Overview

Wagga Wagga City Council is now seeking feedback on a draft Civic Theatre Masterplan for a period of 28 days. During this time, we want to hear from the Wagga Wagga Community so that we can ensure our plans for the future are informed by you. Submissions close 5pm 10th May 2024.

See images, watch the video, or read the document below, and give your feedback.

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The Civic Theatre Masterplan

The draft Civic Theatre masterplan outlines the way forward to develop a contemporary Performing Arts Centre that meets the current and future needs of the community.

It will provide multi-programming spaces on one site and transform the performing arts offering to the Wagga Wagga and regional community.

• Venue 1: The Original Civic Theatre will maintain 491 seats in the current auditorium, original Facade.
• Venue 2: Live music - 774 people standing, or 328 people seated theatre style or 270 people seated for a gala dinner style event. Retractable window/wall for indoor/outdoor events on the lagoon.
• Venue 3: Intimate gigs and events: 119 people seated or 200 people standing.
• Upgrade to the Basement Theatre
• Total capacity across three venues increases from 491 to 1,465

Background

The Civic Theatre was opened in June 1963 when Wagga Wagga was a country town with a population of 23,000. Over the last 60 years it has presented thousands of civic ceremonies, community and touring performances, concerts, and special events. It is the centre of the performing arts in Wagga Wagga and 2024 will see 220 performances and events, and over 65,000 people through the venue, the theatre’s biggest year yet.

The Civic Theatre is 61 years old and no longer meets the needs of the community. The proposed Masterplan will allow a greater variety of performances and events to be delivered. Stand up concerts for younger audiences and different genres of music such as jazz, folk and classical can be presented. The addition of a kitchen means food can be incorporated into the program schedule which would allow the venue to host small to medium size conferences and award nights. The new spaces will be more affordable than the only current offer of the one stage, 491 seat theatre. Local artists and community organisations will be able to present new theatre work, live music and be able to hold more community events.

They will be able to grow their audiences and the increase in performances means more paid employment opportunities for local creative industries.

Previous Community Consultation

• In 2017 Council undertook extensive consultations to develop the Wagga Wagga Community Strategic Plan. The community indicated the need for more performance entertainment, more variety in the entertainment offering and more opportunities to participate in the performing arts.
• Out of Council’s Cultural Plan 2020-2030 community consultation process the community provided feedback on the idea of adding two new performance spaces to the existing Civic Theatre.
• In 2020/21 further consultations were conducted as part of the development of the draft Masterplan where local and national user groups were consulted about the proposed development and the performing arts needs of the city.
• Further community engagement was undertaken between 22 November and 22 December 2023 as part of the Riverside Stage 3 concept plans, which included seeking community feedback on the level of support for the expansion of the Civic Theatre.