Powering the Performing Arts

It's been exciting to follow the suggestions for re-developing the old East Perth Power Station and turning it into a cultural centre with performing arts facilities.

While I'm not too sure about the obsession with blindly following the lead of other capital cities in pushing for a performing arts venue situated on the water's edge - can't we come up with something original? - the Power Station represents a stunning opportunity.

The building itself is beautifully situated and the huge structure is most impressive when view from either the railway or the new tunnel bridge. The proximity to both the casino and Northbridge lend the venue a centrality that would be invaluable in attracting new audiences.

I'm not sure that i share Geoff Gibbs' enthusiasm - reported in The West - for housing two theatre venues seating 400 and 600 respectively. Only a couple of weeks ago in the same paper, Ron Banks was bemoaning the fact that our larger venues will be returning to extended periods of darkness after an unprecedented run. And Gibbs' is suggesting we need two more medium sized venues?!?!

The two busiest theatres in town - the BlueRoom and Effie Crump - each seat less than 100. Do we really need another two venues seating four times that number that will be empty nine months of the year except for when we have imported products showing?

If Geoff Gibbs and Arts Minister, Mike Board, are serious about supporting local industry, I hope the venue will house at least one much smaller studio space. The space can easily be filled by local productions on less than stellar budgets.

What does everyone else think?

Cheers
Grant

I'm inclined to think that a decent lyric theatre (1,000 - 2,000 seats) would do the city proud.

Mind you, I only say that for my own perverted ends... the biggest orchestra pit in town can't hold the orchestra required for fully staged performances of Wagner or Strauss operas, so there's a need. (For me at least - dammit! - if no-one else)

As you say, a small studio space is a good idea for your more intimate or experimental pieces.

A good 300-600 seat drama theatre would balance it beautifully, I think.

In short, what we're looking for is a variation on Melbourne's Victorian Arts Centre, Sydney's Opera House, Adelaide's Festival Theatre, Brisbane's QPAC, etc.

On the water would be nice... location is good... the basic idea is ambitious, but not impossible.

I think it's a fabulous idea!

And in all seriousness, how does one get down and dirty in the fight to have it realised? I mean, can I call someone and offer my services in this grand quest?

as always, your devoted fubloigen,
David the Meadows.

Hi,

As I wrote in The West last week, the National Trust is currently trying to raise money (and interest) in the conversion of the power station.

Something I didn't report: the main guy said he was keen to hear from people with suggestions - constructive, literally! - for what would be nice at the site.

Bear in mind that from his point of view it's an entirely privately funded affair so it has to make room for cafes, shops etc that would make the site viable.

Andrew Ross of Black Swan told me he went through the EP power station with an architect a year ago looking for a temporary/permanent theatre site and was told the cost of converting the (very messy) site would be tens of millions - which suggests fewer arts and more shops.

From my conversation with Mike Board, he's more keen on expanding the Northbridge cultural centre - but he said his Cabinet submission next month will deal with the performing arts venue problem (without saying exactly what the problem is!)

It reminds me of some Douglas Adams: We know the ANSWER to the great question of Life, the Universe and Everything is '42'. Now we just have to work out what the question is.

CHeers,

Nick Miller

The issue here is not one of size but of funding.

Perth has a beautifully balanced range of venues already, however, we need to consider that Perth does extend beyond the boundaries of the CBD.
There are at least eight other venues in Perth that would be viable if we had the advertising dollars to promote the activities held in them, however, the Councils concerned simply do not have the resources available to fund marketing campaigns. We are fortunate to manage facilities which receive adequate funding for their operations, but in order to promote them in the same light as the big 5 do, we would need an advertising budget of $150,000 a year.

Building the things is not that hard. Running them at subsistance funding levels is damn near impossible. If, as an industry we can address market developement through funding product and promotion, we will grow the industry to a point where it is the market place driving the need for more venues, not whimsical aspirations.

Ian.
(and I do have control over the Don Russell PAC.)

Would it be more to the point if aunty ITA in association with itÂ’s member groups, managed a venue of it's own. This would possibly be one way that it would be utilised for the benefit of community theatre.

Any property controlled by the Government is only available as a resource to sell and prop up their budgets - look at the 'Maj', it was to be a Peoples Theatre and what happened - the elephant gets whiter and is still black inside. There are lots of reasons that also apply to the concert hall and the t'other "peoples theatre" the playhouse - the latter being so thin skinned - I won't go into it!

