Dracula’s theatre becomes Coast’s hottest new venue for live bands, theatre and comedy shows

HAS the Bombay Rock or Playroom-style live music venue the Gold Coast has been crying out for been sitting right under our noses all this time? The creative brains trust behind one of the Coast’s most successful venues certainly think so.

HAS the Bombay Rock or Playroom-style live music venue the Gold Coast has been crying out for been sitting right under our noses all this time?

The creative brains trust behind one of the Coast’s most successful, longest-running live venues and shows certainly think so.

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Newman Entertainment International (NEI), the family company that owns the iconic Dracula’s Cabaret Restaurant at Broadbeach, has put the state-of-the-art venue up for rent two days a week — on Sundays and Mondays.

Perfectly located on the light rail track between Pacific Fair and The Star Gold Coast, the home of the undead will open its new LIVE @ Drac’s series when Akmal headlines an all-star comedy bill in its 500-seat theatre on July 29.

Dracula’s creative business brains Luke Newman and Marc Newman will rent out their iconic venue when they are not using it. Picture: Mike Batterham

Dracula’s operations manager Luke Newman said the lush venue was an interesting space with a “world’s-best” Meyer Sound system that made it ideal for all sorts of shows — from live bands and DJ events to theatre, cabaret, comedy and even school or community productions.

“It’s not your usual white wall school hall,” he said.

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“We’ve got an amazing venue that sits there empty two nights a week so we thought how could we use this venue and do something new and exciting for the Gold Coast.

“We thought why don’t we open it up as a venue acts can come in and use like any other sort of hire venue on the Gold Coast.

Comedian Akmal will headline an all-star comedy bill at Dracula’s in Broadbeach, on July 29.

“Being a 500-seat theatre, it’s perfectly situated between a small room and a bigger venue.

“We’ve had some really interesting ideas thrown around the table and been approached by cabaret and burlesque shows and we’re seriously looking at the possibility of bands.

“There’s a real lack of live music venues — it’s a problem not just on the Gold Coast, but in Sydney and Melbourne.

“A lot of the small and medium-sized live music venues are gone and disappearing.

“We’re really excited to mix it up a bit.”

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Comedian Ellen Briggs will join Akmal for a live comedy show at Dracula’s.

Mr Newman said Akmal’s show with Bob Franklin, Damien Power, Ellen Briggs and host Dusty Rich was a perfect way to launch the new LIVE @ Drac’s series.

“We’re sticking to something a bit familiar to us for the first event in terms of format,” he said.

“We really want to nail it. Our staff will be there serving our cocktails and drinks and we’ll have food trucks selling food people can take inside.

“It will be cabaret seating but if we had live bands in there we could have a standing room dance floor downstairs and seating upstairs.

“Anything is possible. We’re open to all discussions,” he said.

Dracula’s operations manager Luke Newman outside the Broadbeach theatre. Picture: Mike Batterham.

First opened in 1985, the Broadbeach theatre underwent a major refurbishment last year that saw it fitted with a $200,000 Meyer Sound system, LED video wall and infra red video tracking system, similar to the one used in the King Kong stage musical.

“We’ll look at the events on a case-by-case basis but we’re handling all the ticket sales and using our existing infrastructure to put on events and handle the logistics as well,” Mr Newman said.

“Our core product is still our Drac’s for Kids on Saturdays and our Drac’s night time shows Tuesdays to Saturdays.”

Comedian Dusty Rich will host a comedy show at Dracula’s on July 29.

Mr Newman said he had no idea why it had taken so long for Drac’s to open its theatre for hire.

“It’s a really good question. I don’t know,” he said.

“It was a bit of a light bulb moment — sometimes the best ideas are staring you in the face.”

Akmal, Bob Franklin, Damien Power, Ellen Briggs and host Dusty Rich launch the LIVE @ Dracula’s series on July 29 at 7pm. Tickets are $50 from draculas.com.au