Parra News May 28 2024

LOCAL NEWS
Parramatta to be home to new
lyric theatre
ELLIE BUSBY
Parramatta has pulled the
curtain back on the $188
million plus redevelopment
of Riverside Theatres, revealing
a Broadway-style lyric theatre for
western Sydney.
After much anticipation, the
winning design for the iconic local
theatre has finally been announced.
Led by COX Architecture with
3XN Architects, Aileen Sage, Turf
Design Studio, and Bangawarra, the
new design will more than double
Riverside Theatres’ current capacity
to 2,780 seats.
It will enable the venue to welcome
more than 400,000 visitors per year.
Along with the new 1,500-seat lyric
theatre, the venue will also include
a refurbished 760-seat Riverside
Playhouse theatre, an all-new
420 seat black-box drama theatre
and state-of-the-art 80 seat digital
studio and cinema and enhanced
public spaces.
The Riverside redevelopment
project has been jointly funded by
City of Parramatta and the NSW
Government’s Western Sydney
Infrastructure Grants. Speaking in
Parramatta, NSW Minister for the
Arts John Graham said the redeveloped
Riverside Theatres will really
make Parramatta a performance
powerhouse.
“It’s a very exciting development,
that’s why we committed ahead of
the election to invest $40 million,”
he said.
“This is really where arts, culture
and performance will happen now,
it’s a huge boost for arts and culture
in western Sydney.
“Once you have a 1,500-seat
Broadway-style lyric theatre here,
that will be transformative.”
For Lord Mayor Pierre Esber, it
will bring the city one step closer to
its vision of becoming the home of
entertainment, festivals and sport
by 2050.
“It will be great for the Sydney,
great for Parramatta, great for us
all,” he told Parra News.
“It will cement Parramatta as the
cultural precinct of Sydney. We
have a lot talent here in the city and
we don’t want to lose that, we want
to keep it here.
“It will give the young
up-and-comers confidence that
The designs were revealed at Riverside Theatres last week. Photo: Grant Leslie.
they know they’re in their own
city, they can get things done, and
they’ve got venues and facilities
here instead of trekking all over the
place.”
With construction set to start
in late 2025, doors to the new
multi-million performing arts facility
are expected to open in 2028.
State Member for Parramatta
Donna Davis said the new Riverside
Theatres will help to establish
Parramatta as the major CBD of
western Sydney.
“This investment in Riverside
Theatres is part of a bigger vision to
enliven Parramatta, we are at the
forefront of the 24-hour economy,”
she added.
“We know that to enliven a city
you need to have all those different
elements working together. Great
public transport so that people can
come and enjoy those facilities,
we want to be able to embolden
our restaurants, we want to have a
wonderful nightlife.”
On behalf of the winning design
team, Joe Agius, Design Director
with COX Architecture, said the
reimagined Riverside Theatres will
be a major uplift in the cultural
capacity for Parramatta.
“Guided by a commitment to the
location’s First Nations origin and
sense of place, our goal was for a
design that sensitively responds to
both the natural beauty of the river
and the site’s city context,” he said.
“Our team of creative collaborators
are honoured to be part of this
transformative project.”
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5/04/2024 5:01:02 PM
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