Unfortunately when empire builders start on their ivory towers, there are two chances for 'us lot' and ours 'aint one of themÂ’

Joe McCabe

Grant wrote: >Do we really need another two venues seating four times that number that will be empty nine months of the year except for when we have imported products showing?<

No!

It's so sad that the magnificent His Majesty's Theatre has had to resort to hiring it's stage out for corporate functions. (As lovely as it was to play dinner music, in my three-piece band, with the fairy lit auditorium as our back-drop!)

Rather than building a new theatre, wouldn't the money be better spent producing and promoting local productions? These productions could utilise the wonderful, and too often empty, venues that we already have.

In theory a good idea and one that has been mooted before.
However we have enough trouble running the ITA as it is on the smell of an oily rag, lots of apathy and even more criticism.
IF we could find a suitable venue, IF we could find some-one silly enough to take on the job of running it also on the smell of an oily rag (and doubtless lots of ctiticism) etc, etc then at least one of my dreams might come true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How about it Joe?

The HMT is a magical place - however the problem is not the venue itÂ’s the super structure that run it, this has nothing to do with the present managers, but has a lot to do with those originally charged to control this and other venues.
This octopus is still lounging around with itÂ’s tentacles everywhere - in the name of theatre for the mass, ending up as an inverted pyramid precariously balanced on a inadequate base that is attempting to support this over large structure.
So now in order to have a new lease on their jobs and without loosing their hold - "lets out-source the management" - which has been done.
This must prove the point that they should not have been doing it in the first place - unfortunately it is now still the same horse with a different jockey. I hope that the new Mangers can turn it around and I am sure they are very competent - but if they are successful they run the risk of being out-bid next time and/or if they fail and hit the wall the octopus gets the ‘T’ shirt again anyway.

The Government or local council only play lip service to community theatre, sure they do supply venues in many areas - but most arenÂ’t theatres, only a tizzed-up community hall with auditorium seating, not what is needed and required - so we put up with it or hire a better space. Even some of these better places are nothing more than just changing the name to performing arts centres - as the only expertise required to design one of these PACÂ’s is they must have at least seen 'A' live show once - but thatÂ’s another story!!!

It all boils down to - in their view - that each venue must be able to be self supporting - why?

I believe it was "King OÂ’Malley" said it while on the subject of public transport - Instead of loosing vast amounts of money per year forcing the public to pay for a ticket to travel, all we should do is supply the bus and the driver and we would save a fortune, as we would not need conductors to take the money, inspectors to inspect the conductors and supervisors to supervise the inspectors and so on - (or words to that effect).

They supply the venue - we supply what goes on inside and "Do ITÂ’ - is not this "what we are about"
yes/no?.

Joe McCabe

Dreams are my big thing - however in this case what the dream requires is not what will come true.

What 'IT' needs - won't happen - a nightmare is more the outcome, because inevitably we will not end up with anything that is logical and as required - only an excuse that will change to suit the management and any given situation that will arise - the wearing of the 'steel plate' attitude.

If you can believe the proper gander that there are theatres like this in other parts of the world - successful according to them, but I doubt it. - Because like any of these committee run things, egos and other things get in the way - isn't there something about being a horse which is really a camel that may turn out to be a dromedary, depending if it is one hump or two?

As there is not much of my life left - I have ordered the body bag (not true - it is really only a ‘GLAD-BAG’) I won’t see this happen - but I am willing to give it a go, as I have not much else to do anyway.

Chookas

Joe McCabe

Hi Ian

Ian Ashton wrote:
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> The issue here is not one of size but of funding.

I'm inclined to agree to a point. We certainly have a plethora of facilities of many shapes and sizes. Some of the recent private school acquisitions border on the obscene in their excesses - but that's another topic.

Providing a focal point for the performing arts in an area such as the old power station is likely to do very little to revitalise our local performing arts industry.

At least, not if the venues are of the type described. What's really required here is some vision and daring, not duplication of models from other states and countries. If it's going to happen, we need to develop a place that reflects the particular needs of western australians. Sanitised, cavernous spaces cloned to accommodate imported productions do nothing to reflect our local culture and identity.

The most memorable performance spaces i've visited and some of the most historically significant in terms of their contribution to our theatre heritage have been smaller spaces that offer something distinctive - not spectacle on a large scale for the mass market. Some of the space, like the Stables and the old Pram Factory have become cultural icons in their own right.

