Brisbane’s Twelfth Night Theatre gift offer an election winner, says owner Gail Wiltshire

Brisbane impresario Gail Wiltshire reckons the political party that commits to taking over the city’s Twelfth Night Theatre will be on a state election winner.

Twelfth Night Theatre owner Gail Wiltshire says she has had no response to her offer to gift the venue to the state of Queensland. Picture: Mackenzie Scott

The owner of Brisbane’s thriving community theatre Twelfth Night believes the venue could decide the election for voters in both the inner-city and bush.

It is the intention of Gail Wiltshire to gift the theatre she saved 37 years ago to the Queensland government to secure its future.

But despite the best intentions of the impresario, neither side of the parliament has acted over her prized possession.

More than 400,000 theatre-goers of all ages pass through the Bowen Hills theatre’s doors each year, with productions developed on its stage often touring through regional Queensland.

Ms Wiltshire believes Twelfth Night Theatre’s broader influence will make up the minds of many at the state election on October 26.

“It’s going to be the emotional factor, the factor of the past,” she said. “Never underestimate that, politicians. How stupid would you be to lose an election over this?

“You’d have a theatre in Brisbane where the product goes straight to the bush, and they wouldn’t have to spend a cent. It’s a no-brainer.”

Arts Queensland said the future of Twelfth Night Theatre is not a consideration at the moment, with the department focused on building a new mid-sized theatre at Brisbane’s Queensland Performing Arts Centre.

“We acknowledge cultural infrastructure plays an important role in connecting communities to arts and cultural experiences and provides platforms for creative career development and employment,” it said.

“Arts Queensland is not aware of any representation to the Queensland government regarding future plans for the Twelfth Night theatre.”

The opposition Liberal National Party said it appreciated the theatre’s importance to the community but would not comment further.

Ms Wiltshire said she did not want anything from the government in terms of money.

She is currently working to get the site heritage listed to prevent it being sold or knocked down by developers.

“This building has got to be heritage listed, and then it will continue in its own economic self sufficiency,” she said.

“But it will be here and when I’m dead, it will still be here. That’s perpetuity, isn’t it?”

While the theatre is beloved, it is showing its age and, as yet, it does not have lifts for disability access. But for many, it is one of the few affordable spaces available for community-based theatre productions in Brisbane of its size and fit-out, with an orchestra pit, lights and flies.

Actors who perform with local company Queensland Musical Theatre often do so for free to hone their skills. Artistic director Deian Ping said it was difficult to keep ticket costs affordable when meagre budgets were also being eaten away by theatre hire, costumes, production rights and insurance.

“We have a wonderful theatre in QPAC for the professional theatre,” Ms Ping said. “But of course, it’s not something that we can afford to use.

“Government support the larger theatres and larger companies, which is wonderful, but I think it’s also important that they support the grassroots.”

The Greens support Ms Wiltshire’s plan to gift the venue to the state. Candidate for the local, Labor-held seat of McConnel, Holstein Wong, said Brisbane could not afford to lose another independent arts space following the closure of the music venue The Zoo.

Following the demolition of Albert Hall in 1969 and Her Majesty’s Theatre in 1983 to make way for development, the Twelfth Night became a proscenium cross-arch theatre.

Ms Wiltshire has promised that should she die before the theatre is heritage-listed, she will become a theatre ghost.