Wagga Wagga Civic Theatre
Encyclopedia
Wagga Wagga Civic Theatre is located in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales
, Australia
at the Wagga Wagga Civic Centre. It is adjacent to Wollundry Lagoon, art gallery and Wollundry Amphitheatre. The Civic Theatre opened in 1963. It was renovated in 1999/2000, opening again in May 2000.
The main auditorium has a seating capacity
of 488 and features an orchestra pit seating up to 38 musicians. The upstairs foyer, which is used for small functions, features a licensed bar and has a seating capacity of 132. The smaller basement theatre located at the rear of the building is the home of the School of Arts Community Theatre (SOACT).
The theatre was built after community demand for a large public venue and included in the budget of £165,000 were donations from the community. http://www.civictheatre.com.au/theatre/index.aspx?item=home&sub=history
The construction caused controversy within the community due to the destruction of parts of the rose gardens to make room for the theatre, concerns about the adequacy of the seating capacity
of 497 and criticism of the mural which adorns the front of the building.
The finished theatre was opened on Saturday 29 June 1963 by Ald. Ivan J. Jack during an official ceremony which featured a preview of Oklahoma!
the first large production to be staged at the theatre.
Minor upgrades continued until the late 1990s when the theatre received a multi-million dollar upgrade as part of a Civic Centre upgrade. Upgrades in the project included new upstairs and downstairs foyers, complete refurbishment of the auditorium, new scenery loading dock, new sound system and other technical upgrades. However the backstage area remained largely untouched.
Following its re-opening in 2001, the theatre now presents an annual theatre season and hosts national and international touring productions with local professional and community users.
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
at the Wagga Wagga Civic Centre. It is adjacent to Wollundry Lagoon, art gallery and Wollundry Amphitheatre. The Civic Theatre opened in 1963. It was renovated in 1999/2000, opening again in May 2000.
The main auditorium has a seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
of 488 and features an orchestra pit seating up to 38 musicians. The upstairs foyer, which is used for small functions, features a licensed bar and has a seating capacity of 132. The smaller basement theatre located at the rear of the building is the home of the School of Arts Community Theatre (SOACT).
History
The construction caused controversy within the community due to the destruction of parts of the rose gardens to make room for the theatre, concerns about the adequacy of the seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
of 497 and criticism of the mural which adorns the front of the building.
The finished theatre was opened on Saturday 29 June 1963 by Ald. Ivan J. Jack during an official ceremony which featured a preview of Oklahoma!
Oklahoma!
Oklahoma! is the first musical written by composer Richard Rodgers and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs. Set in Oklahoma Territory outside the town of Claremore in 1906, it tells the story of cowboy Curly McLain and his romance...
the first large production to be staged at the theatre.
Minor upgrades continued until the late 1990s when the theatre received a multi-million dollar upgrade as part of a Civic Centre upgrade. Upgrades in the project included new upstairs and downstairs foyers, complete refurbishment of the auditorium, new scenery loading dock, new sound system and other technical upgrades. However the backstage area remained largely untouched.
Following its re-opening in 2001, the theatre now presents an annual theatre season and hosts national and international touring productions with local professional and community users.