University of Sydney’s Footbridge Theatre re-opens after 20-year hiatus

ABC NEWS (Australia)

One of Sydney's most celebrated student theatres has re-opened after a 20-year hiatus. The Footbridge Theatre launched the careers of some of Australia's biggest stars. Now there's hope the revitalised space will inspire the next generation.

Transcript

00:00Taking centre stage, these students are putting musical theatre back in the spotlight.

00:16After being closed for nearly 20 years, Sydney's beloved Footbridge Theatre has a new lease

00:21on life.

00:26What we have is this astonishing high grade professional theatre, so our students won't

00:31be going into a dinky hall, they go into an amazing space.

00:34Opened in 1961, the theatre is where some of the country's biggest personalities got

00:40their start, among them actors John Bell and John Gaydon and famed feminist Germaine Greer.

00:47It's always been a really critical part of Sydney Uni's social and cultural life.

00:52In 2006 the auditorium was converted into lecture halls, now Sydney's Conservatorium

00:58of Music has reclaimed it, investing $15 million dollars reverting the interior back to its

01:05original state.

01:06We want them to have the experience of what it is to be on a stage, what it is to be in

01:09the audience, how to work around a pit, how to put lights on, how to move them around,

01:14how to do the set.

01:15The theatre is now home to a new degree course in musical theatre and is already inspiring

01:20the next generation.

01:23It's such an exhilarating experience just doing something that you actually love.

01:27It's not something that I can really put into words.

01:31Students put on their first big production late last year.

01:34To do a full main stage show like that, to reopen such an iconic theatre, yeah it's pretty

01:41cool.

01:47With more shows planned, there's hope applause will be ringing out in the footbridge for

01:51years to come.

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