A not-for-profit trust aims to transform the historic Newtown School of Arts into a vibrant performing arts hub, featuring two independent theatres, artist studios, and a cafe-bar. The project, inspired by the legendary Kinselas nightclub, will double the existing floor plan and quadruple cultural output, supporting creative endeavors and revitalizing Sydney's nighttime economy.
A survivor of a 100-year-old quest to teach Sydney ’s working classes to read, write and partake in the “high arts” is marked for a multimillion-dollar makeover inspired by the original Kinselas nightclub.
The new $6 million Newtown Arts Club would include a 40-seat black box space designed for comedy nights and ensemble music groups, and the upstairs Ballroom, a 200-seat theatre on par for size with the Old Fitzroy, Hayes and New Theatres, with a removable stage. There are more than 120 schools of arts in NSW located on Crown and private land, from Woollahra, Lane Cove and Strathfield to Manly, Clifton and Carcoar.These humble, voluntary-run community operations gave rise to local public libraries, community and neighbourhood centres, and formal systems of adult and technical education.“These schools of art were examples of early social enterprise,” Khoury said. “They were not government, nor were they religious.
“I first got involved when I heard the wafting sound of Cole Porter from the street and walked up the stairs to a dance class led by a veteran stalwart trustee, Frank Turner. I thought, ‘What an extraordinary place’. I couldn’t believe an interior like that could survive in Sydney at all.”
Newtown School Of Arts Performing Arts Kinselas Sydney Heritage Building Arts Funding Community Development Cultural Revitalization
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