NSW Arts Minister concedes shortage of theatres in Sydney

The NSW Government will look at options for a new theatre in Sydney’s Barangaroo precinct as it seeks to create more capacity in the city.

NSW Arts Minister Don Harwin admits there is a shortage of theatres in Sydney and says he is committed to building more.

As reported by the ABC, Minister Harwin advised last week "I've been concerned that under the previous government and the arrangements they put in place for Barangaroo, and also some of the work done earlier in our term, that there hasn't been enough provision put in place for performance space in that Barangaroo area.

"But the good news is there's still a capacity to look at something there and I've made a firm decision that I will ask my officials to look at the capacity for a new performance space in the Barangaroo area."

With only The Lyric at Star City Casino and The Capitol in Haymarket are able to stage large-scale Broadway musicals, the NSW Government is also working on the business case for a 1,500-seat lyric theatre at Ultimo on the site of the Powerhouse Museum, after it moves to Parramatta.

A theatre venue was considered for the precinct nearly a decade ago but other competing cultural interests were seen as a higher priority, says Evelyn Richardson, Chief Executive of Live Performance Australia.

Richardson stated “it gets a little bit like watching an episode of (ABC drama) Utopia over and over again.

"There's only so many times you need to do a feasibility or an assessment.

"At some point you have to bite the bullet and say we're going to invest, we're going to get on with it."

With uncertainty surrounding progress of the Walsh Bay redevelopment and the Sydney Opera House and Parramatta Riverside Theatres close for refurbishment, Sydney’s lack of theatre space is set to get worse.

Uncertainty also surrounds the Theatre Royal which has been sitting empty for three years.

Under intense industry pressure, the NSW Government secured a 45-year lease on the theatre before the last state election.

While Minister Harwin has stated “we will have an operator in place before Christmas”, operators interested in taking on the venue will have to pay a $37 million construction contribution to the building's owners, Dexis, for entry and foyer works.

In addition, the cost of refurbishment to the auditorium could be more than $40 million.

Richardson added "I think that's a very big entry fee for a private operator coming into a venue.

"Having an upfront fee where they're paying for things outside the refurbishment of the theatre I think is a big ask, and obviously that's currently being negotiated."

One theatre that is almost ready to open is The Coliseum based at West HQ at Rooty Hill in Sydney's west.

Executive Director Craig McMaster says bookings for the theatre, which is set to open in December, are strong and it is likely to be fully occupied into 2021.

McMaster advised "all of the major producers have been out here and we've been thrilled by how great the reaction has been.

"I think what they're now realising is that this development is an incredible godsend to what has been a bit of a drought in Sydney."

Delays at the Walsh Bay Arts precinct
Uncertainty currently surrounds works at the Walsh Bay Arts precinct, with construction yet to start on the project.

Tenants including Bell Shakespeare, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Australian Theatre for Young People had been were expected to have moved in next year but construction on the project at Walsh Bay Pier 2/3 has yet to start, with revised engineering and design work to the heritage-listed finger wharf to be considered by NSW Treasury in October.

With the NSW Government unable to secure building contracts that meet its budgets for the rebuilding of the Sydney Football Stadium and the Sydney Modern Project, concerns surround potential funding while each of the companies to be based in the precinct are having to face not having a base for longer than planned.

Images: Sydney's Capitol Theatre (top) and artist's impressions for the Walsh Bay Arts precinct (middle) and The Coliseum at West HQ.