The Queensland Performing Arts Centre (also known as QPAC) is part of the
Queensland Cultural Centre and is located on the corner of Melbourne Street and Grey Street in
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
's
South Bank
The South Bank is an entertainment and commercial district in central London, next to the River Thames opposite the City of Westminster. It forms a narrow strip of riverside land within the London Borough of Lambeth (where it adjoins Alber ...
precinct. Opened in 1985, it includes the Lyric Theatre, Concert Hall, Playhouse and Cremorne Theatre.
History
QPAC was designed by local architect
Robin Gibson in the mid-1970s, after State Cabinet formally recognised in 1972 the need for a new Queensland Art Gallery and a new major performing arts centre, in addition to a new location for the Queensland Museum and State Library. It was opened by the
Duke of Kent in 1985.
Although originally opened as the “Queensland Performing Arts Complex”, after years of resisting the popular mis-naming of the building, it was officially changed to the “Queensland Performing Arts Centre” and all signage was altered to match.
Opening with only 3 stages, the ''Lyric Theatre'', the ''Concert Hall'' and the ''Cremorne Theatre'', the Centre was designed with expansion in mind. In 1998 the ''Playhouse'' was opened, ending the original extension plans. A fifth and likely final Theatre (seating 1500-1700) was announced in late May 2018 with a budget of $125 million. Completion is aimed for 2022. Currently tenders are being sought for its design.
In 2017, QPAC hosted more than 1.3 million visitors to more than 1,200 performances, given the city population of Brisbane at 2.4 million, with the South East Queensland area's population sitting at 3.5 million and the entire State of Queensland at 5 million.
Programming
Each year QPAC hosts over 1,200 performances across its four theatres and outdoor spaces. The centre's versatile venues accommodate a wide variety of performance including dance, musicals, theatre, opera, comedy and contemporary and classical music concerts featuring leading Queensland, Australian and international actors, dancers, musicians, artists and companies. In addition, QPAC co-produces and invests in some of Australia's most innovative and successful shows and free outdoor programs.
In recent years, QPAC has presented some of the world's leading artists and companies in the QPAC International Series including
Paris Opera Ballet
The Paris Opera Ballet () is a French ballet company that is an integral part of the Paris Opera. It is the oldest national ballet company, and many European and international ballet companies can trace their origins to it. It is still regarded ...
in 2020,
Bolshoi Ballet
The Bolshoi Ballet is an internationally renowned classical ballet company based at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia. Founded in 1776, the Bolshoi is among the world's oldest ballet companies. In the early 20th century, it came to internatio ...
in 2019,
La Scala Theatre Ballet in 2018,
The Royal Ballet
The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded in ...
in 2017,
Bolshoi Ballet
The Bolshoi Ballet is an internationally renowned classical ballet company based at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia. Founded in 1776, the Bolshoi is among the world's oldest ballet companies. In the early 20th century, it came to internatio ...
in 2013,
Hamburg Ballet,
Hamburg State Opera
The Hamburg State Opera (in German: Staatsoper Hamburg) is a German opera company based in Hamburg. Its theatre is near the square of Gänsemarkt. Since 2015, the current ''Intendant'' of the company is Georges Delnon, and the current ''General ...
and
Hamburg Philharmonic in 2012 and
American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant, it is recognized as one of the world's leading classical ballet companies. Through 2019, it had an annual ei ...
in 2014.
QPAC produces the Out of the Box Festival for children 8 years and under, and Clancestry program, as part of the QPAC First Nations Program which recognises the significant role First Nations Peoples have contributed and continue to contribute to Queensland’s historical, creative and cultural landscapes.
QPAC is the performance home for Queensland's leading performing arts companies –
Queensland Ballet
The Queensland Ballet, founded in 1960 by Charles Lisner OBE, is the premier ballet company of Queensland, Australia and is based in Brisbane. Queensland Ballet is one of only three full-time, professional classical ballet companies in Australi ...
,
Queensland Theatre Company
Queensland Theatre, formerly the Queensland Theatre Company and Royal Queensland Theatre Company, is a professional theatre company based in Brisbane, Australia. It regularly performs in its own Bille Browne Theatre and the Queensland Performi ...
,
Opera Queensland,
Queensland Youth Orchestras and
Queensland Symphony Orchestra
Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO) is an Australian symphony orchestra in the state of Queensland. The orchestra is based in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's building in South Bank. The Orchestra is funded by private corporations, the ...
. In addition, QPAC regularly hosts many of Australia's leading performing arts companies including
The Australian Ballet
The Australian Ballet is the largest classical ballet company in Australia. It was founded by J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust in 1962, with the English-born dancer, teacher, repetiteur and direct ...
,
Sydney Dance Company,
Australian Chamber Orchestra and
Bangarra Dance Theatre.
Performance spaces
*The Lyric Theatre is a
proscenium
A proscenium ( grc-gre, προσκήνιον, ) is the metaphorical vertical plane of space in a theatre, usually surrounded on the top and sides by a physical proscenium arch (whether or not truly "arched") and on the bottom by the stage floor ...
theatre and is the largest venue in QPAC, with a seating capacity of approximately 2,000. It is Brisbane's main venue for
musicals
Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...
