Commentary and Case Studies

Cummins Theatre Merredin shows how performing arts for families is an essential part of liveability in regional communities.

The performing arts team at Harvey Recreation and Cultural Centre, along with partners from the Shire, the WA College of Agriculture and Headspace show how performing arts can change lives and help with serious community issues.

Arts Narrogin introduces Take Your Seats – to improve the lives of the town’s seniors and bring them into the community where they belong.    

COMMENT What makes a successful venue? Managing a regional venue brings with it a number of complicated challenges: diverse markets, limited funding, venue equipment and infrastructure found lacking, a venue owner with a range of competing priorities (e.g., sewerage, garbage and IT) and often with no experience or understanding of arts and culture. There is… More

In 2014/2015 James Boyd, WA Manager for Creative Partnerships Australia, worked with the team at Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre on a fundraising campaign. Over $120,000 was raised in a ‘Name a Seat Campaign’. James Boyd was very  ‘available’ to the Centre and provided some great advice by both visiting the Centre and also in being a… More

The Beverley Station Arts Gallery and Amphitheatre                                                                                   Beverley Station Arts Inc. is a dedicated… More

In July 2016, we wrote about a planned collaboration between Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre and Ochre Contemporary Dance Company. In August and September 2016, Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre is welcoming Perth-based Ochre Contemporary Dance Company to Bunbury for a five-week residency. Ochre will be based in BREC’s Cube Theatre and will spend time with local artists,… More

Based in the regional centre of Lismore in the Northern Rivers NSW, Northern Rivers Performing Arts (NORPA) is renowned for presenting a Season of curated and home-grown works that are both challenging and accessible to regional audiences. Increasing access to the performing arts is at the core of NORPA’s artistic program, embracing the diversity of… More

Commentary by Joel McGuinness (Director, JAM Creative and former General Manager at Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre) I was properly introduced to the full production of Oddysea by Sensorium Theatre after a full week of the APACA (Australian Performing Arts Centres Association) Conference in Sydney. Like most Programmers and Presenters my head was full, my attention span… More

Comment: ‘Road trip’ with Merryn Carter Travelling around our vast state earlier this year for a Circuit West Project, Merryn Carter was looking forward to learning about the work being done in regions of WA that she hadn’t visited before. “I was hoping to be able to support and encourage venue managers to consider the… More

Comment: ‘Road trip’ with Joel McGuinness Earlier this year, Joel McGuinness, former general manager at Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre, and Director of JAM Creative Arts, travelled all over Western Australia as part of a ‘Needs Analysis Project’ for the Department of Culture and the Arts and CircuitWest. The Needs Analysis Project was developed in conjunction with… More

Comment: ‘Road Trip’ with Annette Carmichael With a focus on community engagement, Annette Carmichael traveled around our great state earlier this year as part of a Circuit West Project, funded as part of the Department of Culture and the Arts Creative Regions initiative. Having previously worked in most of the towns she visited as either… More

OPERA AUSTRALIA CASE STUDY – REGIONAL CHILDREN’S CHORUS Over 20 years of consecutive national regional touring, Opera Australia has enriched the lives of over 245,000 people living in regional and rural Australia by presenting high caliber opera in a variety of venues and spaces – from pig sheds to town halls and proscenium arch theatres… More

Case Study: Out of the Box in Bunbury With a history spanning almost 25 years, Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre underwent a huge $12.5 million transformation in 2014 which included the addition of a 242-seat “Black Box” theatre name The Cube, conferencing facilities and a Sky Bar which takes advantage of stunning views over the Leschenault… More

Case Study: Country Arts WA Country Arts WA delivers extensive state and national touring programs, arts development programs, strategic projects, and manages devolved funding on behalf of the State and Federal Governments – this includes funding for arts projects, support for key regional arts organisations, regional artists, Aboriginal arts, and culture and youth specific programs.… More

Case Study: Creative Buildings that work The demands on arts buildings include a host of community activities that bring them to life in many ways. In addition to pure performance there can also be mini-festivals, children’s holiday events, weddings, family celebrations, and conferences. All these are now part of the working life of an active… More