera House. Wifi is available in all areas of the Opera House.