Arts Centre Melbourne’s Ian Potter State Theatre will officially reopen tomorrow, Saturday 3 October, six months ahead of schedule, following its first major refurbishment since opening in 1984. 

The 2000-seat theatre, which closed for upgrades in March 2024, is the first completed milestone of the Victorian Government’s city-shaping Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation (MAPT) project. The transformation is the largest cultural infrastructure project in Australia’s history and comprises of three major components with environmental sustainability embedded throughout. MAPT will deliver significant upgrades to Arts Centre Melbourne’s heritage Theatres Building, a new urban garden called Laak Boorndap, and a new cultural landmark for the city – The Fox: NGV Contemporary.

The extensive refurbishment of the Ian Potter State Theatre, designed by Melbourne’s NH Architecture and Norway’s Snøhetta and delivered by Lendlease as the construction partner, has made the theatre more accessible and comfortable for all Victorians and modernised its amenities for a truly 21st century theatre experience. The refurbishment has included new aisles in the Stalls and Circle, upgraded seats, heating and cooling, accessible seating in the Stalls supported by two new lifts, and state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems to enhance all genres of performance. Alongside technical upgrades, the theatre's heritage characteristics have been preserved to uphold the bold vision of Australian designer and artistic director John Truscott’s interiors that have defined the auditorium for more than 40 years.

Bigger than four tennis courts, the Ian Potter State Theatre stage is one of the largest stages in the Southern Hemisphere and is home to two of Arts Centre Melbourne’s Resident Companies, The Australian Ballet and Opera Australia. The beloved theatre is also recognisable for its majestic house curtain, designed by Graham Bennett, featuring golden hand-painted Victorian wildflowers and lyrebird’s tail which was carefully conserved during construction.

After the theatre reopens, works will continue throughout the Arts Centre Melbourne Theatres Building with the expansion of the building’s basement for a larger scenery loading dock, space for a new rehearsal room and studio; a new accessible Stage Door; and new and improved places to drink and dine.  

To celebrate the reopening, Arts Centre Melbourne has created a program of performances and activities, that includes works by beloved Resident Companies, The Australian Ballet and Opera Australia.  

The first performance in the Ian Potter State Theatre will be Gugu Dindi Gunyah (Many Rivers. One Home) on 3 October. Explore the rest of the program on the Arts Centre Melbourne website: https://www.artscentremelbourne.com.au/festival-and-series/ian-potter-state-theatre#whatson 

Minister for Creative Industries Vicki Ward said: “The Ian Potter State Theatre has been an icon of Victoria’s creative scene for four decades – now it’s back, better than ever and six months ahead of schedule.” 

Arts Centre Melbourne Chief Executive Officer Karen Quinlan AM said she was thrilled to officially reopen the Ian Potter State Theatre to audiences once more. 

 “With improved accessibility and comfort, combined with state-of-the-art technical upgrades to sound and lighting while conserving its wonderful heritage design, the Ian Potter State Theatre will host thousands of performances and millions of visitors across the next 40 years.”  

“We will honour First Nations voices, history and connection to the place that Arts Centre Melbourne stands in our first performance on the stage - Gugu Dindi Gunyah (Many Rivers. One Home) and invite Victorians to experience Housewarming, a series of free performances celebrating the performing arts.”  

NH Architecture Director Hamish Lyon said: “As lead architect, we’ve guided the renewal of the Ian Potter State Theatre from its early planning through to detailed design and delivery. Throughout, our approach has been grounded in listening and close collaboration with Arts Centre Melbourne, Snøhetta and the project’s construction, heritage, performance and technical teams. 

“Together, we have retained the integrity and theatrical character of the original vision established by Roy Grounds and John Truscott, while enabling the theatre to meet the needs of contemporary performance for decades to come.”

 

Lead image credit: Tom Blachford

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