Riverlea Theatre

Every week our venue buzzes with the voices of young children in Stagecraft classes, is filled with laughter of teenagers rehearsing, and the hum of adults building sets, rigging lighting and rehearsing musicals and plays. Regularly audiences arrive to be transported into another world for a while - perhaps to New York for 'Westside Story', or an Oxfordshire village with 'The Vicar of Dibley.'

Some of the children are brought to drama classes by their parents to build confidence. Take someone like Sophie, who joined us a while ago after being bullied at school. Now she is smiling and looking forward to her classes each week with her new found friends. Some are enjoying some creativity and friendship after a day at work - like Dave, who was struggling to settle in after moving to Hamilton with his job, but is now enjoying the camaraderie of building sets with the rest of the crew. Others are gaining skills and experience to develop a career in the performing arts - several of our youth performers have gone on to study in Wellington, Auckland and Australia, and pursue careers in film or theatre.

At Riverlea we are proud of our reputation as a friendly welcoming theatre. We have a challenge ahead of us though. Our building is very old, and becoming less attractive and pleasant to be in - and frankly, soon it will not be healthy and safe. Despite many repair jobs we now have to face facts, and start rebuilding and renovating. While we do that, it makes sense to improve some areas to make them more usable and comfortable in the years ahead.

We are now asking the community to help us. We are so appreciative of those who supported us in many different ways to purchase the land under our building in 2015. Will you help us again? Every little bit helps, and as this will be a multi-stage project, we encourage you to consider regular donations. A coffee a week perhaps? All contributions are so much appreciated.

Please also watch out for our events and other fundraisers. We will update here, and also on our facebook page - @riverleatheatre

Riverlea has been operating as a community theatre for over 25 years, and is run independently by a Board. It is home to, and used regularly by Stagecraft Theatre School, Playbox Repertory Inc, Musikmakers Hamilton Inc, and also used regularly by Hamilton Competitions Society and Scouts Waikato. It is often hired for events like weddings, birthdays and life celebrations.