Sydney Opera House… but in Manly

“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” – PABLO PICASSO

I’m backing a campaign to turn Manly Town Hall into Australia’s newest top tier concert and live performance venue. We have an opportunity to make Manly the leading cultural destination on Sydney Harbour. Let’s get on with it. Not only will a new theatre and concert venue in Manly further position NSW as a world-class centre for performances, events, exhibitions and cultural visitation but it will revitalise and strengthen our own local economy. 

I have been speaking to my colleague, Minister for the Arts Don Harwin about this community-led project and following a visit to the Manly Town Hall he had this to say, “This project has real potential and is an idea absolutely worth pursuing.” He was impressed with what he saw. 

The NSW Government is working hard to cement our state as the cultural heart of Australia with $1.3 billion in funding to deliver a raft of high-profile projects including two new museums and new state cultural assets for future generations.

Early stage designs
Globally leading architects Chrofi, based in Manly, have developed a world-class proposal for the Town Hall using scale comparisons with existing performing arts venues across Sydney and around the world, such as parts of the Sydney Opera House, the Eternity Playhouse, Carriageworks, Belvoir Theatre, the Old Vic in Bristol and St Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn.

Initial designs have a 350-seat major theatre, a minor theatre, theatrette or cinema, an intimate music venue, a restaurant, bar and café, and community rooms. 

Rebooting Manly’s tourism
Our business community have led the way in embracing change and creating new and exciting contemporary reasons for people to visit Manly. They need big ideas like this to help them flourish. The facts are that even prior to Covid-19, the Manly tourist economy was underperforming compared to both the national and Sydney averages. Since 2017, less people, not more, have been catching the Freshwater Ferry to Manly on the weekend, and tourists who did visit, spent 40% less than the average tourist in greater Sydney. That is not a sustainable approach. We don’t need more people visiting Manly just for the beach and an ice-cream, we need people to explore, stay longer and spend more.

The position of the Town Hall venue, across the road from frequent ferry services, including the new quicker ferries, will allow people to enjoy dinner in Manly, a live performance and then a convenient trip back to a CBD hotel if they are visiting from overseas. It is this type of tourism that we need in Manly. 

Big bold ideas need more than talk
Later this year, inspired by the Manhattan High Line, we will temporarily transform the Cahill Expressway into a contemporary landscape which will host a series of events and provide a viewing deck for New Year’s Eve fireworks and Sydney Harbour until the opening of the 2022 Sydney Festival. Bold ideas need to be supported and seen through to execution. 

The Manly Town Hall can become one of Australia’s flagship live performance venues. Its proximity to the Sydney Opera House would allow us to partner with them and develop a truly special calendar of events. The positive impact this project will have on our local economy and community will be profound. 

Let’s get on with it.