Stage ‘Whispers’ Boom Out in Dubbo’s Amazing New Theatre.



The New South Wales town of Dubbo has a brand new theatre with acoustics so wonderful you can practically whisper on stage and be heard in the back 
row.

It’s one of a number of remarkable features for the 500-seat venue.
The fly tower is the tallest building in the whole town. It reaches six stories and is reputedly only eclipsed in height from stage to the grid in Australia by 
QPAC in Brisbane.
The Dubbo Regional Theatre and Convention Centre was built for $18.5 million and finished on time and on budget.
“Dubbo City Council is over the moon, ratepayers are delighted and we have sold over 7000 
tickets prior to the facility opening to the public in mid-April,” said Theatre Manager Alan 
Youngson.
Dubbo is a regional town 400 kilometres west of Sydney with a population of 
40,000 but a catchment area of 120,000. It’s best known as the home of The 
Western Plains Zoo.
For over 40 years, the city has made do with a 700-seat flat floor civic centre. The new 500 seat tiered theatre has now been built so it adjoins the existing civic centre right in the middle of town.
So what was the secret to the successful launch?
“We had a very strong Project Manager (Mick Wilson) who knew exactly what 
he wanted to achieve,” said Mr. Youngson. 

The tall fly tower was built to allow for a variety of acts including Circus 
acrobats. It also means that a show running on the weekend can have their 
sets lifted to the roof to allow a conference access during business hours.
But patrons have been most impressed by the audio.
“Touring groups say it has some of the best acoustics they have worked in,” 
he said.
So what went right?
Mick Wilson said painstaking planning was the key.
“We put it through a computer modelling system three times to get it right,” he 
said.
He gives credit to Perumal Pedavolli architects. 

The auditorium is designed with wooden panels on the side to deflect sound 
back into the audience.
Carpet is only in place in the aisles, with concrete under the seats to facilitate
another soundboard.
The back of the theatre is absorbent to stop sound bouncing back to the 
audience in a different direction.
“We can have performances without microphones but naturally we do have a full audio system, lighting and flying systems,” he said.
The Dubbo Regional Theatre and Convention Centre opened on the 17th of April with The Eagles Experience rock concert.
Alan Youngson has programmed a combination of cutting edge drama, popular music, commercial shows, children’s theatre as well as local hires from the Dubbo Eisteddfod and the inaugural musical – Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat staged by the Dubbo Theatre Company.
Most successful so far have been shows such as David Strassman and the "Salute to the Songwriters" series entrepreneured or produced for Sunday afternoons.
They are on once a month and so far the themes have included Scottish Spectacular, 
Judy and Liza, and a tribute to Mario Lanza.
Alan says "artistically and theatrically, most shows chosen require our well-equipped theatre with quality acoustics, good sightlines, flying and lighting facilities.”
Six of the first 12 shows sold out and additional performances were scheduled where possible,” he said.
Overall it appears to be an excellent model for a regional theatre. A reasonable price for ratepayers coupled with community support and 
flexibility for a range of uses.
David Spicer

Originally published in the July / August 2010 edition of Stage Whispers.