Investor backs new 1,130 seat theatre space in Melbourne

Businessman and theatre investor Aleksander Vass is backing a $1 million fit out of the old George Cinema in Fitzroy Street, St Kilda to create two new mid-size theatre spaces.

Set to open on 1st February next year, the new Alex Theatre St Kilda will offer a 500 seat theatre, a 330 seat theatre and a smaller spung floor performance/rehearsal space that can seat 250.

The venue is intended as a commercial space which providing a platform for small or new shows that cannot afford the costs of CBD commercial theatres and Arts Centre, Melbourne.

Vass has been working on the idea of two years and has secured a long term lease on the former cinema - which at one time had been slated for redevelopment as into a new apartment block.

Vass has recently hired General Manager Programmer Richard Fitzgerald, the former General Manager of Mike Walsh’s Her Majesty’s in Melbourne’s CBD from 2004 to 2010 and most recently General Manager at the Darwin Entertainment Centre.

Commenting on what he says will be "diverse" programming at the new venue, Fitzgerald told the Daily Review "we’re looking at least four very serious proposals for 2015 next year — one is a musical, stand-up comedy and a straight dramatic play.”

Fitzgerald and Vass had previously worked together before when the businessman (who owns glass manufacturing company, Glasskote) had been an investor in Fiddler on the Roof starring Topol At Her Majesty’s and It’s a Dad Thing.

Fitzgerald added "we’d both been thinking that Melbourne needed a middle range theatre.

"Other venues like Her Majesty’s or the Arts Centre (Melbourne) are too big and the cost is too crushing because they need to charge a high rent to keep such big businesses going.”

St Kilda is also home to the 2,900 seat Palais Theatre - currently the focus of a high profile campaign calling for its refurbishement, the 144 seat Theatre Works and the 90 seat Red Stitch Theatre in Chapel Street.

Fitzgerald believes that the Alex is perfectly situated to attract the large huge numbers of theatregoers who live in the inner south-east of Melbourne and that the venue will operate without public subsidy.

He concluded "we are a commercial business ... not a charity (and) we want to be supportive of artists in how we charge (rent)."

Spurred by the successes of the Hayes Theatre in Sydney, Vass’ investnebt is the latest in a trend that has seen businessmen take creative risks for independent theatre, risks which hinge upon the exposure of Australian audiences to a wider variety of performance than has historically been viable.

Ticketek has been appointed the Alex’s ticketing partner.

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