27 September 2018

Auckland’s performing arts and events hub Aotea Centre will be closed to the public from October to March for major interior refurbishment. The new-look Centre will reopen in time for the Auckland Arts Festival.

The internal refresh includes a new entrance and foyers, with a new glass ticketing office adjacent to the BOX Café and Bar. New bars and exhibition spaces will be created on different levels, with updated lighting, floor and wall treatments.

This is the Aotea Centre’s first major refurbishment in 28 years, with the interior overhaul set to complement the exterior refurbishment currently underway. The regeneration includes a modern new façade, with stainless steel interlocking plates over stone panels and glass balustrades on the balconies.

During the closure, the Aotea Centre Box Office will move to The Civic Box Office, and the popular BOX Café and Bar will have a temporary new home in Aotea Square, operating out of a purpose-built pop-up container.

RFA Chief Executive, Chris Brooks, says the new-look Centre will pave the way for Aotea Studios, a complementary, purpose-built performing arts expansion to be constructed within the property footprint within the next few years.

The expansion will house specialised rehearsal and performance spaces for music, drama and dance, state-of-the-art digital recording facilities, and office and retail areas. Designs are due to be released early next year.

“Our vision is for the refurbished and expanded Aotea Centre to be a performing arts hub forming the creative heart of Auckland,” says Brooks. “It will be a modern, vibrant and inspiring venue for performing artists and patrons as well as conferences and tradeshows; and an innovative home base for performing arts organisations across the country.

“We look forward to unveiling the first phase, our upgraded Aotea Centre, to Aucklanders in March. We know it will be a fitting venue for the Auckland Arts Festival, one of our city’s most inspiring arts events.”

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