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CINEMARECORD

against a rival four-screen complex due to be built less than 150m programme. There were tassels on the bottom of the curtain.
away. There was a safety curtain made of a fire proof material which
In HamLlton, the council has approved plans for five new screens had advertisements on it. It had a wooden pole at the bottom and
at Westfield's Chartwell Square complex. when the rope was let down it would fall with a bang.
Westfield bas also proposed multiplexes for its malls at WestCity The front of the circle was curved at each end wirh three seats in
and St Lukes in Auckland and Riccarton in Christchurch. each of the little 'box' areas. There was a battery room on the left
of the projection room and a switch room to the right. A Pathe
A new eight-screen multiplex at the Westgate shopping centre i.n
projector, costing 81 pounds, was installed. Mrs. Fox was allowed
West Auckland wi 11 open soon and there is another 12-screen
to sell sweets in the theatre during the interval on picture
complex due to.open this year as part of the central Auckland
Force Entertainment Centre. entertainment nighrs only. The Theatre had a grand opening on
March 15. 1916. when the Hamilton Operatic Company, by
Air eight-screen ,complex has also been proposed for Papakura by special arrangement with J.C. Williamson Ltd, staged THE
the end of this year. GEISHA for one night only. It was a big day forTe Awamutu,
Mr Ord questions whether all the cinemas will make a profit. and the Waipa Post reported that the Theatre was opened by
No one from Force Corporation, which either owns or part-owns J.A.Young M.P. before an audience of 500. Pictures were shown
on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday until Oct 1917 when the
more than 60 cinema screens, was available for comment
nights were changed to Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
yesterday, but Westfield's shopping-centre manager, Richard
Rice, said the company did not intend to back away from its The Empire is believed to be the first building in Te Awamutu
plans. equipped with electricity. This came from a petrol-engine-driven
generator. installed in an out-building. The Theatre had this
Speech given at the opening of secondary source of power until its closure. When electricity
restrictions were incurred about 23 years ago, the Regent ran
the New Empire Theatre building Saturday Matinees, whereas the Empire did not, and the operator
at that time, Skip Caldwell, offered the Regent the use of the
on Thursday Feb 12, 1998 building and transfer the programme to the Empire. The first
batch of films included The Battle for Calais and Fighting in the
I must congratulate Livingstone Brothers for renovating and Woods of Argonne. WWI was raging and the advertisement
changing the look to such a wonderful old building. They have proclaimed THESE MOVIES BRING THE GREAT WAR TO
done an grand job and must be highly commended for doing so. OUR DOOR. There were a few problems with the building,
This old house of entertainment showed movies for 6 decades. Its mainly disposing of storm water from the huge roof area, and the
history is comparable to any other Cinema in the Western World. gutters and down pipes had to be enlarged. Electricity was
although Te Awamutu was somewhat unique in that it had two supplied to the Theatre in 1926. ln those days movies were silent
independently owned Cinemas in competition with each other for and musically gifted citizens were engaged to play instruments to
33 years. a score provided with each film. In January I 922 estimates and
Apart from Newspapers, then Radio and later Television, the rough plans were obtained to erect the projection room on the
"Pictures" were the greatest form of public entertainment, and verandah. but this did not eventuate. No doubt that this would be
possibly, apart from schools, the greatest influence on the lives of an attempt to increase the seating in the gallery area. In I 927 the
generations of New Zealanders. circle was enlarged at a cost of 295 pounds II shillings and a
tender for new seats was accepted by Clark and MacMillan at 26s
The Empire Company came into being in 1915 and it was decided
6d per seat.
to build the Empire on this section. Tenders were called by the
Company Secretary. The contract to build the Theatre was given The front circle was brought forward over the stalls and the little
to Tom Mcinnes and Co. It was to have a 35 foot frontage, be 120 "boxes" were removed. Ventilation was to be improved, also. The
feet long and 35 feet in height. The stage was 33 feet wide and 25 directors were very forward in their thinking at that time and
feet deep, sloped towards the front. Mcinnes was a specialist in started to have demonstrations for sound in 1928. Tn I 929 the
concrete, so the Empire was built of concrete with a plastered Company purchased 20 feet of land to the right of the theatre for
finish and decoration of the facade. The main hall had a floor 20 pounds per foot and contemplated enlarging the Theatre to
which was reported as being sloped towards the stage where there accommodate 400 extra seats. In September 1929 an agreement
was a fenced off orchestra pit. was made to purcha.se sound equipment at 2,741 pounds 15s and a
service charge of 5 pounds per week for 10 years.
However, I now believe that the stalls floor was flat. It was
unknown when they built it how successful it would be, and seats The charges for the opening talking programme were to be 3/6
could be moved in this area and dances would be held. Even back stalls and circle and 2/6 front stalls wirh an extra 6d for
boxing matches were staged. A wood burner was installed for reserves. The enlargement did not go ahead due to their then
heating. The lights hung from the ceiling and could be pulled into present financial position and because little over crowding was
the ceiling for the bulbs to be changed. There were 374 seats taking place. The siderooms at the back of the gallery were
downstairs and 163 in the gallery, all them, except for the cast opened up to increase the seating in that area. The Theatre
iron frames, were made in Te Awamutu .. The stuffing was flax standard was kept up with various repairs, maintenance and
fibre from the Hairini flax mill. A Mr Garratt of Auckland painted replacements being made at regular intervals. At the beginning of
the scenery and views on the precinium. The arched precinium I 933 the Theatre front had been altered. I assume this was when
was made of plaster and had a design on it with a sign across the the left shop was removed and made into foyer space. Doors then
top which said We exploit the world for your entertainment. went right across the front of the Theatre up to the shop on the
Underneath there was the head of a man looking over the right. Robert Kerridge wanted to lease the Theatre but it was
audience. The curtains used to open from pulleys that came offered to the Regent Theatre operators for a higher rental and
diagonally from the two top comers and puLled the curtains up to they duly signed a. lease in November 1933 which ran for 10
those comers and the curtains remained in that position during the years. It appears as though the Theatre was run as a second house
to the Regent and opened 3 nights per week At the end of the

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