Goulburn Performing Arts Centre to attract big name performers like Australian Ballet
Theatregoers will see the cream of the crop live when the $19 million Goulburn Performing Arts Centre opens despite a $2.5 million grant for the building being withdrawn.
The Bowral News
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Theatregoers will see the cream of the crop live when the $19 million Goulburn Performing Arts Centre opens despite a $2.5 million grant being withdrawn.
When the centre opens after major works, the program for the 2022 season will feature a major performing arts show, two circus-themed performances, two comedy acts, four specialist children’s and family performances, two First Nations works, a film festival and festival for regional theatre, two musical theatre productions, live music concerts, four drama works and two culturally diverse works.
While the acts will be announced next year, the recent Goulburn Mulwaree Council heard major performing arts organisations who toured regional NSW pre-Covid - including The Australian Ballet, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Bangarra Dance Theatre, Sydney Dance Company, Bell Shakespeare and Opera Australia - are keen to perform in Goulburn.
In a blow to the performing arts centre, Tuesday night’s council meeting also heard Veolia Mulwaree Trust has withdrawn its $2.5 million grant for the facility, forcing the council to retract its offer of giving the company naming rights to the small theatrette in the centre.
The existing McDermott Centre (old Town Hall) is being redeveloped into an $18.95 million centre for the arts through Zauner Constructions.
Email communication between former Trust chairman and Veolia CEO Doug Dean and Goulburn Mulwaree Council general manager, Warwick Bennett, showed in-principle approval for a $2 million grant in 2017, the meeting heard.
Verbal agreements with the trust were then put in place to increase the grant to $2.5 million, Deputy Mayor Peter Walker said, before the council was notified the money was being withdrawn.
Mayor Bob Kirk said Veolia had put the council in an “unfortunate position” and that he was “disappointed with the situation (they council was) faced with.”
He said that council was notified of the withdrawal “about a month ago.”
Although the trust did not provide a reason for withdrawing the grant, Cr Kirk said it could be due to the council’s resistance to Veolia’s proposal for a $600,000 waste-to-energy plant at the ‘Woodlawn Eco-precinct’, in Tarago.
“Our management team provisioned that because of our opposition on the waste-to-energy plan, this might happen,” Cr Kirk said.
“Though I can’t say whether this is the reason because the trust is independent of Veolia’s management.”
A Veolia spokeswoman did not address why it had withdrawn the grant for the arts centre, however Veolia chief executive, Richard Kirkman, said the company has allocated $9 million of Veolia’s host fees which will go towards the centre.”
The waste-to-energy plant proposal has raised the ire of residents and the council after the plans were lodged with the state government.
A recent counciol meeting heard about how detrimental the $600 million waste-to-energy plant would be to the community from a number of concerned residents.
Collector resident Amber Stanley, said at the time: “Incinerators have been banned from Sydney and areas like Bungonia because of their unacceptable toxic impact, why are the people of Tarago less deserving of clean air and a safe environment?”
To compensate for the $2.5 million withdrawn grant for the Performing Arts Centre, the council has confirmed it will allocate $500,000 from the sale proceeds of a Hovell Street development, and the rest will come from internal loans.
Cr Kirk said although the situation doesn’t impact current projects, “it’s $2.5 million that would've provided additional funding to the community.”
The performing arts centre is set to open in March 2022 and will seat 400 people.
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