The redevelopment of the Opera House will enable the Oamaru Operatic Society to stage two ambitious shows - Cats and Les Miserables - over the next two years.
Cats, directed by Blenheim man Duncan Whiting, will open in September next year, while Les Miserables will be performed in May 2010.
Society president Catherine Taylor said it was a very exciting opportunity.
"The way Duncan is proposing we do it [Cats] basically opens up scope for a wide variety of people to take part.
"We like to do things that involve a lot of people and a wide variety of people," she said.
Bronwyn Waldron, who is in charge of production development, said budgets for each show would be about $70,000 to $80,000 and the society was looking for sponsorship.
The society was staging Oklahoma in November as part of a shakedown period for the restored building before it opens in February.
It would be a "good trial run", Mrs Waldron said.
She was still looking for two men for company roles in the musical.
