Scott Carver is assisting in the restoration of Newcastle’s historic Victoria Theatre. The theatre is close to reopening approximately 60 years since it closed its doors, with the venue stripped back to its historic core.

Opening in 1891, the theatre served as a cultural institution hosting opera, plays and ice skating within a booming port city. It closed in the 1960s and has remained dormant ever since, with Century Venues acquiring the theatre in 2020.

The theatre’s ‘conservation’ has seen many structural elements exposed and celebrated. Working on a consultancy basis for Century Venues, Daniel Ballantyne tells the ABC that the plan is for the theatre to become equally functional and mindful of its history.

"What we want to do is conserve what is existing and then introduce the production and technical audience fit-out to make sure it's comfortable and serviceable," he says.

"We've stripped it back to the fundamental bones of the theatre. We don't want to restore it as it's beyond our capacity. We're trying to conserve it."

$1.6 million has been invested into the venue to ensure it is show-ready. Ballantyne says that his initial impressions of the theatre left a lot to be desired.

"It was full of water, it stank and was a mess, and the council passed on acquiring it at the time. The problem you're up against when you have a historic theatre like this is that it has heritage orders on it and because of that it can only be a theatre."

The Victorian stylings of the theatre have been maintained, along with the coastal stylings upon its ceiling. The facade, featuring recessed blind windows and a fly tower, has also been retained.

"Most communities are lagging when it comes to cultural infrastructure and it's difficult as the value of property in inner-city locations is ridiculous," Ballantyne says.

"It makes building a new theatre or cultural venue in a city-centre location impossible. These buildings that have heritage listings are sitting dormant throughout Australia and need to be activated."

The conservation work has been green lit by local council, with the major portion of construction due to commence in the coming weeks. Century Venues hopes for the theatre to host its first event in 2024.

 

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