A great entertainer once said “The show must go on” and that spirit came to the fore in keeping the Court Theatre running in Christchurch after their home was destroyed! Since those devastating earthquakes back in 2011, New Zealand’s largest theatre company has been hidden in the suburb of Addington in an old grain shed. It was transformed into a magical world of happiness, laughter, drama and intrigue that has played an important role in keeping theatre alive and well. 

But now everyone is looking forward to moving into the spectacular purpose-built facility that is due for completion in May 2025. The new three-storey Court Theatre is being built on the corner of Colombo and Gloucester Streets. It will include a 360-seat main playhouse auditorium, a 130-seat studio theatre where children’s and family shows can be held, and front-of-house facilities.

All aspects of a working theatre, including set-building, costume-making and rehearsals will be based on-site with plans to make these usually back-stage activities more visible to the public. The building design will be environmentally friendly with the use of natural materials, ventilation and light.

A Court Theatre Spokesperson said recently, 

“We are excited to see our new home progressing on schedule and budget. Since the earthquakes it has been our dream to build a world-class fit-for-purpose theatre. We are working together with the Council team to turn this dream into an unmatched reality for our patrons, our artists and our community.”  

Blacks are supplying large amounts of high quality products that will make certain everything that needs fastening will stay firmly in place, including high tensile steel bolts, chemical anchors, threaded rod and all other fixings and fasteners required to complete the project.

Challenges Faced

With many of the engineering details being exposed including the support beams and bolts, they not only have to function well in an earthquake environment, they need to look the part too. High quality products were sourced to make sure they look every bit as good as they perform.

Blacks’ Sales Rep Cory Wright explained that for this project we had to “think outside the square on a number of occasions when it came to supplying key components.” One notable example was sourcing specific fasteners that held the acoustic clips in place on the rear stage wall. These special clips have anti-vibration grommets that ensure there are no unwanted rattles and vibrations when a performance is underway. This ensures that the sound quality will always be top notch and add to the overall quality and experience of this stunning new building.

Blacks Fasteners are delighted to be involved in one of Christchurch City’s most iconic new buildings. Managing Director Roger Black said that “Blacks will continue to offer all the assistance and expertise we have to make sure this building has everything it needs to be rock solid, look spectacular and make all Cantabrians proud.”

Thanks to Christchurch City Council and Hoyt’s Engineering for their help in getting site access for the images needed to compile this report.