Government vows to acquire Roxy theatre Parramatta
A vow to restore an art deco theatre and allocate $40m towards redeveloping another Parramatta venue is making the vision for it to become a ‘world-class’ cultural hub closer to reality.
Parramatta
Don't miss out on the headlines from Parramatta . Followed categories will be added to My News.
A government commitment to restore the art deco Roxy and allocate $40m towards redeveloping the nearby Parramatta Riverside Theatres is making the vision for it to become a mecca for arts lovers closer to reality.
It’s been abandoned and dilapidated for more than a decade but the uncertainty clouding the Roxy Theatre’s future has lifted slightly with the government vowing to look into acquiring the 93-year-old icon, which leaders say could become part of a theatre precinct in Parramatta.
Arts Minister Ben Franklin promised an undisclosed portion of the $5bn WestInvest fund would be secured for the heritage-listed George St building as an arts and cultural space.
The funding will be used towards the development of a final business case for the government in an effort to secure the Roxy’s future.
“Parramatta is one of our fastest-growing regions, and alongside the Powerhouse and the renewed Riverside Theatres, the Roxy has the potential to form part of a new cultural hub providing greater opportunities for the community to access world-class arts offerings,” Mr Franklin said.
Business Western Sydney executive director David Borger said it was exciting to see years of advocacy and campaigning to save the Roxy was finally making progress.
“A reactivated Roxy Theatre would be one of the most accessible theatres in Sydney on the doorstep of the future Sydney Metro West Parramatta station,’’ he said.
“Heritage advocates, business leaders and residents are all on a unity ticket that we love the Roxy and want to see it restored to its former glory as a dynamic live entertainment venue.
“The Roxy Theatre is one of the key missing pieces of Parramatta’s night-time economy that will complement the redevelopment of the Riverside Theatres and the new Powerhouse Parramatta. Parramatta will indeed be the place to be if we can get the Roxy reopened.’’
The Roxy was snubbed for funding in last year’s state budget when the government allocated funding into the Metro Minerva Theatre at Potts Point instead.
Despite no specific funding figure confirmed, it is estimated restoring the Roxy into a 1600-seat venue would cost $30m.
Owner David Kingston bought the Roxy in 2002 and has plans to convert it into a 24-hour pub, nightclub with pokies after the Land and Environment Court rejected the original proposal for it to be redeveloped into a 33-storey “leisure and cultural” facility in 2019.
The once-palatial venue opened as a theatre in 1929 before turning into a movie cinema until 1996 and a nightclub in the mid 2000s.
Amateur filmmakers recorded footage in 2021 that showed how the Spanish Mission-style building had become a target for squatters and was littered with rubbish.
The government will begin to investigate potential avenues to secure the future of the Roxy Theatre with Mr Kingston, “subject to the final decision being conditional on final business case approval”.
Further along the Parramatta River, the 35-year-old Riverside Theatres will get a multimillion revamp in what director Craig McMaster called one of the most exciting projects in the country for the next 10 years.
“I think it’s long overdue,’’ he said.
“Western Sydney has been dramatically under-serviced as far as venue development and major cultural infrastructure, and so the fact we have been trying to get this project up is incredibly exciting.
“What it will do for the transformation of the arts scene in western Sydney is immeasurable at this point in time.’’
The state government recently pledged $40m for the revamp and Parramatta Council will allocate $140m for the project which has been discussed since 2013.
The theatre includes a 1350-seat theatre larger than the Theatre Royal Sydney, a black box theatre to host smaller productions with capacity for 440 spectators, a 90-seat development studio and screening room, and converting the Riverside Theatre into the Riverside Playhouse for up to 761 patrons.
“I think it’s going to be incredible because it will really put a world-class facility right smack bang in Parramatta on the river,’’ Mr McMaster said.
He suggested the Roxy would be best to use as a performance venue similar to the Enmore Theatre.
“If you consider that in the mix with the Powerhouse, an incredible facility like CommBank Stadium and what we’re developing at the Riverside, Parramatta is going to be an incredible cultural centre in the next five to 10 years,’’ he said.
Unlike the windowless existing theatres, the new venue will capitalise on its location with views of the Parramatta River.
“One of the things we want to do architecturally with the building is reconnect with the river so the building will be completely reoriented to sort of face Church St and look directly at the new Powerhouse, so there will be a visual connection between the two buildings.’’
Election jitters fuel housing market shift
A “window of opportunity” has opened in the Sydney housing market amid trepidation over the coming federal election result.
Reckless driver did doughnuts before crash, just missing child
A reckless SUV driver who stunned onlookers when he ploughed into a fence at a busy western Sydney intersection – narrowly avoiding a child – has learned his punishment. Watch the video.