Build a theatre out west
For those of you who missed the story in the Sydney Morning Herald last month, the respected producer Cameron Mackintosh has called for a third commercial theatre be built in Sydney.
For those of you who missed the story in the Sydney Morning Herald last month, the respected producer Cameron Mackintosh has called for a third commercial theatre be built in Sydney.
He said that if Sydney doesn’t add to the Lyric Theatre and the Capitol Theatre, producing and tourism opportunities will be lost.
“I have had meetings with various parties [from Events NSW] and they have stepped up their campaign to secure and get behind the bigger productions,” Mackintosh told the SMH.
“They recognise the importance of a successful musical to the economy but it has become a political reality that the stock of theatres in Sydney has been run down and [that] the shortage needs to be addressed.”
There is no doubt that Mackintosh is right. The Lyric and the Capitol are Sydney’s only serious theatres with huge doubts that any major musical could make serious money at the Theatre Royal, which has a limited seating capacity.
But I wonder, if the support for such a new theatre did emerge, should the theatre be built in the city, or should it be taken to the suburbs?
I had the theory last week that perhaps a big, commercial theatre could work in a major suburban region, instead of the city.
The reality is that whilst Sydney has survived any major theatrical disasters over the past few years, we will eventually get back to a period in which we have dark theatres and very few shows on the boil to fill them. Do we really need to add to that mix?
Why wouldn’t we look at an area like Campbelltown, Liverpool or Penrith to build a major commercial theatre?
After all, a large chunk of audiences come from the western suburbs of Sydney, making the trip into the city on special occasions. But would they go to the theatre more regularly if the theatre is in their own backyard?
If the theatre was in Penrith, for example, you would perhaps gain more audiences from across western Sydney and indeed far reaching regions such as the Blue Mountains.
In Campbelltown, the same story goes – big population with a proven arts culture (even if the stereotype doesn’t suggest it) and the ability to pull audiences from across the city.
And hey, if western Sydney residents travel to the city to see shows, why shouldn’t city folk travel to the west?
I would imagine the community support received from local councils and business organisations would be of major benefit to the industry.
Not convinced? Let’s not forget that Acer Arena is clearly winning the war with the Sydney Entertainment Centre when it comes to major concerts and events. And yes, Acer Arena is based in Homebush in the west whilst the Sydney Entertainment Centre is in the city. There’s proof that venues out west could work.
Maybe the idea is flawed, maybe it would never work, but Sydney is a big city that spans further than just few kilometres. Sydney’s west has some killer sites just ready to build on, but is it worth the risk?