The stage is set… at last

Tamworth’s Capitol Theatre. A preview of what we might expect in a Goulburn Performing Arts Centre?

This week, the Goulburn Community of Public School concerts are showcasing some of the amazing talent in Goulburn.  REALLY amazing talent. And that shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Goulburn’s got talent. We’re bloody lousy with it. It’s oozing out of the place.

With little of the fanfare we readily garnish upon sport, and thanks in no small way to the guidance and support of a community of talented and generous musical and theatrical artists, the performing arts in Goulburn have continue to grow to the point that they are among the city’s best kept secrets.

But it shouldn’t be a secret. They deserve to be… well, sung about. And now, at last, the stage is set (pun intended).

Since the sale of the Lilac Time Hall in the early 2000s, followed by the unavailability of Kenmore Theatre since 2010, there has been no purpose built or modified venue available for performing arts groups in Goulburn, aside from the Lieder Theatre.

The Lieder Theatre, as a privately owned facility that needs to meet its own costs, is already in almost continual use, between rehearsals and performances, just to pay its way.

The lack of a venue had a profound effect upon Goulburn’s two musical theatre companies. Both are now either closed for good or in a deep state of hibernation awaiting a venue to showcase their talents.

The Goulburn Musical Society tried its best at school halls but poor sound, poor seating and poor audience sight lines made the job of attracting an audience too tough. Likewise, following the unavailability of their “home” at Kenmore Theatre since 2010, the Argyle Society has ceased performing.

So theatrical companies would benefit from a new venue, but they wouldn’t be the only groups. School concerts, eisteddfods, seminars, town hall meetings and a range of other local events and groups would be catered to not to mention visiting acts, which I’ll get to in a minute. The Lieder Theatre could also take some of their shows to the new centre for specific performances, giving them the ability to perform upgrades to the Lieder.

The proposal

Council has been canvassing building a performing arts centre for Goulburn for many years now, but many of the proposals to date have been insufficient in terms of both technical amenities and seating capacity.

Now, though, the proposal on the table isn’t too bad. In fact it’s pretty bloody good, although I still think it needs some tweaking.

The proposed site is on the grounds of the Regional Conservatorium of Music in a building referred to as the old ceramics room. Alongside the Con is an almost ideal locale for a performing arts centre, amidst some of the most passionate and committed artists in the city, forming part of an arts precinct just a block away from the GRAG.

One of the main problems with previous proposals were for that space to seat only around 230 people. Earlier proposals also lacked a flytower, did not have fixed seating or a range of the facilities most regional performing arts centres around NSW regard as essential. But this latest proposal addresses the seating to 300 and has a portion of seats that are tiered.

We don’t need the Taj Mahal of performing arts centres, agreed. We don’t need something outrageous and expensive. The Glasshouse Centre in Port Macquarie, for example, cost around $60 million dollars and the council that voted it in were kicked out of office as a result. And fair enough. That’s a ridiculous amount.

But there are some technical elements of a performing arts centre that are important, if not essential, if you are being serious. Tiered seating, for instance, provides clear sight lines for the audience and assists with acoustics. Unfixed seating on a flat, sprung floor can provide multi-function potential but creates sound problems. A flytower is useful for the onstage backdrops. An orchestra pit is also useful for musical theatre.

Performing Arts Centres around NSW

And what would I know? Not much, granted. But even if I don’t know what I’m talking about, the other regional performing arts centres around NSW already know the answers. They’ve resolved what’s needed and so I’ve assembled the details on the 18 main regional performing arts centres in NSW – including their seating numbers, the local population of their LGA and some technical info. Click and flick through the display below to get an idea of what other performing arts centres are like.

Some pretty impressive theatres there. As we can see, from what other regional towns have done, you would need AT LEAST 300 seats for such a venue, along with some of the other technical aspects mentioned above. And that number would be at the very low end of the spectrum.

Now, local performances – including local musical groups, theatrical companies and schools – are one of the prime reasons for having a quality performing arts centre. But the venue would also attract visiting performances… would NEED to attract bands and singers, orchestras, stand-up comedians, and touring shows… to help pay the bills.

Take for example the Bell Shakespeare Company. Located in Sydney, they typically perform four or five productions a year and take at least one of those on the road to tour around regional performing arts centres. Can anyone name the last time they came to Goulburn? Anyone?

This year the Company is touring Hamlet. Here’s a list of their regional NSW shows for 2015. All of these venues are in the interactive list above and all have suitable technical facilities.

• Orange Civic Theatre (10–11 July)
• Newcastle Civic Theatre (21–22 August)
• Laycock Street Theatre, Gosford (24 August)
• Glasshouse, Port Macquarie (26–27 August)
• NORPA, Lismore (29–31 August)
• Griffith Regional Theatre (8 October)
• Wagga Wagga Civic Theatre (10 October)

If you want to attract quality perfomances, the venue has to be equal to the task.

The proposal on the table at the moment is now MUCH closer to what we need than it’s been before, but it could still do with some work. It’s crucial we get it right first time or it will stay wrong for years to come. There’s no point half-doing a project.

A list of potential infrastructure and amenities choices has been suggested for Council to investigate in recent times… including a performing arts centre and a sports stadium. I’d love them both, but I don’t think there is any sense in spending money on a range of “Stage 1” projects that all remain unfinished.

The Veolia Arena, for instance, is still a long way short of complete. For sporting events, it lacks a stand for spectators. For conferences and functions, it lacks… almost everything.  No audio, no heating, insufficient toilets, no food prep area (the neighbouring Grace-Millsom Centre is equipped with a  kitchen but when it is booked on the same night as another function (eg the Spyfest Ball) you need to bring in your own caterers and food.

The bones are there, but it’s unfinished.

Do it once, do it right

Here’s my main point. It’s great that we have a Council that is focused on infrastructure and city-building. I don’t say that sarcastically or lightly. It really is exactly what we’ve needed for a long time. I would only add that when we do build something, when we add something significant to the city, we do it right the first time so we don’t have to hear for years “it will be good when it’s finished.”

The Council plan is to spend $4 million on this proposal… some of which has been quarantined from the sale of the Lilac Time Hall, and some from government grants. That is truly a bargain basement amount. Hopefully Council can see the merits in the proposal, but they should consider tipping in a bit more to get the centre right. They only need to look at the state-wide regional venues to see the sort of theatre we could have, and without spending a hell of a lot more.

Goulburn is blessed with an abundance of talented performers, groups, writers and other artists. We also have incredibly gifted talents like Paul Scott-Williams and Chrisjohn Hancock (among many others) in our midst at places like the Con, the Lieder and the Goulburn Club, who continue to guide and inspire our performers. We shouldn’t waste these resources, or the opportunity before us.

Goulburn is a great sporting town and we’ve poured huge sums of money into sports. And I’m glad we have. But isn’t it time we recognise our performing artists as well, with a facility that showcases their skills and, in turn, helps spread the word about Goulburn’s talent further afield?

We spend a lot of time promoting the city. Our performing artists are something truly worth promoting. As a city we should get behind this.

(Originally published on the Goulburn Post website).