Napier Operatic Society (often abbreviated as NOS) is an amateur theatre society based in Napier, New Zealand, established in 1887[2] based at The Tabard Theatre.

The Theatre Royal made its debut with the musical Trial by Jury, and out of this the Napier Operatic Society was born.

The 1800 capacity of the Napier Municipal Theatre was noted to have been "frequently taxed to the uttermost", especially by people who drive in from the country areas.

[3] Due to the onset of World War I, The Blue Moon was the last production by Napier Operatic Society until 1921.

A Special General Meeting was held on 14 October 1937 where it was unanimously decided to revive the society.

The first production in over 7 years, Rio Rita, was performed at the newly built Napier Municipal Theatre.

Since then, with the exception of during World War II until 1953, there has been at least one production put on by Napier Operatic Society every year.

Napier Operatic Society has staged many hit musicals in recent years, including Les Misérables, 42nd Street, Chicago, Cats, Beauty and the Beast, Miss Saigon, The Phantom of the Opera, Mamma Mia!,[4] and Evita.

[5] Napier Operatic Society have since begun staging larger productions that typically would be seen at the Napier Municipal Theatre at the Tabard Theatre, such as Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Blood Brothers.

[6]The Fantastiks Evita Tom Jones Me and My Girl Jerome Kern, directed by Shirley Jarrett.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, directed by Phil Turley.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, directed by Valda Peacock.

Dinner with the Duke If You're Irish An ANZAC Tribute Miss Saigon, directed by Gillian Davies, QSM.

Jesus Christ Superstar, directed by Anthony Collier & Reiss Jenkinson.

Under the direction of Sonya Aifai since 2000, the theatre school has trained aspiring actors by casting them in yearly productions.

The Napier Operatic Society Theatre School has been nationally recognised, including in 2017 when it was awarded the Excellence in Acting award at the Junior Theatre Celebration in Auckland.

[9] Subsequently, in both 2018 and 2019, theatre school alumnus Jackson Stone was awarded Outstanding Male Performer two years in a row for his roles as Donkey in Shrek Jr., and as Don Lockwood in Singin' in the Rain Jr.. Stone, alongside of other notable theatre school members Marcus Allan, Maia Driver, and Renee Seymour, represented NOS and New Zealand at the Junior Theatre Festival in Atlanta in 2020.