Excessive commercial rates have placed the much-loved home of the Marian Street Theatre for Young People in jeopardy, causing concern for the future of this unique community group. Charmaine Hui investigates.
Marian Street Theatre for Young People (MSTYP) is under threat as the Ku-ring-gai Council determines whether Australia’s oldest children’s theatre can return to its Killara home. The theatre has operated as the resident theatre company at Marian Street Theatre for 40 years, with the council-owned space serving as a performance venue and important administration, rehearsal and storage space.
The council closed the theatre for renovations in December 2013, deeming the site unsafe, and is now planning to make the theatre available for commercial hire at rates that MSTYP will not be able to afford.
An online petition on Change.org demanding that Ku-ring-gai Council offer MSTYP its original home at affordable rates, has amassed over 1300 signatures so far, including the signature of actor Hugh Jackman.
“I am a powerfully strong supporter of the arts and I believe that our performing arts industry needs to be nurtured at every level. I sincerely hope the Marian Street Theatre for Young People finds a way to continue [its] important work,” Jackman wrote.
MSTYP artistic director, Margie McCrae, said the theatre will not only be too expensive to hire, but the renovations will also strip the venue of valuable rehearsal, administration and storage space.
“We can’t use the theatre for classes or teachers and we can’t have an office. It is inconsistent with council’s assertion that they support us,” she said.
Ku-ring-gai Council has assured MSTYP that it will have continued use of the newly renovated Marian Street Theatre when it reopens. However, the theatre group has already lost thousands in funds having to hire extra rehearsal spaces and performance venues which restrict the number of production showings. According to McCrae, the group could lose up to $90,000 by year’s end if it is unable to return to its home at Marian Street Theatre.
MSTYP has played a unique role in the North Shore’s cultural life, being widely valued by the community for generations. The theatre group is an independent, not-for-profit organisation which offers drama classes for people of all ages and gives young people the opportunity to participate directly in theatre production as actors, stage managers, directors and technical operators under the guidance of experienced theatre professionals.
A signatory of the petition, Cecilia Ritchie, remembers MSTYP fondly.
”My mum took us to see Marian Street shows many times when we were kids,” she said. “They were some of the most memorable moments of my childhood, and fostered in me a lifelong love of live theatre. I encourage council to invest in the creativity of its residents by making space for children’s theatre.”
Writer and teacher for MSTYP, Catherine Martin, said the theatre group is important to the teenagers who perform and the children who watch the shows.
”There is no other theatre group in Sydney that is doing what MSTYP does for the community … but the reality is, this unique theatrical group cannot survive without financial support and a space to perform.”
The council has suggested that Marian Street Theatre be offered to MSTYP for performances only during the school holidays. For the time being, MSTYP has partnered with Knox Grammar to present their production of Snow White during the winter school holidays from June 28 to July 12.
A Ku-ring-gai Council spokesperson said it is waiting on recommendations from an independent reviewer which will inform the council’s decision about the MSTYP’s future.