,
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
s and
ballet
Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...
s.
*The Concert Hall is the second largest venue in QPAC, with a seating capacity of approximately 1,600 (1,800 if the choir balcony seats are used). It is Brisbane's main venue for orchestral performances although it is also used for comedy performances, graduation ceremonies, awards presentations and even rock concerts. The venue features a 6,566 pipe
Klaisorgan
Organ may refer to:
Biology
* Organ (biology), a part of an organism
Musical instruments
* Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone
** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument
** Hammond ...
which was built in 1986. Due to the overwhelming demand placed on the entire venue for traditional theatrical performances, in 2014 a creative solution was achieved by the addition of a removable proscenium arch and stage mechanisms for the Concert Hall increasing the type of performances possible in this Theatre.
*The Playhouse is a
proscenium
A proscenium ( grc-gre, προσκήνιον, ) is the metaphorical vertical plane of space in a theatre, usually surrounded on the top and sides by a physical proscenium arch (whether or not truly "arched") and on the bottom by the stage floor ...
theatre and is the third largest venue in QPAC, with a seating capacity of approximately 850. The venue was constructed in 1997 and its premiere production was ''
The Marriage of Figaro
''The Marriage of Figaro'' ( it, Le nozze di Figaro, links=no, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premie ...
'', with
Geoffrey Rush
Geoffrey Roy Rush (born 6 July 1951) is an Australian actor. He is known for his Eccentricity (behavior), eccentric leading man roles on stage and screen. He is among 24 people who have won the Triple Crown of Acting, having received an Academy ...
in the title role of Figaro, in September 1998.
*The Cremorne Theatre is the fourth largest venue in QPAC with a maximum seating capacity of 277. It is a reconfigurable performance space with six configurations (proscenium,
theatre in the round
A theatre in the round, arena theatre or central staging is a space for theatre in which the audience surrounds the stage.
Theatre-in-the-round was common in ancient theatre, particularly that of Greece and Rome, but was not widely explored aga ...
, concert, cabaret, cinema or flat floor).
[Description with photos of the Cremorne Theatre on the company's website]
Retrieved 7 November 2010 Its name has been taken from an earlier venue in the vicinity, the
Cremorne Theatre
The Cremorne Theatre was a theatre in South Brisbane, Queensland, South Brisbane (now part of South Bank, Queensland, South Bank), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia that operated, with interruptions, from 1911 to 1954. Although nothing remains of ...
. Located at the entrance to the Cremorne Theatre is the Tony Gould Gallery; it features changing exhibits related to the performing arts, including theatre, opera, ballet, dance, costumes and scenery. The exhibits are organised by the QPAC Museum.
In May 2018, the Queensland Government and QPAC announced funding had been secured for The New Performing Arts Venue to be located on the Playhouse Green, adjacent to the current complex. The new theatre is projected to be completed by late 2022, and will seat a minimum of 1,500 patrons.
Associated organisations
Groups with programs at QPAC include:
*
Opera Queensland
*
Queensland Symphony Orchestra
Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO) is an Australian symphony orchestra in the state of Queensland. The orchestra is based in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's building in South Bank. The Orchestra is funded by private corporations, the ...
*
Queensland Ballet
The Queensland Ballet, founded in 1960 by Charles Lisner OBE, is the premier ballet company of Queensland, Australia and is based in Brisbane. Queensland Ballet is one of only three full-time, professional classical ballet companies in Australi ...
*
Queensland Theatre Company
Queensland Theatre, formerly the Queensland Theatre Company and Royal Queensland Theatre Company, is a professional theatre company based in Brisbane, Australia. It regularly performs in its own Bille Browne Theatre and the Queensland Performi ...
*
Queensland Youth Symphony Orchestra
*Queensland Pops Orchestra
*
The Australian Ballet
The Australian Ballet is the largest classical ballet company in Australia. It was founded by J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust in 1962, with the English-born dancer, teacher, repetiteur and direct ...
*
Australian Chamber Orchestra
*
Australian Brandenburg Orchestra
*
Oscar Theatre Company
The Oscar Theatre Company is a theater company operating in Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of ap ...
*
Northern Rivers Symphony Orchestra
The Northern Rivers Symphony Orchestra is an Australian orchestra based in Tweed Heads NSW, New South Wales.
The orchestra is the premier orchestra for the Gold Coast and Northern Rivers region. It was created in 1991 by Barry Singh, who was ...
*The QPAC Choir
Description of the Choir on the company's website
Retrieved 7 November 2010
References
External links
QPAC official website
QPAC panorama photos
QPAC photos and sound
QPAC information
QPAC Museum
Lyric Theatre at QPAC
– performances at the theatre (incomplete listing)
Cremorne Theatre at QPAC
– performances at the theatre (incomplete listing)
Playhouse at QPAC
– performances at the theatre (incomplete listing)
Cultural Centre Busway Station map
– includes showing position of QPAC
{{Authority control
Tourist attractions in Brisbane
Theatres in Brisbane
Culture of Brisbane
Theatres completed in 1985
Brutalist architecture in Australia
Performing arts centres in Australia
Concert halls in Australia
Philip Cox buildings
Queensland Cultural Centre
1985 establishments in Australia
South Brisbane, Queensland