Australia’s oldest performing arts centre, the Canberra Theatre Centre (CTC), celebrated its 60th birthday on Tuesday (24 June), with the ACT’s Chief Minister Andrew Barr in attendance.
When Canberra Theatre Centre first opened its doors in 1965 – almost a decade before Adelaide Festival Centre’s Festival Theatre opened in June 1973 – it comprised the Canberra Theatre (current seating capacity 1239) and the smaller Playhouse (614). A covered walkway linked the two venues and a small art gallery, meeting room and a rapidly-popular restaurant rounded out the complex. The Studio Theatre (which seats 90 people), as well as administrative offices and a large workshop were added in 1982.
At a cake-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, Canberra Theatre Centre Director Alex Budd said, “For six decades, Canberra Theatre Centre has been a place where stories come alive, where community gathers, cherished memories are made and where the magic of live performance continues to inspire.
“As we look to the future, the Canberra Theatre Centre is poised to soar to even greater heights, providing a new home for world-class productions in our nation’s capital,” Budd added in a media statement supplied to ArtsHub late Thursday night.
Budd also noted that when the Centre first opened, Canberra’s population was only 85,000 people (compared to 450,000 today), yet between them the Canberra Theatre and the Playhouse sold 240,000 tickets a year.
Making the significance of Canberra Theatre Centre’s 60th anniversary, the cake-cutting ceremony on Tuesday was attended by Barr – taking time out from releasing the ACT’s 2025-26 Budget that same day – alongside numerous current and former Centre staff.
Barr said: “Happy 60th to the Canberra Theatre Centre – what a milestone! For six decades, it’s been the cultural heart of our city, inspiring audiences and supporting our incredible arts community. And with a brand new lyric theatre on the way, the future’s looking brighter than ever.”
A video message from Australia’s Governor-General, the Honourable Sam Mostyn AC, was also screened at the cake-cutting ceremony, in which Mostyn described herself as one of the Centre’s “greatest fans”.
Her Excellency added: “I am celebrating with you in spirit, because the Canberra Theatre Centre holds such a special place in the hearts of so many Canberrans. And, like Canberra Theatre, I’m turning 60 this year too.
“Opening in 1965 ,the Canberra Theatre was Australia’s first multi-venue performing arts centre, and an exciting visual addition to Canberra’s architectural landscape. And over the years since, Canberra’s performing art scene has been one of our most vibrant, inspiring and expansive, with CTC at its heart and home,” the Governor-General continued.
“Canberra Theatre has been part of my life since 1978, when I was in the audience for a wonderful Joan Armatrading concert. With more than 10 million people having visited over its 60 years, so many Canberrans, just like me, have stories to tell of days and nights in our theatre. And now, living in Canberra as Governor General, it is a gift to have the Canberra Theatre Centre as my local theatre once again,” she concluded.
The future of Canberra Theatre Centre
On Tuesday night, The Australian Ballet, which was touring with its ‘modern and gritty’ Carmen (to quote ArtsHub’s 4 ½-star review of the production) returned to Canberra Theatre’s stage – just as a much younger version of the Company did on the Centre’s opening night in 1965, albeit with a rather different program.
Speaking at an after-party on Tuesday, following the performance of Carmen, Budd said, “59 years and 362 days ago, on 24 June 1965 if you want to be precise, the theatre we’ve just been inside held its gala opening. Australia’s first multi-venue performing arts centre was born. And who was on stage that night? A three-year-old Australian Ballet, boldly presenting a program that included their first Australian choreographic commission, Melbourne Cup, Robert Helpmann’s The Display and the sublime Act II of Swan Lake.
“That night catapulted the quality of performance in the capital to a new level. It generated local employment, sparked the city’s curiosity for creativity, and began a story that’s now welcomed more than 10 million people through our doors.
“At the time, venues like Albert Hall had been it for the national capital. Suddenly, the Theatre and Playhouse were presenting everything from the Canberra Symphony to a cinema program, through to ballet, drama and opera… Another early innovation? We were the first theatre in Australia to secure a liquor licence – a glass of champagne at the ballet has been a constant since the beginning,” Budd said, adding that the Centre is now firmly focused on the next 60 years.
“We’re so very close to finalising plannings for our new Lyric Theatre, including a stage that can welcome the largest of The Australian Ballet’s productions. It’s the next game-changer for us, and live performance in the national capital,” he said.
Construction of the new lyric theatre, which will be capable of hosting major musicals and operas (currently not touring to Canberra), is expected to begin soon. Once completed, the lyric theatre will stand on the north side of the existing Canberra Theatre, and is expected to seat 2000 people.
The ACT Government has provided over $28 million for detailed design and community consultation of the lyric theatre to date, with plans going to the Government for approval in late 2025.
A projected opening date for the new lyric theatre has not been confirmed. The construction company Multiplex was appointed as the project’s ‘early delivery partner’ in May, following a public tender process.
