Soundings Theatre

“Great venue. 300ish seats, good visibility, sound and lighting.”

“Good mid sized venue for around 300 people”

“Went for an event and felt the ambience which was awesome and cool...!”

“Medium-sized theatre on the second floor in Te Papa Museum building. The incline is not very steep and so if you have someone who is tall or has a big / tall hairdo sitting in front of you, their head will partially block your view, at least at the lower edge of the screen. The seats are fine (wider than those in Embassy 4 or City Gallery). The lanes however are quite narrow (but wider than in CG) so if you're an early bird and sit in the middle of a row you will need to stand up for everyone else to get past you (to protect your knees). The screen and acoustics were also fine. Access: If you are not allowed to exit via the staircase but via their SMALL lifts and narrow corridors (because they have a function below in their foyer) then it is a very SLOW process for the orderly (non-stampeding) crowds to get downstairs and disperse outside (even when the cinema is not fully booked out). And so if ever there is a contingency and people have to exit the cinema and Te Papa urgently (without using the main stairs because of fire or earthquake damage to the stairs / foyer) then safety could become a real issue. There does not appear to be any EMERGENCY EXITS in the cinema itself or else these were not sign-lighted on this night. Apart from the lifts and main staircase there is also a stair-escalator but this is a narrow, descending one. If you have mobility issues the lifts will be your best (and only) bet. It pays to check where the emergency exits are located at any large, public venue beforehand in case you need to get out quickly in the event of a fire or earthquake, etc.”