The opportunity for a new live performance venue as part of the Powerhouse Museum site redevelopment is welcome but Australia’s biggest city is still falling behind its Australian and international peers when it comes to venue capacity.
Peak industry body, Live Performance Australia (LPA), today called on the NSW Government to urgently resolve the future of the shuttered Theatre Royal in the CBD. ‘This theatre is a very valuable part of our live performance infrastructure and to have it dark for more than two years now is severely limiting opportunities for our producers, performers and audiences,’ Chief Executive Evelyn Richardson said.
She said the potential to develop a new Broadway-style Lyric theatre at the Powerhouse was good news but noted it would still be a number of years before the venue was open to audiences.
‘Sydney has fallen way behind Melbourne when it comes to live performance venue capacity which is not only bad for Sydney but also impacts on audiences around the rest of the country. The NSW Government cannot idly stand by and allow the demolition or downgrading of existing infrastructure.
‘The loss of the Theatre Royal has materially impacted the opportunity for Sydney to host major productions, depriving local performers and industry workers of jobs, limiting choice for audiences, and short-changing the visitor economy through lost visitation and economic activity generated by live performance,’ Ms Richardson said.
LPA is calling on the NSW Government to bring together the owners of the Theatre Royal site, City of Sydney and industry leaders to secure the future of the venue.
‘Sydney is a vital part of a national touring schedule particularly for international productions. If a show can’t be booked into Sydney, that can affect the touring prospects for other Australian cities. Australian audiences are missing out on seeing great shows because there are not enough venues in Sydney to make presenting these productions viable,’ Ms Richardson said.
Susan Fitzpatrick-Napier
DMG USA/Australia
Office: +1 61 2 8218 2144
[email protected]
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LPA is the peak body for Australia’s live performance industry. Established in 1917 and registered as an employers’ organisation under the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009, LPA has over 400 Members nationally. We represent commercial producers, music promoters, major performing arts companies, small to medium companies, independent producers, major performing arts centres, metropolitan and regional venues, commercial theatres, stadiums and arenas, arts festivals, music festivals, and service providers such as ticketing companies and technical suppliers. Our membership spans from small-medium and not-for-profit organisations to large commercial entities.
LPA has a clear mandate to advocate for and support policy decisions that benefit the sustainability and growth of the live performance industry in Australia. ---