In this sense, i think size and funding are inextricably intertwined. The power station represents an opportunity. We could do things on a lavish scale, creating performance spaces not dissimilar to plenty of others around the metro area and then struggle to fill them all year round with imported product. Or we could take the same funds and minimally outfit several smaller spaces, using the remaining funding to foster and support the development of local arts companies.

Cheers
Grant

Hi NIck

Great to hear from you!

Nick Miller wrote:
-------------------------------
> From my conversation with Mike Board, he's more
> keen on expanding the Northbridge cultural centre -
> but he said his Cabinet submission next month will
> deal with the performing arts venue problem (without
> saying exactly what the problem is!)

Given a recent WestPoll i saw, i wonder whether it might be more significant to consider what the opposition spokesperson for the Arts might have to say?

But you've hit the nail on the head. What performing arts venue problem?

Cheers
Grant

-------------------------------
Grant Malcolm wrote:
What performing arts venue problem?
-------------------------------

I tend to believe that the problem lies in the management of most of these venues. We have a surplus of venues. What we do not have is an understanding by management or government of the requirements of the performance community or local audiences.

Part of the problem, I suspect, is the continual strain that is placed both on audiences and the local industry by the annual PIAF. I have long thought that the Festival should be a bi-annual event (like Adelaide).

Audiences are expected to cough up ridiculous amounts of cash to go to the PIAF 'events', and let's face it, most PIAF shows are 'events' designed to make 'us' look good in the eyes of the world and to reassure the public that they aren't living in a cultural Calcutta. A lot of what is presented is high-gloss, high-cost ambivalent mediocrity which has nothing to say to us.

The amount of money available in the local individuals entertainment budget is not inconsiderable, but is sorely taxed by the PIAF. Also, consistent theatre-going is a HABIT which takes time to engender and when it is formed, hard to shake, but in the last decade audiences have had this habit broken by government policy. The only consistent habit seems to be for the PIAF.

I don't blame the venue managements for having their funding squeezed or their criteria limited. However, this process has been going on for some years now and I believe it is high time for a bit of *creative thinking* from the venue management in order to recreate the habit - in spite of the govt and 'conditions'.

The key here is to create high volume turnover and keep the theatres open, as often as possible with as much variety as possible in order to create a dynamic energy in the industry. This combined with shelving PIAF every two years might just get the audiences back into the venues on a regular basis.

How can this be done? One way might be to allow local quality groups to use the venues at 0%-20% of the current rates, with the option to negotiate out some of those 'ancilliary costs' (such as cleaning or excessive FOH - most groups can supply people to take some of these positions). This would also lead to lower ticket costs...

I understand that, in general, venue managers are still paid despite how much or little their venue is used, but perhaps it is time to start thinking in the long term rather than the band-aid solutions which have been a feature of the Lib's arts 'policy'.

After all, if the habit is recreated then everyone will benefit. Venue charges can increase once again to profitable levels because groups have a reasonable expectation of audiences interested in going to their shows.

And the quality of PIAF can improve because Doran has spent two years looking at booking quality, not trying to book every piece of crap in sight.

Regards
Jason

Being from wollongong (NSW) Im not really sure of the the larger venues you have available over there, do you have any spaces currently which are large enough to house a large imported show?

If not then surely it stands to reason that even if the space does remain in the dark for 9 months of the year, that you have such a facility on offer.
will

What about the people who booked the space to you in the first place? od the people who ensure that the companies using the space do so in a manner which does not endanger the audience? and those who make sure that the theatre is kapt in a reasonable condition for the next group that come through as well as maintaining general up keep?

Surely there are some trhings that even real estate requires.
will

I think that this is indeed the way to go. Use the money to create somthing new somthing which strikes a chord. Anything that you import is more than likely going to do nothing to enrich the culture of WA because there is so little of any significance being created
anywhere.

Make somthing new and exciting and then export it.
will

Gill, you spend too much time on this thing ,get back in the kitchen where you belong, I miss your salami punch - your brother, Deutsche Grenzkontrolle.

Dearest Gilli, Please get another phone line. I can never reach you when it's most important. How do I live without you??? I want to know!!! Your loving, patient sister, Helga.

To everyone else who has read this, we are sorry to drag you into our domestic eternal search for our internally lost internet kinsmen. We will end transmition now.