Roxy Theatre Redevelopment Working Group chairman Katherine Herrmann has assured the community what happens now is all about restoring the heritage of the building, increasing functionality and ensuring everything is compliant.

“It’s all about celebrating the talent that is in the town,” she said. 

“When this project was positioned for funding it was about positioning it as a theatre of national significance thanks to its art deco heritage.

“The last thing we want to do is get a whole lot of money and not address the fabric of the building.

“Heritage is about story telling. 

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“This building has a lot of stories to tell and it also has many more to tell into the future.” 

Now the funding has rolled in, the long process of the project will get underway. 

After concept drawings of the work were released, many community members and stakeholders had concerns. 

“It’s really important we don’t design by committee, we design by a vision,” Mrs Herrmann said. 

“There’s many compromises that need to be made.”

In February intensive workshops will be held where residents can book a time and take part to air their thoughts on how they think the work should proceed. 

“We’ll run as many of those as we need to,” Mrs Herrmann said. 

Given the funding is coming from the state government, there is a strict process that needs to be followed. 

“Typically what we do even before consultants are engaged is the client develops a brief, which the community is consulted on,” Mrs Herrmann said. 

“Then that brief goes to the architect who responds and says this is what we will deliver.

“They look at the client brief and the functional requirements.

“There’s a whole suite of technical consultants who need to be brought in for things like acoustics, heritage, building surveyors and many more.

“There’s a lot of experts in the mosh pit. 

“Once the preliminary design plan is finished, it gets costed and then we take that back to the community for feedback.

“Then that’s taken back to the experts again before we get another set of drawings and everyone signs off. Then it goes out to tender.”

The project is expected to take several years and will likely attract high-caliber professionals wanting to take part. 

“This is a one-off project, so there are going to be a lot of high-profile experts who will want to take part,” Mrs Herrmann said.  

While the refurbishment is focusing on the inside of the building, residents need not be concerned it will all be gutted and completely modernised. 

Seating has been one issue many are worried about, with several hundred on the current plans expected to be removed. 

However, with some moving around in those plans, it is expected about 400 seats would remain. 

Ruth Tait is a key stakeholder in the process and said the community should be excited about the project. 

“This is what it needed … it needed a breath of fresh air and it needs to be used in different ways,” she said. 

Mrs Tait will also be part of a new project advisory group, made up of local residents and people who have had experience in developing cultural buildings like the Roxy. 

She will represent music and acoustics as part of the group, while Glenn Saddler and Erin Draper will also lend their expertise. 

Residents are able to pass any of their feedback on to these people for it to be filtered back to the “right people”.

During the redevelopment process, it’s expected local jobs will be created and, when the project is complete, more staff may be required at the theatre. 

With an aim of attracting more events and performances to the theatre, the town’s economy is also predicted to be given a boost. 

The Roxy Theatre Advisory Committee has been acknowledged for its hard work in keeping the building running and operating over the years despite many challenges. 

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