“For a facility that’s only two years old, shows have been so diverse,” theatre manager Nathan Reichstein said.
“The Yuin Theatre is still in its growth phase; I am excited to see what it becomes after five years.”
Since opening, the theatre has seen more than 120 shows and 35,000 tickets sold.
Nathan is fresh to the job but comes with plenty of experience, managing a similar theatre in a recreation facility in Adelaide.
“The difference is this theatre is in the 21st century,” he said.
In March this year, Nathan moved to Batemans Bay for the head theatre job with his partner, who also scored a job at the customer service desk.
Now Nathan has come up to speed with Bay Pavilions operations, he is determined to nestle himself into the community, getting to know local groups and schools.
“Community programming was a huge passion of mine in Adelaide, and I hope to implement some ideas here,” Nathan said.
“The work of the manager before me helped put the Bay Pavilions on the map. For the most part, shows are now finding us to hire out the venue. Promoters and artists love the place and are rebooking to come back.”
Nathan explained that 90 percent of the shows are hires. This means the venue is hired by a promoter who then manages promotion.
The other 10 percent of shows are purchased, which Nathan says have been kids shows and morning matinees like the Tenor Twos.
“If we didn’t purchase shows, kids favourites like Gruffulo and Arc wouldn’t come here,” he said.
“Having shows for seniors to travel to in the day is also an investment for the community. We know these types of shows are relatively low cost and well attended.”
The Eurobodalla Business Awards in July showed off the versatility of the theatre space, with more gala events and conferences in the pipeline.
To find out what’s coming to the Bay Pavilions, subscribe to their mailing list or visit the Bay Pavilions website.
- This story was first published in Council’s quarterly newsletter for residents, Living in Eurobodalla. A printed edition is delivered to Eurobodalla’s 26,000 households.