The King's Theatre

The King's Theatre (also styled Kings Theatre, and currently branded TET Kings Theatre Community Centre) is a community cinema located in Stratford, New Zealand. It is one of the country's oldest continuously operating picture theatres, with its origins in a 1916 public fundraising effort by Stratford Pictures and Amusement to purchase His Majesty's Theatre from a Mrs Diamond. The name 'King's' was approved in 1917, and the theatre was open and operating by 1919. The venue holds a notable place in Australasian cinema history: according to its own account, it was the first theatre in the Southern Hemisphere to screen 'talkies' — films with synchronised sound — when it presented a public screening of the De Forest Phonofilm on the evening of 1 April 1927. Today the theatre operates as a community-focused cinema, screening current-release blockbuster films at accessible prices, with adult tickets advertised at $15, senior/student tickets at $12 and children's tickets at $10. Its programme mixes family and mainstream titles, and it positions itself as a gathering place for the community of Stratford and the surrounding district. The theatre is supported in part through sponsorship arrangements, reflected in the 'TET Kings Theatre Community Centre' branding used on its website.

The King's Theatre traces its origins to June 1916, when a steering meeting of Stratford Pictures and Amusement was held with the aim of raising £8000 to purchase His Majesty's Theatre from Mrs Diamond. A first general meeting followed in October of that year, after which plans were made for the removal of the existing structure and the construction of a new building. In 1917 the name 'King's' was approved for the theatre, and by 1919 the theatre was open and operating. The venue went on to acquire a distinctive place in the cinema history of the Southern Hemisphere. On 1 April 1927, the publication 'Amusements' announced that the King's Theatre would that night host the first public screening of the De Forest Phonofilm, describing it as the initial public demonstration in the Southern Hemisphere of what it called the most remarkable scientific achievement of the last half-century. This made the King's Theatre, by its own account, the first theatre in the Southern Hemisphere to play 'talkies' — motion pictures with synchronised sound. Over the following decades the theatre continued to serve Stratford and its surrounding districts as a picture house. In the present day it operates as a community cinema, screening current-release films — including family titles such as Paw Patrol and Shaun the Sheep, and mainstream releases — at modest ticket prices. The website presents the venue under the branding 'TET Kings Theatre Community Centre', indicating community and sponsorship support for its ongoing operation.

• 1927

  On 1 April, the King's Theatre hosts the first public screening of the De Forest Phonofilm, described as the first public demonstration of 'talkies' in the Southern Hemisphere.

• 1919

  The King's Theatre is open and operating.

• 1917

  The name 'King's' is approved for the theatre.

• 1916

  A steering meeting of Stratford Pictures and Amusement is held in June with the aim of raising £8000 to purchase His Majesty's Theatre from Mrs Diamond; a first general meeting follows in October.

A community-focused, affordable cinema in the heart of Stratford, New Zealand, combining historic heritage with mainstream film programming.

• Cinema screenings of current-release films

• Family and children's film screenings

1. 1TET Kings Theatre Community Centre » King's Theatre Broadway Stratfordkingstheatre.co.nz
2. 2About Kings Theatre » King's Theatre Broadway Stratfordkingstheatre.co.nz
3. 3The King's Theatrewikidata.org