Footbridge Theatre to reopen after almost 20 years

The theatre is beloved by countless former University of Sydney students who saw their first shows here, worked as an usher or acted in cabarets, or in later years, sat down to listen to their first lectures in the building. 

The theatre is also much-loved by professional performers in Sydney as a venue where many got their start in the arts industry, including Shakespearean actor/director John Bell, theatre and opera director Neil Armfield, performers Marcia Hines and Nancye Hayes, and film director Bruce Beresford.

Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Mark Scott AO said he had fond memories of attending the theatre with friends when he was a student himself at University of Sydney.  
 
“We are delighted to welcome the public back to the Footbridge Theatre, a cherished venue by so many,” Professor Scott said. “This space has always been a hub of creativity and inspiration, enriching the cultural fabric of the city. Its revival means we can continue to build strong connections with the Sydney arts community, ensuring everyone benefits from this vibrant cultural exchange.”

The refurbished Footbridge Theatre will be operated by the Sydney Conservatorium of Music to give students enrolled in the Music Theatre degree a permanent production home that can replicate professional standards and practice. The students will use the refurbished theatre for classes, rehearsals and full productions performed for the public. Jazz and contemporary music students will also perform in the theatre. 

The new refurbishment includes:

• State of the art sound, lighting and projection equipment
• 230 seats – the perfect mid-size theatre that Sydney needs
• A small orchestra pit for 22 live musicians
• A manual fly tower for students to learn traditional theatre skills
• Restoration in keeping with the heritage of the building, staying true to fond memories of the proscenium arch stage and 1960s ceiling features

Professor Anna Reid, Dean of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, highlighted the deep affection the people of Sydney hold for the Footbridge Theatre.

“The reopening of the Footbridge Theatre is more than just a restoration; it is a rekindling of fond memories for so many in our community,” Professor Reid said. “Generations of Sydneysiders have cherished moments of joy and laughter in this iconic space, and its revival brings those memories to life once again."

“Our students from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music are excited to infuse the University of Sydney’s main campus with vibrant performances. They’ll bring not only their talents but also a renewed sense of life, laughter, and creativity, enriching the campus and adding to its cultural heartbeat.”

Professor Reid said investing in the restoration of the Footbridge Theatre is an investment in the future of the arts.

"The revival of the Footbridge Theatre not only benefits our students, but it also holds immense value for the city of Sydney,” Professor Reid said. “By nurturing and cultivating our talented individuals, we are contributing to the rich cultural fabric of our community.

“As these graduates step into the professional realm, Sydney can anticipate an influx of exceptional and well-trained performers who will bring joy, entertainment, and a touch of magic to the stages of our city."

Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods will be the inaugural production of the Sydney Conservatorium’s Music Theatre program, in its new home at the Footbridge Theatre. The popular musical is a thought-provoking and fun story, weaving classic fairy tale characters from Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel to explore deeper themes of desire, consequences, and personal growth.

“Sondheim was a natural choice to open the theatre. It is musically and dramatically brilliant. It’s perfect for this very clever ensemble of students to sink their teeth into,” said Associate Professor Narelle Yeo, Program Leader for Musical Theatre, who is directing the third-year students, alongside conductor Simon Kenway.

“We are having so much fun leaning into the quirkiness and the joy inherent in this show,” she said.

“Our students are benefitting from a purpose-built theatre, with everything a music theatre student needs for success in the industry," Associate Professor Yeo said. "Having a professional performance venue on the University of Sydney main campus opens up so many possibilities for collaboration and growth.”

The Footbridge Theatre is part of a growing arts precinct proudly supported and operated by the University of Sydney, including the Seymour Centre, the Chau Chak Wing Museum, Sydney College of the Arts, Tin Sheds Gallery, Verge Gallery and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Originally conceived in 1955, and designed by renowned theatre architect John W. Roberts, the theatre first opened on 16 September 1961, known then as the Union Theatre, with 655 seats and a proscenium arch stage design. It became the Footbridge Theatre in 1981. It hosted student theatre productions and film screenings and was later leased by Gordon Frost Organisation and rented out to professional companies such as Bell Shakespeare, Sydney Theatre Company, Ensemble Theatre Company and Sydney Festival.

Passersby to the theatre will notice the distinctive iron sculpture on the façade, by Lyndon Dadswell, has remained part of the refurbishment. It was added in 1962 and represents “University Life”.

Associate Professor Cameron Logan, Director of Masters in Heritage Conservation, said the theatre was part of a post-war trend to include the wider community on Australian campuses.

“In the postwar decades planners and policymakers encouraged Australian universities to reimagine their mission and transition away from their former role as privileged enclaves of scholarship and elite networking toward an idea of themselves as modern, knowledge-centred public resources,” Associate Professor Logan said.

“At the University of Sydney and other institutions this more civic conception was promoted through the addition of new regionally significant cultural facilities which adopted the language of modern architecture. The Footbridge (formerly Union) Theatre was part of this trend,” he said.

The overall form and character of the building, including the textured brickwork and the large-scale art work, reflects the influence of the mid-century modernism seen at the Festival of Britain held in London in 1951, Associate Professor Logan said. The inside of the building features a “sense of theatrical exuberance” with its ornamental ceiling made of a star-patterned metal grid. 

“Though sometimes forgotten and perhaps diminished by its Paramatta Road frontage, the theatre is an important part of the university’s first wave of truly modern buildings alongside Chemistry and Fisher Library,” Associate Professor Logan said.

In 2006 after decades of performances, the Footbridge theatre was converted into a lecture hall when the University of Sydney was expanding in student numbers and needed more lecture space. Students have been attending lectures in it for almost 20 years. In 2023, refurbishment work started to restore the theatre into a performance space.

The renovated theatre will largely be a teaching and performance space for the students of Sydney Conservatorium of Music but it will also be available to the University of Sydney Union (USU). USU hosts clubs and societies including the historic Sydney University Dramatic Society (SUDS) and the Musical Theatre Ensemble (MUSE).

In the next 12 months, the Footbridge Theatre will be open to curated partnerships with arts organisations around Sydney.

The University of Sydney and Sydney Conservatorium of Music are grateful to theatre lover Alan Hyland, who has committed to funding student musical theatre productions over the next five years, all of which will be staged in the newly renovated Theatre.

Into the Woods will have four public performances from 24-26 October 2024.

The Sydney Conservatorium of Music acknowledges the generous support of the Alan Hyland and John Luscombe Endowment.