Abandoned Theatre Royal subleased to commercial operator and set for refurbishment
There has been ongoing criticism that Sydney would miss out on more theatre shows if nothing is done. Now the abandoned Theatre Royal will be up and running within two years with plans for a new one in Ultimo.
The empty and neglected Theatre Royal will be up and running by 2021 and there are plans for a new theatre in Ultimo.
Minister for Tourism Stuart Ayres responded to backlash that Sydney would miss out on Moulin Rouge to Melbourne and the millions it would attract saying that the state government has not forgotten about theatre.
“Since March 2011, the NSW Government has invested in 29 musicals and theatre productions,” Mr Ayres told Confidential.
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“This includes the recently announced Australian premiere of the world’s most talked about and sought after musical, Hamilton, which is expected to drive a direct visitor spend of approximately $84.4 million.
“This year, the NSW Government also announced its decision to negotiate a 45-year lease with the owners of the Theatre Royal — Sydney’s oldest theatrical institution”
Theatre Royal on King St has been sitting empty and abandoned for three years to the disgust of theatre enthusiasts.
The state government signed a 45-year lease in June and Mr Ayres confirmed the 1100-seat theatre will be subleased to a commercial operator.
The identity of this operator will be announced in coming months, with lease negotiations under way.
It is understood the theatre will then undergo a refurbishment that will be complete in 2021 with the intention that it will then be a prime candidate for securing large scale theatre premieres, such as Moulin Rouge and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which Sydney also lost out on earlier this year.
Meanwhile, the NSW government is also investigating options to develop a creative industries hub in Ultimo including plans for a 1500-seat Broadway-style theatre.
Sydney has had a complicated history with theatre, losing heritage-listed The Regent on George St in 1988, which sat as a hole in the ground until 2004.
Other venues that have been lost include the Tivoli Theatre opposite Belmore Park, the Palace Theatre in Pitt St, Her Majesty’s in Quay St.
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