Project Contact
Joe Agius
Aaron Robinson
Alex York
Andrew Butler
Andrew Parish
Anna Brown
Anthony Fazzari
Arlene Schmidt
Brendan Nolan
Clover Liang
Daniel Burke
Grant Macdonald
Karin Ke
Katherine Calderbank
Lauren Barber
Libby Feldman
Nazmul Khan
Peter Pittas
Phi Bui Mai
Raquel Chiusoli
Rhiana Roberts
Rikky Falantino
Sam Berkeley
Shannon Heath
James Lindsay
Jeremy Medlock
Xudong Shi
Canberra’s New Lyric Theatre
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
A lyric theatre built for the nation’s capital.
Canberra’s new lyric theatre will significantly elevate the city’s cultural capacity.
The lyric theatre will attract major international and national productions, while supporting the growth of the local creative sector. Together with the existing performance spaces at the Canberra Theatre Centre, the new lyric theatre will strengthen Canberra’s Civic and Cultural District as a destination for arts and performance.
At the heart of the theatre is a 2,000-seat lyric-style auditorium, comprising 1,000-seat stalls, a 500-seat circle and a 500-seat balcony. Primarily designed as a lyric theatre, the auditorium functions both flexibly and effectively, from operatic performance and musical ensemble, through to spoken word performance. Augmenting the theatre are a multipurpose presentation space and a rehearsal space, which is also designed as a front-of-house performance space itself.
The design animates and activates its surrounding public realm with transparent façades revealing foyers and the rehearsal space. On arrival, the patron is taken on a journey of ‘transition and ascent’ through a sequence of arrival, pause and gather movements on their way to their seat within the auditorium. This journey includes framed and filtered views to both City and Country. Foyer spaces support gathering and orientation, with intuitive wayfinding guiding movement. Open performance/presentation zones are implied in the foyer design.
The auditorium itself is conceived as a forest clearing, where material and lighting create an intimate, immersive setting that draws attention to the performance. Materials and colours draw on local woodland ecologies and geological conditions, echoed in earth tones and stone textures throughout.
The auditorium has been shaped to enhance intimacy and connection between patron and performer. Acoustics and lighting are integrated for clarity and intimacy across productions. Sightlines are benchmarked against international best practice. The auditorium includes accessible seating and quiet viewing spaces. A Changing Places facility is also included within the design.
The response to place, materiality and spatial experience is culturally respectful and informed by an extensive ‘Designing with Country’ consultation process.
For the wider community, the new lyric theatre will deliver a welcoming, accessible space in the heart of Canberra, built to serve audiences for generations to come.
For performers and crew, the venue will provide infrastructure built for flexibility across productions, rehearsals and touring. Back-of-house spaces are seamlessly connected to the existing Playhouse Theatre via a new, efficient shared dock arrangement.
As architect, interior designer, and signage/wayfinding designer, we’re delivering the project in collaboration with Charcoal Blue, TTW, LCI, Arcadia Landscape Architecture, and Yerrabingin – First Nations design partner, as part of a Multiplex-led team.
Delivered for the ACT Government, the project carries national significance for the city.
Sustainability highlights:
- Targeting a 4-star Green Star Building rating.
- 24% reduction in upfront carbon compared to the reference case, through a range of sustainable design and procurement strategies.
- High-performance building envelope with an optimised balance between daylight, glare control and façade shading.