Refurbished Brisbane theatre comes to life

The newly-refurbished Bille Brown Theatre in South Brisbane has been playing host to performances by some of the luminaries of Queensland Theatre since reopening earlier this month.

The venue, which started out as a studio space and rehearsal room, has undergone a $5.5 million redevelopment, backed by $2 million from the Queensland Government, which has increased seating capacity from 228 to 351.

The new theatre features Brisbane’s first corner stage arrangement, with raked seating on three sides - a layout that matches many others around the country, which will increase the opportunity for co-productions with other theatres.

Works included the addition of a series of corridors, or vomitoriums, that travel through the seating banks and onto the stage, the refurbishment of the theatre bar, an external courtyard with an upper level terrace and improved disability access.

Speaking at the opening, Queensland Arts Minister Leeanne Enoch stated “the new Bille Brown Theatre has opened with new production Nearer the Gods, which is the latest work by Queensland playwright David Williamson.

“(This) is a fitting tribute to two Queensland theatre icons, as we welcome a new work by one of Queensland’s most critically-acclaimed and prolific playwrights, and salute the memory of late actor and playwright Bille Brown AM.”

Queensland Theatre Artistic Director Sam Strong added “(we are) already the fastest growing theatre company in Australia and the new theatre will enable us to share even more wonderful Queensland made theatre with the rest of the country.

“The Bille Brown Theatreis a once in a generation transformation for Queensland Theatre and a rare opportunity to build the ideal theatre experience.

“The new theatre will give audiences ‘whites of the eyes’ intimacy from every seat, it will place their feet on the same floor as the actors, and it will enable us to create theatre with a dynamism and flair that keeps pace with a contemporary attention span.”

The theatre is hosting the premiere run of David Williamson’s Nearer the Gods. The playwright, who wrote the play with the new space in mind, said that the venue “gives you great confidence that you can write with all the fluidity that you want. So you can be as cinematic as you like.”

The Queensland Government has also committed $125 million for a new theatre at QPAC and is also contributing $8 million towards the redevelopment of the Thomas Dixon Centre in West End, home to Queensland Ballet.

Images: The refurbised Bille Brown Theatre. Courtesy of Christopher Frederick Jones.