Invercargill Repertory House

About this place

Invercargill Repertory House is the purpose-built theatre of the Invercargill Repertory Society Inc., located at 167 Esk Street, Invercargill. Known locally as "Rep", the society has been an Invercargill institution since 1936, with a stated mission to promote, provide and foster performing arts in the community. It is a registered charity and a voluntary organisation, run by volunteers who contribute across management, maintenance, set building, lighting, sound, production and performance.

The society produces amateur theatrical productions each year in its own theatre, and the venue is available for hire to the public outside the performance schedule. Rep also runs a Youth Drama department for school-aged children and operates a costume hire department.

The venue

• Capacity: 140 patrons in individual comfortable seating.
• Retractable seating — the theatre seating can be retracted to allow tables to be set up for functions, which meaningfully widens what the room can be used for.
• Front of house includes a reception area and bar facilities, with closed-circuit TV and a 60-inch flat screen TV in reception.
• Lighting: a standard theatre lighting setup with a lighting control desk behind the seating auditorium, including a 48-channel desk via DMX cable.
• Kitchen: available to reheat food and prepare suppers — suitable for supper service rather than full production catering.

A floor plan is published on the society's website as a PDF, and a foyer tour is available online.

History and governance

Rep has operated continuously since 1936, making it one of Southland's longer-running community arts organisations. It is governed by an elected executive comprising a chairperson, deputy chairperson, secretary, treasurer, treasurer-elect, past president and committee members, with a patron. Life memberships are conferred at the society's AGM in recognition of long service. Alongside productions the society administers the Owen Gerrard Drama Scholarship and runs workshops and youth drama classes.

The society acknowledges that it depends on local community and sponsor support to operate.

Suitability for meetings and events

Repertory House is a genuine theatre rather than a conference room, and that is its main appeal for organisers. The 140-seat raked auditorium with a proper lighting rig suits award evenings, presentations, launches, AGMs, seminars, film screenings, recitals and touring performances. The ability to retract the seating and lay out tables makes the same room workable for dinners, receptions and seated functions, and the licensed front-of-house bar and reception area provide a natural pre-function and networking space.

There is no accommodation on site and no dedicated breakout rooms, so it is not a residential-conference venue. Catering would need to be brought in, with the kitchen used for reheating and supper preparation. Availability is constrained by the society's own production calendar, so early enquiry matters. For a single-room event with genuine theatre atmosphere in central Invercargill, it is a distinctive option among Southland venues. Enquiries go through the society directly.