Support grows to save Hopgood Theatre, after its funding was cut
FORMER Australian Idol host and ’70s pop star Mark Holden says if the Hopgood Theatre goes dark, the southern community will lose a precious “jewel”.
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FORMER Australian Idol host and ’70s pop star Mark Holden says if the Hopgood Theatre goes dark, the southern community will lose a precious “jewel”.
Mr Holden, a carnation-carrying entertainer with hits including Never Gonna Fall In Love Again and I Wanna Make You My Lady, says the Noarlunga Centre landmark is close to his heart.
Decades ago, he took his daughter, Katie, now 23, to children’s shows at the venue and will now make his debut there when he performs in The Greatest Show on Earth next month.
He is one of thousands of people from across Australia have signed a petition urging the State Government to reinstate the $200,000 annual funding it needs to keep afloat.
Another 1300 people have joined the Save the Hopgood Theatre Facebook page and hundreds more are expected to attend a public meeting Wednesday night to push for its survival.
“The Hopgood is a very much a part of the southern vales … and I really don’t want the theatre to go dark,” Holden, 64, says.
“The area is so big, and it seems to be growing in leaps and bounds, so it would seem to me there is more of a need for the theatre, not less.
“Losing it would be a great loss … it’s a jewel and part of our heritage.”
Melbourne-based Holden has joined the Save the Hopgood Theatre Facebook page and has started a media campaign so the State Government and wider community understand the importance of the theatre.
If the venue closes he is concerned people — young and old — will become disconnected.
“We need places that create connections in the community, and that is true with the Hopgood,” Holden says.
“The great thing about the theatre is that is crosses a number of generations.”
The Greatest Show on Earth is part of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival roadshow that will tour Renmark, Mt Gambier, Port Lincoln, Tea Tree Gully and Noarlunga.
The show is inspired by his family’s Holden Brothers Travelling Circus, weaving in stories about his own soaring heights and crushing falls.
Holden hopes he will not be one of the last to perform at the Hopgood Theatre: “It’s a precious asset and a community hub — you just can’t put a price on that.”
Meanwhile, the arts community across South Australia have upped the fight to stop the curtain closing on the Hopgood Theatre.
Supporters say the theatre is a vital part of the south, is rich in history and provides local groups a large performance venue, without having to travel into the city.
Dance Xtreme director Sanjaya Patterson has asked the parents of his 230 students to jump on the Save the Hopgood bandwagon.
He wanted answers about the theatre’s threatened future.
“Without the theatre, where are we going to go?” he said.
Country Arts SA, which runs the Hopgood at Noarlunga TAFE, has so far been unable to negotiate its usual State Government funding as part of a new five-year agreement.
McLaren Vale choir Sisters of Abundance have performed at the Hopgood since 2005 and often sells out the 500-seat venue.
“The Hopgood Theatre is the only place big enough to take a decent-size audience,” secretary Jennie Perry said.
The driving force behind the Save the Hopgood Theatre Facebook page, Harry Dewar, whose youth group Squadron of Fools uses the venue, said the response to his campaign had been overwhelming.
“I was delighted to see so much response, so quickly, and it showed there was interest in the theatre and arts generally,” Mr Dewar said.
Country Arts SA chief executive Steve Saffell was hopeful a solution could be reached. The organisation is trying to secure government funding for another 12 months — up from the government’s current offer of three months.
The State Government has been contacted for comment.
The public meeting will be held at the Hopgood Theatre on August 9, from 7pm.