The lord mayor has outlined a plan to take from the arts to give to the arts. Melbourne deserves better.
I recently visited the Regent Theatre early in the morning. I walked up the stairs, turned right where I’d normally turn left, and found myself in a luxurious room overlooking the street. This is a building that was saved from fire, that the community rallied around to rescue at a time when Melbourne’s heritage was being knocked down on a weekly basis. And hey, it’s where Hugh Jackman starred inIt’s a beautiful building, inside and out.
Has Reece thought through this plan at all? Melbourne has festivals. Lots of them. Some of them great – and many which would probably benefit from more financial support.
Say the Victorian government gets on board and the venue is sold. What if Reece’s confidence that the heritage protections – which are complex – will mean the space remains a theatre are misplaced? Then what? Melbourne has one less theatre, capacity to put on shows is diminished, less work is available for artists on stage and off, there’s less enticement for artists and audiences to come to our city, and Melbourne’s arts scene becomes that much smaller.
Callum Linnane will be dancing the lead role in Oscar which marks The Australian Ballet’s debut at the Regent.We are already seeing the issues that occur when a major performing space is taken out of action in our CBD.. What we can’t see are the knock-on effects, the quiet things being lost in between.
Reece’s plan demonstrates a profound misunderstanding of the true value of spaces like the Regent to Melbourne’s cultural identity and longevity.
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