The woman after whom Castlemaine’s Phee Broadway Theatre is named has said she is concerned venue hire prices could prevent artists from performing in the space.
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Phee Broadway, who was manager of the Castlemaine State Festival between 1978 and 1994, said council requirements to pay a supervising technician made the 230-seat venue difficult for small companies to afford.
She knew of at least one local group who was considering performing their show outside the town to save cash on venue hire.
The theatre’s hire agreement stipulates a supervising technician must be present when a production is moving in and out of the performance space, a requirement that cost $47.50 per hour.
Just one day spent in the space could cost an artist almost $1,600 once the technician fees were added to the venue hire amount.
Mount Alexander Shire’s sustainable communities acting manager David Leathem said hirers were required to employ a technician since a review of the theatre’s safe work practices in 2015.
“The role of the technician is to oversee the safe and effective operation of the theatre when technical equipment is being used, or when an audience is in attendance,” he said.
While Ms Broadway said she understood the council needed to fulfill its occupational health and safety obligations, she hoped the municipality could find the money to to offset the costs of the technician.
While she praised the work of the technician who supervised a charity concert held inside the theatre last year, Ms Broadway said she felt pressure to sell out the event so money raised could still be donated to her nominated cause.
Seeing the theatre sit empty because artists were priced out of performing there would be disappointing, she said.
“It's a great space, it's got good acoustics, and its very comfortable space to perform in, but you don't always get the numbers.”
Mr Leathem explained the council offered community groups and schools a discounted rate, and affirmed his shire’s commitment to creating a “thriving” arts scene in Castlemaine.
Performance costs were not something unique to Castlemaine, Ms Broadway conceded, saying meetings she had attended with the council had also attracted arts groups from other parts of Victoria struggling to afford venue hire.
Capital Venues and Events spokeswoman Anne Henshall said hire costs were something Bendigo troupes also had to confront and her organisation offered some groups sponsorship to mitigate the expense.
But she emphasised the need for people working in the arts to put health and safety first.
“You just have to, because the buildings have to be maintained and a lot of them are old,” she said.
“People underestimate how much maintenance and equipment is needed to run a theatre.”
Representatives from Castlemaine Theatre Company and Three’s A Crowd theatre company were contacted for comment.