The Roundhouse Theatre is a

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), stage. Theatre-in-the-round was common in ancient theatre, particularly that of Greece and Rome, but was not wi ...

located in the

Kelvin Grove Urban Village The Kelvin Grove Urban Village is an urban village and university precinct in Kelvin Grove, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia that was developed after the closure of the Australian Army's Gona Barracks. History The Queensland Department of Hous ...

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 ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. It is Australia's only purpose-built theatre in the round. The building is owned by

Queensland University of Technology Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a public research university located in the urban coastal city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. QUT is located on two campuses in the Brisbane area viz. Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove. The univ ...

and used by the

La Boite Theatre Company La Boite Theatre is an Australian theatre company based in Brisbane, Queensland. La Boite was established in 1925 and is Australia’s longest continuously running theatre company. Playing a vital role in the cultural landscape, La Boite Theat ...

History

The

La Boite Theatre Building La Boite Theatre Building is a heritage-listed former theatre at 69 Hale Street, Petrie Terrace, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Blair Wilson and built in 1972. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 3 ...

was Australia's first purpose-built theatre-in-the-round, constructed for the

Brisbane Repertory Theatre La Boite Theatre is an Australian theatre company based in Brisbane, Queensland. La Boite was established in 1925 and is Australia’s longest continuously running theatre company. Playing a vital role in the cultural landscape, La Boite Theat ...

which then renamed itself

. The La Boite Theatre Building could seat 200 at its fullest configuration. The La Boite Theatre Building was deemed to be of such significant cultural and architectural significance that it was listed on the

Queensland Heritage Register The Queensland Heritage Register is a heritage register, a statutory list of places in Queensland, Australia that are protected by Queensland legislation, the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. It is maintained by the Queensland Heritage Council. As a ...

in 2004. However, it struggled to be commercially viable and was eventually redeveloped as commercial offices. In 1998 the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...

decided it no longer required its heritage-listed

Gona Barracks Gona Barracks is a heritage-listed barracks at 3, 7,12, 25 & 26 Gona Parade, Kelvin Grove, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built from to 1960s. It is also known as Kelvin Grove Military Reserve and Kelvin Grove Training Area. ...

and wished to sell the land. This led to a partnership being formed between the Queensland Department of Housing, the

Brisbane City Council Brisbane City Council (BCC) is the democratic executive local government authority for the City of Brisbane, the capital city of the state of Queensland, Australia. The largest City Council in Australia by population and area, BCC's jurisd ...

and the

to redevelop the site as the

as a mixed use precinct combining educational, residential and retail use of the site. The urban village had a strong arts and entertainment theme as the university was placing its Creative Industries Faculty in the village. This was complemented by the

Queensland Academy for Creative Industries The Queensland Academies Creative Industries (QACI) is a selective entry senior state high school in Queensland, Australia which offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. The school aims to provide a platform for like-minded stud ...

, a selective public senior high school for students wishing to specialise in the arts and entertainment. The university constructed the Roundhouse Theatre in 2004 to meet its needs for a theatre for training students in the performing arts, but wanted the theatre to be used commercially as well to generate income and to be consistent with the philosophy of the urban village of integrating the university with the community. By constructing the university's theatre as a theatre-in-the-round, it enabled the

to sell the La Boite Theatre Building and lease the Roundhouse Theatre instead, a commercially viable arrangement for both the theatre company and the university.

Facilities

The Roundhouse Theatre can seat 400 people for central staging (audience on four sides) or 336 people for

thrust stage In theatre, a thrust stage (also known as a platform stage or open stage) is one that extends into the audience on three sides and is connected to the backstage area by its upstage end. A thrust has the benefit of greater intimacy between performe ...

(audience on three sides). The

(Queensland's 2nd largest theatre company) perform at the Roundhouse Theatre. Queensland University of Technology also own the

QUT Gardens Theatre Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a public university, public research university located in the Urban area, urban coastal city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. QUT is located on two campuses in the Brisbane area viz. Gardens Poin ...

on their

Gardens Point Gardens Point is a peninsula in central Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is located south of Alice Street and bounded by the Brisbane River on its other three sides. The Brisbane CBD lies immediately to the north of the point. Gardens Point ...

campus. That theatre was originally built for the

Queensland Conservatorium of Music Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University (formerly the Queensland Conservatorium of Music) is a selective, audition based music school located in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, and is part of Griffith University. History The Conservatori ...

References

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