Would you call it Glasshouse? Public to choose name for Brisbane theatre from four ideas
By Nick Dent
As construction nears completion on South Bank’s new theatre, Queenslanders have been invited to help name it.
The “85 per cent complete” theatre, with its undulating glass facade, will not host performances until 2026.
The $175 million theatre was previously expected to open in the middle of 2025 after issues including Brisbane’s 2022 floods delayed work.
Minister for Public Works Sam O’Connor said the theatre would be “an artistic masterpiece” and “a showcase for our state”.
Minister for the Arts John-Paul Langbroek encouraged the community to submit their naming ideas for the theatre, or vote on one of four pre-selected names, at the Arts Queensland website.
“The pre-selected names of Glasshouse and Lantern are inspired by the theatre’s shimmering facade, while Watershed and Russell reference the theatre’s location and proximity to the river,” Langbroek said.
The 1500-capacity theatre at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre will be the venue’s fifth theatre, making QPAC Australia’s largest performing arts centre under one roof.
The new theatre under construction at QPAC in Brisbane. The building is set to open in 2026.Credit: Lendlease
The invitation to name it specifies that suggestions should reflect a connection to place, Queensland, or to the design, location or purpose of the theatre, and should complement the names of the existing QPAC venues.
Names referencing people were also welcomed.
Consultation closes at 5pm on Saturday, May 10, with the selected name to be announced by July.
Everyone submitting a vote or an alternative name will go into a draw to win four tickets to a QPAC show of their choice, subject to availability.
The callout comes as QPAC marks its 40th anniversary this Saturday with a birthday celebration at the centre’s Melbourne Street Green from 9am.
The last Queensland government naming callout was for Brisbane’s new underground CBD train station, when the name Albert Street Station was declared the winner.
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