By arts editor HELEN MUSA

Canberra Theatre Centre has joined forces with three of Australia’s leading regional performing arts organisations in a landmark partnership designed to create more large scale Australian theatre and bring it to audiences beyond the capital cities.

The newly formed Second Cities Producing Consortium has secured support from Creative Australia’s Creative Futures Fund, with a $280,000 investment for the first year of a proposed four year pilot program.

The consortium brings together Canberra Theatre Centre, Geelong Arts Centre, Wollongong’s Merrigong Theatre Company and HOTA, Home of the Arts on the Gold Coast. Together, the four venues attract more than 1.2 million audience members each year and serve a combined catchment of around 2.6 million people.

The partners say the initiative will create a new national pathway for ambitious Australian theatre, allowing major productions to be developed with audiences in mind from the outset before touring across multiple states and territories. By sharing expertise, resources and investment, the consortium aims to strengthen the development of new work while creating greater opportunities for artists, producers and touring companies.

The pilot also seeks to address the rising costs of producing and touring theatre by replacing fragmented touring models with a more coordinated, audience led approach that gives regional centres a stronger role in commissioning and presenting new Australian work.

Canberra Theatre Centre executive director Georgia Hendy said the partnership reflected Canberra’s important place in the nation’s cultural life.

“Canberra is where Australia comes together to reflect on our national identity, and our stages should be a place where Australian stories can be told with ambition, scale and impact,” she said.

The consortium’s first pilot initiatives are expected to be announced over the coming year.

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