The State Theatre Centre of Western Australia is a theatre complex located within the

Perth Cultural Centre The Perth Cultural Centre is an area of central Perth, Western Australia, near the James Street Mall. It is home to a number of cultural institutions including the Art Gallery of Western Australia, Western Australian Museum, State Library o ...

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, Western Australia. The larger of three dedicated performance areas is known as the Heath Ledger Theatre in honour of Perth-born film actor

Heath Ledger Heath Andrew Ledger (4 April 1979 – 22 January 2008) was an Australian actor and music video director. After playing roles in several Australian television and film productions during the 1990s, Ledger moved to the United States in 1998 to ...

Design and construction

After an international design competition in 2005, attracting more than 40 designs worldwide, was won by

Kerry Hill Architects William Kerry Hill AO (19 June 1943 – 26 August 2018) was a Singapore-based, Australian architect who specialised in hotel design in tropical Asia. His works were known for their features of steeply-pitched pavilion roofs, shaded walkways, ...

, construction on the Theatre Centre began in late 2007. In July 2008 the Western Australian government announced that the complex would be named after

, however after a change of government, that decision was modified in December 2008 to apply only to the main auditorium. The centre was officially opened on 27 January 2011.

Facilities

The largest of three dedicated performance areas is the 575-seat Heath Ledger Theatre, named in honor of the late

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

winning actor, Heath Ledger. It is a traditional

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. The stage can be modified to accommodate an orchestral pit. All the rows of seats are curved to face the stage and each row is elevated above the row in front, so that the occupant of every seat in the house can have an unobstructed view of the stage. There are timber acoustic baffles below the ceiling which enhance the acoustic qualities of the auditorium and the walls of the auditorium are lined with attractive timber panels. The 234-seat "Studio Underground" is a

black box theatre A black box theater is a simple performance space, typically a square room with black walls and a flat floor. The simplicity of the space allows it to be used to create a variety of configurations of stage and audience interaction. The black ...

. The "Courtyard" is an outdoor area that can be configured to seat up to 200 people. Although there is an inconspicuous lift, the main entry to the first floor foyer of the theatre is by a staircase over which hang spectacular decorative elements. The foyer is timber paneled like the auditorium. File:State Theatre - Iwelam 02.jpg, Auditorium 1 of the State Theatre Centre - Heath Ledger Theatre File:State Theatre - Iwelam 03.jpg, Auditorium 2 State Theatre Centre - Heath Ledger Theatre File:State Theatre - Iwelam 04.jpg, Upstairs foyer of the State Theatre of Western Australia File:State Theatre - Iwelam 05.jpg, Foyer of the State Theatre of Western Australia File:State Theatre - Iwelam 06.jpg, Entry staircase of the State Theatre of Western Australia

References

External links

* * {{Perth Cultural Centre Theatres in Perth, Western Australia Theatres completed in 2011 2011 establishments in Australia Perth Cultural Centre