Victoria Theatre – the State’s oldest theatre (Newcastle) ready for full revival
With Century Venues set to lodge a development application with the City of Newcastle for revival of the State’s oldest standing theatre, Victoria Theatre, the call has been made for the private sector, government and community to collaborate on delivery of significant cultural infrastructure in NSW.
“Now is the time for public and private entities to come together and accelerate progress towards full revival of the oldest theatre in the state: The Mighty Victoria,” said Executive Director Greg Khoury from Century Venues.
The development application details a complete and historically sympathetic refurbishment of the magnificent State Heritage listed Victoria Theatre in the heart of Newcastle and dates back to 1891.
“Compared to the investment required to build from scratch a facility of this scale, offering up to 1,000 capacity, the revival of The Victoria is incredible value requiring an estimated $11.5 million in capital works. While Century’s acquisition of the building means it is secure, the theatre has a long way to go before becoming an operational live performance venue”.
“To date, Century has invested $750,000 to ensure the building is safe, stabilised and accessible and is willing to commit significant funds to help realise the restoration. This also includes placing the building into a not for profit trust so it remains a live performance venue in perpetuity for the people of Newcastle and the Hunter.”
“To become fully operational, it will require major additional funding from both government and private sources committed to realising the vision in our development application. “
“Once restored, the building will not need ongoing operational subsidy and Century has the experience necessary to operate it as a viable theatre for the people of Newcastle,” concluded Mr Khoury.
For a full media release and interviews, enquiries should be directed to:
Greg Khoury Executive Director, Century Venues
