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The relaunched SBW Independent Theatre |
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| Report by Trevor Connell
The old
Independent Theatre in North Sydney has bounced back into life not only
for live theatre but also as a meetings and event venue.
The
theatre is now under the management of the Australian Elizabethan Theatre
Trust (AETT) who launched the venue to the Business Events industry with a
soiree in early November.
In his address to the gathered guests Mr
Warwick D. Ross, General Manager of the AETT outlined the history of the
theatre and the vision for its future.
History
The theatre was built in 1911 and replaced
the tram depot that had occupied the site since 1886. The Coliseum
Theatre, as it was then known, was leased for Vaudeville productions.
Local talent included Roy Rene (Mo) and Gladys Moncrieff.
In 1939
Doris Fitton created an Australian theatre legend by moving her theatre
company into the theatre which was then renamed The Independent. Apart
from a few years during World War II, when the buildings served Australia
as a munitions store, the Theatre enjoyed a wide variety of theatrical,
sometimes controversial, but always innovative productions. After being a
feature of Sydney’s theatre culture for a quarter of a century the Theatre
fell into a state of disrepair in the late 1980’s.
Driven by the
vision and innovation of Dr. Rodney Seaborn, the Seaborn Broughton and
Walford Foundation purchased the Theatre in 1993 and commenced the huge,
complex and delicate task of restoring the unique heritage
building.
Today
Now, fully restored,
the Theatre welcomes a new era when it can once again serve the community
in North Sydney as a viable and versatile performance space and also as a
conference facility for creative corporate use.
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The auditorium
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The Bar
| The Facilities
The Theatre Auditorium seats
305 people. The 140 sq metre stage is framed with a typical Proscenium and
is equipped with a simple lighting system and a tailor designed audio
system. While ideal for small performance pieces the stage defiantly lends
itself to the installation of an R/P screen for speaker support or video
projection.
The Bar and Foyer areas (50 and 66 sq metres
respectively) are perfect for cocktails or could also be used as breakout
rooms.
The Seaborn Room (92 sq metres) is a gem. It is beautifully
decorated and functional, ideal for cocktails, dinner or a breakout room.
It has a kitchen attached.
The SBW Independent
Theatre
269 Miller Street, North Sydney, NSW 2060
Tel: 9955 6455
Fax: 9955 6570
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