Neil Horton, Armidale Drama Society president, David Trestrail, Armidale Playhouse president, Adam Marshall and Marney Tilley, Armidale Drama Society vice-president, at the venerable Playhouse.
Monday, 19 September 2016
ARMIDALE’S amateur thespians are reclaiming their own space, aided by an $87,000 grant from the State Government, Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall announced today.
With the funding, members and friends of the historic Armidale Playhouse will start an extensive refurbishment program intended to bring the currently unused building back to life as a small, intimate space for independent productions.
“One of Armidale’s great attributes is that it is chock-full of artistic talent, but currently the local theatre and musical communities have no space to work in that doesn’t involve large fees,” Mr Marshall said.
“With this funding from the Public Reserves Management Fund (PRMF) the community can start on an extensive overhaul of the Armidale Playhouse.
“The Playhouse has been hosting local theatre productions since 1965, but in recent years has been left unused because maintenance had not been kept up.
“These funds will help bring the Playhouse’s facilities up to date, with the installation of new toilet facilities, including a disabled toilet, and the demolition of the old asbestos-lined facilities.”
Armidale Playhouse President David Trestrail said the arts community were delighted at the opportunity to start “reclaiming our own space”.
“We need a performance space that we own, so we can put on small theatrical productions, or host live music, without incurring hefty fees,” Mr Trestrail said.
The 2016/17 funding allocation from the PRMF is part of an $18 million annual program of grants and loans from the NSW Government to support the development, maintenance and protection of the public reserves.
This year, more than $550,000 was secured from the PRMF for projects across the Northern Tablelands.
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