Oldest theatre in NSW revived

With Century Venues set to lodge a development application with the City of Newcastle for revival of the State’s oldest standing theatre, Victoria Theatre, the call has been made for the private sector, government and community to collaborate on delivery of significant cultural infrastructure in NSW.  The development application details a complete and historically sympathetic refurbishment of the magnificent State Heritage listed Victoria Theatre in the heart of Newcastle and dates back to 1891.

“Now is the time for public and private entities to come together and accelerate progress towards full revival of the oldest theatre in the state: The Mighty Victoria,” said Executive Director Greg Khoury from Century Venues. “Compared to the investment required to build from scratch a facility of this scale, offering up to 1,000 capacity, the revival of The Victoria is incredible value requiring an estimated $11.5 million in capital works.  While Century’s acquisition of the building means it is secure, the theatre has a long way to go before becoming an operational live performance venue.  Once restored, the building will not need ongoing operational subsidy and Century has the experience necessary to operate it as a viable theatre for the people of Newcastle,” concluded Mr Khoury.