Fifth theatre to cost more per seat than Olympic stadium
Brisbane’s long-delayed fifth theatre will cost more per seat than the behemoth Olympic Stadium at Victoria Park after the project cost ballooned from $150m to $184m.
QLD News
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Building Brisbane’s long-delayed fifth theatre will cost more per seat than the behemoth Olympic Stadium at Victoria Park.
Three-and-a-half years behind schedule, South Brisbane’s new theatre is now slated to reach practical completion later this year – a deadline Public Works Minister Sam O’Connor said the government was “working hard to make sure we can stick with”.
Originally budgeted at $150m, the price of the 1500-seat theatre has now climbed to $184m.
At $122,000 per seat, the theatre is more expensive than Victoria Park Stadium’s $60,000 per seat.
“It was a project that saw all of those escalations under the former government and for the new projects going forward,” Mr O’Connor said.
“This is a magnificent facility and it’s going to be something that Queenslanders are proud of.”
Queenslanders can vote for one of four names – Glasshouse, Lantern, Watershed and Russell – or choose their own before May 10.
Arts Minister John-Paul Langbroek said the Queensland Performing Arts Centre board would review the votes and submit a name to him, but the most popular one won’t be automatically chosen.
It’s to avoid, Mr Langbroek said, names like “theatre McTheatre face” being selected.
QPAC chief executive officer Rachel Healy said the 1500-seat theatre was large enough and would stem the number of theatre productions bypassing Brisbane.
“We work extremely hard in securing the great musicals, we have relationships with all the major promoters and there’s no question that having an extraordinary new theatre like this is going to really improve our prospects of landing those,” she said.
“It isn’t about the promoter’s willingness to come here.
“They want to come here, we just haven’t had the capacity and this is the answer to that very challenge.”
Originally published as Fifth theatre to cost more per seat than Olympic stadium
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