City of Sydney backs theatre and fashion events

The City of Sydney is to sponsor the world famous Mary Poppins musical and the Rosemount Sydney Fashion Festival to help boost Sydney's 2011 events calendar.
The City claims that the backing will help attract visitors, deliver economic benefits for businesses and "put our global city on the events stage."
Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP explains "we want keep our City an interesting, entertaining and vibrant place to visit.
"That's why we are continually supporting events which promote local talent while delivering economic benefit for retail and hospitality businesses in and around Sydney.
"Major musical theatre and fashion events contribute significantly to local businesses. Theatre-goers often have dinner before the show or have a drink afterwards, and tourists come from interstate for the experience."
The City of Sydney will provide a $100,000 value-in-kind sponsorship package to help internationally successful Mary Poppins come to Sydney's Capitol Theatre this April.
The musical is based on the Mary Poppins books, which began publication in 1934 and the 1964 Walt Disney film classic. It played over 1,000 performances in London between its opening in December 2004 and 2008. It is still playing in New York, with over 1,750 performances since it opened in November, 2006.
The City of Sydney will provide up to $50,000 to the Rosemount Sydney Fashion Festival which will see Sydney's iconic Town Hall transformed into the new home of Australian fashion.
Local and interstate designers will be on the runway coinciding with the arrival of spring and summer fashion in local retail stores. The festival will again include more than 50 events including bespoke fashion presentations, exhibitions, launches, after parties, music and cultural events.
The City of Sydney has recently sponsored significant creative commercial events, including Wicked, Jersey Boys, Dr Zhivago and Vogue's Fashion Night Out. This support has also helped Sydney secure the Australian premiere of the Musical, Legally Blonde, which the City will also sponsor.