Culture

Introduction

Wellington is the culture capital of New Zealand. It is home to the Royal New Zealand Ballet (tel: (04) 381 9000 or 0800 432 623; www.nzballet.org.nz), the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (tel: (04) 801 3890 or 0800 479 674; www.nzso.co.nz), the National Opera (tel: (04) 384 4434; www.nzopera.com) and the national dance and drama schools, which all perform regularly.

Music and Dance
The Westpac St James Theatre, 77-87 Courtenay Place (tel: (04) 802 4060 or 384 3840 for tickets; www.stjames.co.nz) is one of New Zealand's finest Edwardian lyric theatres, the venue for opera, dance and major musical shows, and home to the Royal New Zealand Ballet.

Theatre
Downstage Theatre, 12 Cambridge Terrace (tel: (04) 801 6946; www.downstage.co.nz), is New Zealand's longest established theatre company. For cutting-edge New Zealand productions, check out BATS, 1 Kent Terrace (tel: (04) 802 4175; www.bats.co.nz), for an unpredictable live theatre experience almost every night of the year.

Film
The Embassy Theatre, 10 Kent Terrace (tel: (04) 384 7657; www.deluxe.co.nz) is New Zealand's grandest picture palace, fully refurbished in time for the world premiere of The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King. Wellington was the main location for the Oscar-winning The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, directed and shot in New Zealand (2000) by Peter Jackson.

Regent on Manners, 73 Manners Street (tel: (04) 472 5182; www.hoyts.co.nz) shows all the latest releases. The Wellington Film Society (tel: (04) 934 4540; http://filmsociety.wellington.net.nz) in the Paramount Theatre, 25 Courtenay Place (tel: (04) 384 4080; www.paramount.co.nz), screens a range of more unusual films including international classics, foreign language films, documentaries and kiwi classics.

For movie listings, times and reviews, visit www.film.wellington.net.nz.