Don Rusell Performing Arts Centre

Greetings to all

I am currently undertaking a review of the Don Russell perf Arts centre in Thornlie / Gosnells for the City of gosnells.

Basically i am interested in any thoughts / views / suggestions you have about the DRPAC. Its obvious that this venue straddles a couple of areas, being Perfromming Arts, community arts, community theatre, community access, class and workshop facilities and so-on. The areas that i am looking at are as follows:

1. establishing the purpose of the DRPAC and placing it within the greater community facilities of the City of Gosnells

2. Alternatives to the current mode of operation and management of the centre

3. the placement of DRPAC within the professional and amateur theatre communities.

Obviously these last two points have some relevance to users of these pages.

Anyway i welcome all thoughts and am willing to disscuss the overall thrust of the document when its prepared. i should stress that it is up to the City of Gosnells if the actual document is for public consultation or not.

i can be contacted by replying to this, or directly at skunkworks@wafringe.com.au, or on 0413 751 552.

For those of you wondering who the hell i am, i am currently the director of the WA Fringe festival, previously i ran The blue room Theartre,... i have just finished being a theatre fund member of the Australia Council,... I am not an arts consultant!

For those that still do not know who i am i am sorry but i cannot waste more space.

Cheers


Tony Bonney

Hi Tony

Tech Talk is probably as good a place as any to broach this subject - there's usually slightly less noise and traffic in here.

:-)

Doubtless you've taken a bit of time to scan some of the earlier discussions here re. DRPAC.







While perhaps not directly related to the core of your enquiry, they do give some indication of the issues that contributors here have raised in the past.

My limited experience of such inquiries has been that the individual selected to undertake the inquiry is chosen because they are perhaps the person most likely to deliver an outcome in line with predetermined priorities.

This is in no way intended as a slur against Tony as the person undertaking this inquiry. In fact, given Tony's background - particularly at the Blueroom, i would regard his appointment as a very positive step towards a plan for a facility that is firmly grounded in active community involvement.

But, i wonder, rather than asking for ideas from people visiting this forum whether it might not be as or more productive if Tony were to give some idea of the policy directions being considered so that they might be debated?

Would you contemplate proposing a model for managing the use of the space that is in anyway similar to PACS and the Blueroom?What advantages and disadvantages do you perceive in such a model? Is there any relevance in investigating other existing community theatre models?

How would you propose to balance commercial and community access considerations?

What yardsticks should be used to measure that dreadfully misused word "community"?

What relevance or impact, if any, do perceive OzCo's Planning For The Future should have in planning for the management and operation of performing arts facilities at a local government level?

Cheers
Grant

Hi Grant,...

well in answer to your ?'s :

# to be honest i am not going to "recommend" any one thing, i am possibly gong to put forward a number of proposals that will more than likely range from a continuation of the current style of management, to a proposal for direct management through council,... and everyting in between.

I think that the "report" will ultimately ask for a decision to be made in regards to the best use of the venue, be it performing arts / community arts &c.

In regards to the OzCo thing, i think tha answer would be yes,.. and i am continually surprised that WA doesn't get more aggressive in these areas,... in theatre alone, there is no decertralised theatre group, no major youth theatre oraganisation outside of Albany (yet),.. so yes,.. i do see DRPAC having ssome value there,.....

Cheers back,...

I think the Don Rusell Performing Arts Centre could become the hub of a tremendous re-surgence of new and exciting perfroming arts ventures!

My only query would be: How easy will it be to physically move it out of Gosnells?

(From an ex-Maddington boy)

Good one, Malcolm!
BZ

Amazed you didn't include in your CV those wonderful years as a mobile DJ Tony. All those glorious times of "stacking the wax and spinning the tracks" for drunken 21st birthdays is obviously forgotten. Still, it was great grounding for all the opening and closing night parties nowadays.

Pay this boy more !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have you considered a career in politics ???????????

The City of Gosnels needs to make a capital improvement to the DRPAC if it wants to attract a wider range of shows which will allow for a larger commercial return, but that is not what a Community Arts Centre is for overall is it? Cutting edge youth theatre may only sell ten tickets in a season but will be the training grounds for our next generation of Theatre Professionals.
Will you be publishing the stage dimensions or using photos etc to show prospective users what facilities and space is being offered?

