Southbank Theatre
The Southbank Theatre
Melbourne, Victoria plays home to the performing arts centre named South Bank Theatre. South Bank Theatre is the Melbourne Theatre Company (MTC), the first professional theatre in Australia. It also serves as its performing space. The theatre, designed by Ashton Raggatt McDougall (ARM) features a striking, aesthetically pleasing design made of geometric shapes. The theatre opened in 2009. Its first production was Poor Boy which was performed in January and starred Guy Pearce.
In its position as the home of Melbourne Theatre Company, the Southbank Theatre serves as the venue for the Melbourne Theatre Company’s annual performances which hosts about twelve plays. It also hosts events like Educational performances, series and Cybec-Electric play-readings.
The theatre is available for hire by other interested companies and organisations. The theatre allows for other performances to be presented throughout the year. A variety of companies and organisations have staged their presentations at the theatre such as the Australian Dance Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Akram Kahn Company, Midsumma Festival, the Phillip Adams Ballet Lab, the Melbourne Festival and the Sydney Dance Company, among others.
The theatre contains two spaces for performances, function rooms, bars, backstage facilities and foyers, rehearsal studios, and various cafes and restaurants in and around the building. Some of which includes the Script Bar and Bistro which offers an Italian menu, the Melba Restaurant, the Southbank Foyer Bar which offers a menu of Victorian-style food local beer and wine, the Deck Southbank on the upper level of the Complex which offers an overview of the city and the Yarra River, the Taxi Kitchen and the rooftop bar which overlooks the botanical garden, the river and the city art centre.
Facilities are made available for access by wheelchairs. The seating arrangement is also structured to make room for the use of mobility-aids in the theatres. FM hearing system is also made available for all performances across the studio for free to whoever can produce identification to the ushers. We will provide the audience with a neck loop or headset, which can allow hearing aid.
Organisations and companies who seek to make use of the Southbank Theatre have options of venues within the building. The Melbourne Theatre Company provides function spaces and performance spaces for hire. This includes the Summer and the Lawler.
The Sumner is a state-of-the-art venue which offers five hundred and fifty (550) seat capacity. It boasts of advanced state technology, and the audience to stage intimacy, the likes of which has not been seen in Australia previously. It is designed for comfort.
The Lawler is another flexible venue within the South Bank Building with a seating capacity of 150 people. It is a great venue for performances that are on an intimate and smaller scale.
The South Bank Theatre is strictly abiding by the Covid-19 guidelines to ensure the safety of all visitors. The theatre regularly updates the safety and health measures in compliance with government directives to ensure that everyone has an enjoyable and safe experience at the theatre. The theatre provides an FAQ guide on its website.