FIRST LOOK: Grafton’s new performance centre is ready to go

School-based centre is open for business, and they’re keen to make a song and dance about it

Clarence Valley Anglican School business manager Ian Morris and principal Karin Lisle in front of the school's new performing arts centre.

Grafton’s newest performance space is open for business, and for its custodian, Clarence Valley Anglican School principal Karin Lisle, she wants to make a big song and dance about it.

“It’s really important we let people know it’s for the people, especially in Grafton and South Grafton,” she said.

“We’re hoping it creates a new cultural centre not just for the school but for the community.”

Walking through the doors, past the servery, it opens into an auditorium with capacity for 360 people.

There is full lighting and sound rigs, and with a backstage area designed for performers in mind.

It continues out the back, with a lecture theatre, rehearsal rooms, recording studio, drama class and green screen and configurable classrooms, all linked with the latest in technology.

“A lot of money has been put into making sure we have everything just right,” Ms Lisle said.

“We’re working our way through the operation of the equipment, but we’ve got a tech team who have been trained up, a roadie team to set it up, and Cafe 74 which looks after the servery.

“We’ve got teams of students who are able to get it up and running.”

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The auditorium opens to a balcony that overlooks the school grounds, and Ms Lisle said they hoped it would be used as an event space by the community.

“It could be used in school holidays as well, where people can take advantage of the space … and the diocese is looking at hiring it for functions,” she said.

Ms Lisle said the new centre brought with it a renewed focus on the creative arts within the school, and already a specialist dance teacher is drawing enrolments to the school.

“We offer dance from Year 5 … and it’s also a HSC subject, and it’s great we can offer that here,” she said.

“(The teacher) is already out in the community and the students have performed at nursing homes.”

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The centre is worth $2.3m, with $1.7m coming from governments grants and a benefactor, and the first sod was turned on the project last June.

“We’ve seen it grow since we dug the first hole, and we’ve been watching it,” Ms Lisle said.

“Now it looks like the plans, and it’s fantastic.”

Originally published as FIRST LOOK: Grafton’s new performance centre is ready to go