Introduction This Chapter provides an overview of the Wangaratta Performing Arts Centre (WPAC) facility, including its role as a multi-purpose venue in providing for a range of a commercial and community performances, events and activities. Background context and the rationale for the development of the facility are also provided. The Need for a New Facility Wangaratta has a long history of support for the performing arts. The city is famous for jazz through the 'Wangaratta Festival of Jazz'. The festival is a three-day event which has been running since 1990 and has expanded to include 90 events, over 350 artists and around 20,000 visitors. The original Wangaratta Arts Centre was located on the south-western corner of the Ovens Street and Ford Street intersection and comprised a Town Hall (642 seats) and a Playhouse Theatre (195 seats). Built in 1963, the centre was a flat floor venue, which “was poorly equipped and lacked practically all infrastructure provision”, according to the 1997 Oh, You Beautiful Stage audit, commissioned by Arts Victoria. The result was a steady decline in professional arts programming, with the centre being used increasingly for community functions only. Additionally, as the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz expanded, significant extra costs were being incurred by using the old venue, through the need to hire in additional equipment. The 1997 audit found that a minimum of $4.8million in remedial works was required at the Wangaratta Arts Centre; however, even if the remedial works were undertaken, the venue would still fail to meet most industry benchmarks. In 2006, the Rural City of Wangaratta applied for a State government funding grant for the construction and development of a new performing arts centre on the same site as the original centre. The application was made to Regional Development Victoria, through the Regional Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF). The RIDF assessment found that: The facilities at the Wangaratta Arts Centre were falling well short of current industry standards There was a notable gap in the physical infrastructure of performing arts facilities in North-Eastern Victoria The major ‘flagship’ cultural event in Wangaratta, the Wangaratta Jazz Festival, was incurring significant extra costs by using the old venue through the need to hire in additional equipment The proposed WPAC facility was part of a network of performing arts facilities in regional Victoria and was of strategic significance.
Introduction This Chapter provides an overview of the Wangaratta Performing Arts Centre (WPAC) facility, including its role as a multi-purpose venue in providing for a range of a commercial and community performances, events and activities. Background context and the rationale for the development of the facility are also provided. The Need for a New Facility Wangaratta has a long history of support for the performing arts. The city is famous for jazz through the 'Wangaratta Festival of Jazz'. The festival is a three-day event which has been running since 1990 and has expanded to include 90 events, over 350 artists and around 20,000 visitors. The original Wangaratta Arts Centre was located on the south-western corner of the Ovens Street and Ford Street intersection and comprised a Town Hall (642 seats) and a Playhouse Theatre (195 seats). Built in 1963, the centre was a flat floor venue, which “was poorly equipped and lacked practically all infrastructure provision”, according to the 1997 Oh, You Beautiful Stage audit, commissioned by Arts Victoria. The result was a steady decline in professional arts programming, with the centre being used increasingly for community functions only. Additionally, as the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz expanded, significant extra costs were being incurred by using the old venue, through the need to hire in additional equipment. The 1997 audit found that a minimum of $4.8million in remedial works was required at the Wangaratta Arts Centre; however, even if the remedial works were undertaken, the venue would still fail to meet most industry benchmarks. In 2006, the Rural City of Wangaratta applied for a State government funding grant for the construction and development of a new performing arts centre on the same site as the original centre. The application was made to Regional Development Victoria, through the Regional Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF). The RIDF assessment found that: The facilities at the Wangaratta Arts Centre were falling well short of current industry standards There was a notable gap in the physical infrastructure of performing arts facilities in North-Eastern Victoria The major ‘flagship’ cultural event in Wangaratta, the Wangaratta Jazz Festival, was incurring significant extra costs by using the old venue through the need to hire in additional equipment The proposed WPAC facility was part of a network of performing arts facilities in regional Victoria and was of strategic significance.