CarriageWorks, Redfern/Newtown’s - newest theatrical venue opens

“My vision for CarriageWorks is to make it a place of innovation, creativity and unique spirit of place!” enthuses Sue.

The $45 million redevelopment of the Everleigh railway workshops, a site which retains many of its heritage-listed industrial features, offers artists and audiences three performing spaces - the biggest, Bay 17, seats 800 - three rehearsal rooms, workshops, offce space, a cafe, a long bar and an observation deck over the 65 metre foyer.

Railway tracks, graffiti and cranes weave around the rehearsal rooms and giant corridors to craft a unique nest for the contemporary arts companies who will perform there. According to the architects - Tonkin Zuliakha Greer - “The fit-out is designed to read as a series of discrete modern elements within the historic shell”. Each of the performance spaces is housed in a sort of concrete box, well insulated from incidental railway noises. Sue Hunt realises that, to fll such a great space, the vision for Carriageworks must be equally grand and all-encompassing, and her aim is to create “a new home for contemporary arts practice in Sydney.”

There will be a number of arts companies in residence, including the Performance Space, which is moving after 25 years in Cleveland Street, and will occupy Bay 19, an area with up to 300 seats.

Hunt says the plan is that the vacant half of the complex will be let to commercial tenants. Apart from the full-time tenants, she also plans “joint projects and an ongoing artistic partnership” with Legs on the Wall, and a performance program for other companies that can use it as a one-off venue.

Peter Garret, who toured the site with Arts Minister, Bob Debus, believes “it will also increase local residents’ access to quality cultural performances”.

Access to the new venue may be difficult for those who are not locals as parking is restricted to one hour for those without resident permits. Redfern station is a ten-minute stroll away but some arts patrons unfamiliar with the neighbour hood may find that daunting after an evening’s entertainment. A pedestrian bridge across the rail lines to the Technology Park and its vast parking lots is promised in two years.

In the interim, it must be hoped that the vibrant artistic community of the area will support this innovative space so that it may thrive. The opening will take place officially on January 5th with contemporary dance performances for the 2007 Sydney Festival.           

Source: South Sydney Herald December 2006