Save the Regent Theatre Brisbane
June 4th 2010 00:23
Original Creative Writing:
Geoffrey Rush
Link: www.debritz.com/str/
Protesters held a vigil in the centre of Brisbane on Saturday May 29, 2010 to pressure the Queensland Government over the looming demolition of the historic Regent Theatre.
Over the past few decades most of the great Regent Theatres in Australia have been demolished in the way of progress as they call it. Here in Adelaide the theatre has joined most others in being long gone. Now, in Brisbane, an office block is about to be placed where the great stage once was.
Statement from actor Geoffrey Rush
"....the serious damage to the Regent was really done in 1978 when we actually lost the full glory and splendour of a great architectural and cultural icon of Brisbane...but they left us with a bit of it in tact...how generous, how cunning, how manipulative, how patronising...
"Before the formerly unique splendour of the once-great boulevard of Queen Street becomes entirely mistaken for a Lego village or some high-fiving idiots' vision of their own pea-brained future, we must challenge and deny these most venal minds that Queensland too regularly puts in charge of our city's character. We must fight very very hard to maintain this building.
"In Melbourne we still have The Princess, The Comedy, Her Majesty's, The Forum, The Athenaem, The Astor (recently rescued by a sale to a forward-thinking school - education, geddit?) all of which are beautiful and tell their own story of the city's history, creating a lively hub of musical theatre success, Melbourne Film Festival forums and screenings, rock concerts, brilliant cinema retrospectives on the big screen - none of which is hurting the city's artistic and economic bounty."
You can add your own voice to the protest if you have reason to.
Who to contact with your views about the Regent
Anna Bligh (Queensland Premier and Arts Minister):
Premier@ministerial.qld.gov.au
James Cain (chairman) and Daryl Browning (CEO, of ISPT, owner of the building):
contact@ispt.net.au
Stirling Hinchliffe (Infrastructure minister):
stafford@stirlinghinchliffe.c om
Campbell Newman (Brisbane's mayor):
LORD.MAYOR@brisbane.qld.gov.au
John-Paul Langbroek (Opposition leader and Shadow Arts Minister):
surfers.paradise@parliament.q ld.gov.au
Paul Lucas (Deputy premier)
deputypremier@ministerial.qld .gov.au
Amanda Cooper (council chair of planning and development assessment):
Brackenridge.ward@brisbane.ql d.gov.au
Grace Grace (State MLA member for Brisbane Central):
Grace.Grace@parliament.qld.go v.au
Save the Regent campaigner Brett Debritz said the historic cinema, originally a theatre, could be converted into a 2000-seat venue and designs were submitted to the State Government and Brisbane City Council two years ago without response. Melbourne has double Brisbane's population but five times the number of large theatres. Instead the Regent's showcase cinema is set to be demolished to make way for a 38-storey office tower.
Statement from actor Geoffrey Rush
"....the serious damage to the Regent was really done in 1978 when we actually lost the full glory and splendour of a great architectural and cultural icon of Brisbane...but they left us with a bit of it in tact...how generous, how cunning, how manipulative, how patronising...
"Before the formerly unique splendour of the once-great boulevard of Queen Street becomes entirely mistaken for a Lego village or some high-fiving idiots' vision of their own pea-brained future, we must challenge and deny these most venal minds that Queensland too regularly puts in charge of our city's character. We must fight very very hard to maintain this building.
"In Melbourne we still have The Princess, The Comedy, Her Majesty's, The Forum, The Athenaem, The Astor (recently rescued by a sale to a forward-thinking school - education, geddit?) all of which are beautiful and tell their own story of the city's history, creating a lively hub of musical theatre success, Melbourne Film Festival forums and screenings, rock concerts, brilliant cinema retrospectives on the big screen - none of which is hurting the city's artistic and economic bounty."
You can add your own voice to the protest if you have reason to.
Who to contact with your views about the Regent
Anna Bligh (Queensland Premier and Arts Minister):
Premier@ministerial.qld.gov.au
James Cain (chairman) and Daryl Browning (CEO, of ISPT, owner of the building):
contact@ispt.net.au
Stirling Hinchliffe (Infrastructure minister):
stafford@stirlinghinchliffe.c om
Campbell Newman (Brisbane's mayor):
LORD.MAYOR@brisbane.qld.gov.au
John-Paul Langbroek (Opposition leader and Shadow Arts Minister):
surfers.paradise@parliament.q ld.gov.au
Paul Lucas (Deputy premier)
deputypremier@ministerial.qld .gov.au
Amanda Cooper (council chair of planning and development assessment):
Brackenridge.ward@brisbane.ql d.gov.au
Grace Grace (State MLA member for Brisbane Central):
Grace.Grace@parliament.qld.go v.au
Save the Regent campaigner Brett Debritz said the historic cinema, originally a theatre, could be converted into a 2000-seat venue and designs were submitted to the State Government and Brisbane City Council two years ago without response. Melbourne has double Brisbane's population but five times the number of large theatres. Instead the Regent's showcase cinema is set to be demolished to make way for a 38-storey office tower.
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David Jobling
