Construction of the Aotea Centre began in 1985 with the official opening by Dame Kiri Te Kanawa on 9 September 1990.
Having not been refurbished in 20 years, Auckland City Council approved plans for a two phase refurbishment. Phase one of the ASB Theatre refurbishment project was completed in March 2012. It included the installation of new seating, state of the art theatre lighting and improvements to air conditioning. Significant work was also completed to improve the acoustics for a range of performance types by replacing flooring, interior wall linings and ceilings with sound reflective materials. These same materials have also significantly improved the aesthetics of the auditorium. (Phase two will be undertaken Dec 2012 - Feb, and focusses on the circle level - including new seating, flooring, ceiling and wall linings).
The ASB Theatre comfortably seats over 2,000 across three tiers. It is the premium lyric theatre in NZ, and has been used for a wide range of events including the APEC summit in 1999, the NZ International Comedy Festival Comedy Galas, rock concerts and international comedians.
It also acts as the Auckland home for the Royal New Zealand Ballet and The NBR New Zealand Opera.
The theatre is also able to be booked for conferences, ceremonies and coporate events.
www.aucklandconventions.co.nz
The ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre is a Regional Facilities Auckland (RFA) venue.
