Of particular note was White's use of the cantilever principle, which allowed the weight of the dress circle and gallery to be transferred through joists to the main steelwork, avoiding the use of columns that would hinder the audience's view of the stage. When finished (1912) the latter was the largest theatre in Australasia and the first steel framed reinforced concrete theatre in New Zealand. They were to commission White again in the construction of the Edwardian-Baroque styled His Majesty's Theatre, now known as the St James, Wellington. In 1900 White received his first contract to design a theatre for John Fuller and Sons in Christchurch. Following a successful contract to design a huge tunnel from the Waipori River to the city of Dunedin, White received a number of design contracts. His father initially employed him as a building contractor while Henry attended night school.

It is also one of the earliest buildings designed in New Zealand using the Spanish Mission style, and the lavish Art Nouveau interior is also important, being probably the largest and most complete example of its type in New Zealand. The Municipal Theatre, Hastings, is one of the last remaining theatres in New Zealand built by Henry Eli White (1877-1952).

Stoughton opera house capacity