The Regent Theatre wants to buy a vowel, and it's going to need a crane to do it.
For the past three weeks, the theatre's giant neon sign has read ''Reg-nt'', after the second ''e'' went dark because of neon gas depletion.
The solution to the problem is relatively simple - the letter needs to be taken down, re-filled with gas and put back into place. However, the location of the sign was a complicating factor, Regent Theatre technical manager Nelson Miles said.
''Taking the letter down is a two-minute job, but we will have to block off the Octagon and bring in a crane to do it,'' Mr Miles said.
The work will involve representatives of Dunedin firm Miller Studios, which has neon specialists, and an electrician to re-connect the letter once it is re-filled.
The recalcitrant ''e'' had put additional pressure on the electrical transformer powering the ''Regent'' sign, so had been disconnected, Mr Miles said.
''We really don't want it to cause damage to any other parts of the sign.''
The theatre and Miller Studios had formulated a plan to get the letter off the roof, re-filled and back in place in one go - probably during an early morning, Mr Miles said.
A rough estimate put the cost of the work, including crane hire, at $3000 to $4000, he said.
''We want to get the job done as soon as possible, but we can't do it during the New Zealand International Film Festival - things are just too busy at the moment,'' he said.
''We will get it done as soon as possible though.''
The Regent Theatre has sported the neon sign since the 1950s, when it was created by Dunedin firm Claude Neon. The Regent sign's metal frame was replaced with plastic in 1998, and its glass tubing re-filled with neon gas by Miller Studios in 2002, Mr Miles said.