The stage at DRPAC needs to be extended back into the current dressing room to make it more useable. It is not deep enough for large scale musicals or dance production.

The set access is almost non existant thanks to a low airconditioning duct so this needs to be improved.

There is only access to one side of the stage for any fast exits or entrances for large casts, the single door OP is not very practical.
If the stage is deepened then an extra lighting bar needs to be added for the new cyc position. There is not enough lighting outlets on the existing stage for a flexible design so the existing ones cannot be shifted.

If the stage is deepened then the front row of seats can be put back in and the thrust removed which will increase seating.
When you compare DRPAC to St mary's it is easy to tell which theatre was designed by a theatre architect with the users interests in mind.(The answer is not DRPAC Virginia)

It would be interesting to see a comparison of "community" venues and their useage to allow a comparison of how much value councils etc are getting for their money spent. This may tell the City of Gosnells whether they will get a greater useage from their Community Arts Centre or if they have a good assett that they have been taking for granted.

I am a lighting designer so my comments are biased towards good facilities which will allow for better shows.

Heh heh heh,

We've been saying that for years, Don, and so have many others - including Ian and Anita and Kylie and Fiona and Sue and...

Will Gosnells Council come to the party? Will there still BE a Gosnells Council after the May elections? Keep watching the skies...

;-)

JB

Lets face IT - it is only a community hall with racked seating.

It needs big bucks spent - which won't happen - so their best shot would be to end up getting rid of the seating and using it for what it was originally designed as, a function centre.

Taking M C's - very good suggestion - on board, it would be cheaper to start again and build a true performing arts centre some where else - at least they might have two facilities?

All the problems of the "DR-Community Hall" maybe solved by taking the roof off and building a fly loft thereby raising the auditorium roof to accommodate lighting bridges and catwalks with access to the loft and Bo box. Expensive - no!

In stead of the conventional roof and loft arrangement, with all it's wind shear and other associated problems ect., put up a half round roof with 'RSJ' structure - 'nissan hut' style {if thats how it is spelt} - Much cheaper, structurally stronger and reduces wind shear dramatically {less structural support strength required}, giving more useable space - thus flexible and more efficient - this will also reduce a lot of outside noise.

But there again - what would I know, when we have these City guru's, who's vast experience may cover having been given comp's to see a show once or twice????

I know at present, if I was 'bumping-in' less than a one night stand - with no set and only requiring a dome (follow spot) - I would find another venue. Even then I doubt if DRPAC would have crossed my mind, then only if we had a big grant and 440volt applied to each ear.
But to those who have no where else to go?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Joe

Malcolm, Malcolm...

I suppose that that poor old Gosnells is in the same league as Rockingham? You are such a terrible snob!!

...From a still Rockingham Girl

With just four weeks to run on the lease, we are looking forward to leaving the venue to the City to work with.

Build another venue - yes they should, but not because DRPAC is un-usable, because it is not. It is the most used community venue in the state and has been for a number of years. Not all users are top fliers, but they are all performers serving an audience and I believe that if the booking regime alone is an indicator for success, then we should be very happy with DRPAC.

Gosnells or Armdale will build a major performing arts space in the future, but like Mandurah and Bunbury, these venues will be beyond the average company to access. The will become sinkwells for the ratepayers money, remote from the community they proport to represent.

So while I agree that the stage and technical systems do need major upgrades, it should be remembered that the venue is heavily booked and popular with the audiences.

We have been advised that Mr. James Nerva (Ex- Walkington Theatre Karratha, Festival of Perth etc.) has been appointed as an interim manager while the Council decide what to do. The last time council did this, it took two years to finalise the arrangements.

I for one hope that the Council get on with improving the venue while still allowing the community support that exists to continue.

Ian Ashton.

We at Acorn, only use the DRPAC when we have a show that will only be suitable on a slightly larger stage. We do not like using it often because our own very spoilt patrons do not like the atmosphere there, and will not follow us. Hopefully the Gosnells Council will wake up soon and realise the money and good will they are losing, not only from theatre groups but from the Dance schools and clubs who have been told to hand in their keys on June 30th.

Sharon

I would like to make clear that the comments that I made on the 22 May regarding DRPAC, are purely my own after years of conversations with our own regular patrons, and am in no way speaking on behalf of Acorn Theatre.

Sharon