Curtain rises on a new era at Her Majesty's Theatre Ballarat

28/11/2024

The auditorium of Her Majesty’s Theatre Ballarat, with empty blue seats folded up in the foreground. In the background the mezzanine and balcony are visible, with yellow theatre lighting illuminating the edges of the auditorium.

The stage is set for a new and more inclusive era for patrons and performers at Her Majesty’s Theatre in Ballarat, with the venue officially reopened to the public following extensive upgrades.

Celebrated in grand style with ‘Resurgence’, an event showcasing some of the best regional talent, the theatre is ready to resume its position as one of Victoria’s best performance venues.

This stylistic reopening is just the beginning for the nearly 150-year-old theatre, with major acts Marcia Hines, Daryl Braithwaite, and the illusionist Consentino among the upcoming performances over the holiday period.

Her Majesty’s Theatre, or ‘Her Maj’ as it is affectionately known to locals, has undergone major upgrade works in recent years, the latest of which we backed through a $10 million investment.

Her Maj, which is Australia’s oldest continually used performance space, has been transformed into a building that beautifully marries the old and the new. The venue honours the rich goldfields-era history of the theatre while offering a modern and accessible space for artists and audiences.

A jewel in Ballarat’s artistic crown, the theatre is a key pillar of live entertainment in regional Victoria and one of the most significant 19th Century theatres remaining in Australia.

The theatre receives $95,000 each year via Creative Victoria’s Regional Partnerships Program to support the venues programming. Council also receives funding through the program to support Art Gallery of Ballarat.

The reopened theatre will continue to support high quality arts and entertainment events, while ensuring that more people of all abilities have a chance to showcase their talents, tell their stories on the stage, and experience live entertainment.

Recent works, which supported 21 jobs during construction, have installed new lifts to support people of all abilities to access the stage and auditorium, improved fire safety standards in the building, and installed a new box office to make it easier than ever to purchase tickets and stay up to date with future performances and events.

The building also now offers accessible toilets and an improved back-of-house area for artists.

Earlier upgrades included the installation of steel structural support beams and external brick works and were completed as part of the first two stages of the redevelopment. These works were supported by more than $5 million from the City of Ballarat and $2 million from Heritage Victoria.

With more people moving to regional Victoria than ever before, we’re working to enhance and preserve the identities of its regional hubs and towns.

Support for Her Majesty’s Theatre is part of our record $45 billion investment over the past decade into projects and programs that are designed to support regional and rural Victoria to be even better places to live, work, stay and play.