“It is so exciting to see the place starting to take shape.
“The floor has been a massive job, but one that was desperately required. There is so much to go, but this major milestone really gives us some momentum.
“There is a lot of work to still do – air-conditioning, curtains, sound and lighting, seating.
“Structurally, it’s pretty good. There are a few leaks getting patched up, but that’s just minor stuff.”
The theatre’s theme – described by Mr Harman as warm, romantic Victorian era, steampunk and industrial – is taking shape in the foyer and will be extended into the main hall, where about 200 seats will be installed.
“The stage will be extended, it won’t be your standard theatre. We want it to be known as that sort of indie type, something different, it’s a live performance venue,” he said.
“Every month we’ll put on a feature show here, whether it’s bands, orchestras, comedy acts, magic shows, whatever the touring acts are, we will try and take, and keep it going.
“We’ll put on a couple of our own productions every year, in the vein of Sweeney Todd, which happened during the last steampunk festival.
“We now have our own venue that we can do it in, and we can deck it out exactly the way we want it.”
The couple is hosting an auction on Saturday with tickets available from Lloyd Street’s The Forbidden Forest, to raise money for the continued refurbishment. “This will be a way for us to give back to the community, as well as generate some much-needed funds to continue our journey,” Mr Harman said.
“The auction will have plenty of on-stage shenanigans in the form of some impersonations of three of our former Aussie icons.
“Our goal is to be up-and-going for our first major production to stage during the 2027 Wimmera Steampunk Festival.”
– Bronwyn Hastings
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