The Concourse is a cultural centre in Chatswood, a suburb in Lower North Shore,

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. Opened in 2011, the complex includes facilities such as a civic pavilion, a

concert hall A concert hall is a cultural building with a stage (theatre), stage that serves as a performance venue and an auditorium filled with seats. This list does not include other venues such as sports stadia, dramatic theatres or convention ...

, Chatswood Library, a

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

and other venues for cultural uses.

History

In 1903, the first Willoughby Town Hall was built on the current site of The Concourse, also functioning as the Council Chambers. The site was shared with the Council Pound, the School of Arts, and the Ku-ring-gai Masonic Lodge. In 1967, a three-storey ad administration building was constructed on the site, with a fourth floor was added in 1980. The new cultural complex was designed by

Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp Francis-Jones Carpenter (fjcstudio) is a multi-disciplinary Australian design studio established in 2002 and noted for design excellence and a commitment to enhancing the public realm. fjcstudio has a reputation as an ideas-driven practice "with a ...

architects. Following demolition of the old buildings, construction of The Concourse began in July 2008 at a cost of approximately $162 million and was completed in July 2011. The complex was officially opened on 17 September 2011 by then

Governor of New South Wales The governor of New South Wales is the representative of the monarch, King Charles III, in the state of New South Wales. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia, Governor-General of Australia at the national level, the governor ...

Marie Bashir Dame Marie Roslyn Bashir (born 1 December 1930) is the former and second longest-serving Governor of New South Wales. Born in Narrandera, New South Wales, Bashir graduated from the University of Sydney in 1956 and held various medical positions ...

, and mayor of Willoughby, Pat Reilly.

Facilities

The Concourse features a public open space, a 500-seat theatre, rehearsal spaces, a 1,000-seat concert hall, cafés, retail and commercial outlets, a boutique hotel, and a multi-purpose exhibition hall. The Concourse also includes car parking over two basement levels and a 5,000 m³ stormwater detention tank as part of an integrated water management system. Art Space on The Concourse, a 92 m² exhibition space, is located on the ground floor of The Concourse, hosting art exhibitions from local artists and art collectives. Chatswood Library, over 5,000 m² in size, is also located in The Concourse. The library is on the lower ground level, accessible from the main podium via lifts or stairs. KLIK Systems, an Australian linear lighting manufacturer, was commissioned to design and supply indoor beam luminaries in the library.

Patrons

Patrons of The Concourse include leading figures in Australia's arts industries including soprano Yvonne Kenny, poet Les Murray, authors

Matthew Reilly Matthew John Reilly (born 2 July 1974) is an internationally bestselling Australian action thriller writer.
". Retrieved 10 ...

and Renée Goossens, and rock icon

Angry Anderson Gary Stephen "Angry" Anderson (born 5 August 1947) is an Australian rock singer, songwriter, television personality and actor. He has been the lead vocalist and the longest-tenured remaining member of the hard rock band Rose Tattoo since 1976 ...

AM.

Events

The Concourse hosts a wide range of events. From Musicals to Corporate events, they have room for them all. Recently The Concourse has seen productions of Singin' in the Rain (Willoughby Theatre Company), the NSSWE spring festival, A Chorus Line (Willoughby Theatre Company) and many more.

References

; Notes ; Sources
Time OutBerkshire Review
*

External links

Official siteGov NSW
* ttp://www.matthewreilly.com Matthew Reillybr>Klik SystemsSydney FestivalAW Edwards - ProjectsLive GuideLibraries of Sydney Blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Concourse, Chatswood Buildings and structures in Sydney Theatres in Sydney Music venues in Sydney Theatres completed in 2011 Chatswood, New South Wales 2011 establishments in Australia