Our vision is to see the restored and upgraded theatre used as a cinema, theatre and cultural hub for Yass.

Picture this

The wonderful feeling of anticipation and excitement as a child ascending the generous stairs covered in the woollen red, silver, and fawn carpet to the upstairs gallery. Purchasing milkshakes and snacks from the little servery before going up the stairs to walk out into the spacious gallery.

You find your allocated seat and then look up at the softly changing colours cast by concealed lighting, highlighting the wonderful Ocean liner style Art Deco moldings on the walls and ceiling, trying to decide whether you were looking at Swans on the waves or musical notes floating across the waves or sky, your imagination was your only limit.

The movie would show a few credits and then a newsreel of world news, the only source of visual news because the Theatre was established well before television and even into the 60’s till the closure in the 70s, many regional folks still didn’t own a TV. Many families made Saturday evenings a “night out’ at the Liberty with many catching a meal at the Art Deco Liberty Cafe or for stronger liquid refreshment they could go over the road to either of the popular Commercial and Clubhouse Hotels.

Future opportunities

A number of national bodies and individual artists have expressed their relief that work is progressing towards the Liberty’s restoration. They have identified the significance to Yass regarding this development, citing the unique nature of the building, and abundant possible avenues of participation for the local community.

• NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Art) is keen to extend opportunities for local individuals to become involved in their tertiary education programs.

• SYDNEY FILM SCHOOL has highlighted its capacity to work with locals as they take their first steps towards a professional career path in film/television.

• BANGARRA Dance Theatre consider the opportunity to bring indigenous work and culture to residents of Yass Valley be important, and believe the Liberty’s restoration would provide an ideal location.

• RED ROCK FILMS supports the Liberty’s preservation and forsee exciting opportunities for showcasing and premiering works.

Our plans

Once the theatre’s ownership has been secured for the community, restoration of this beautiful, and rare building for the community will be achieved with the advice and plans from heritage experts.

Upgrades will include a new exhibition space, state of the art lighting, drop down screen and audio system to support live theatre, dance, other productions and the viewing of films, upgrades to the air conditioning, seating, theatre side entry and public toilets that meet accessibility standards.

The roof will be replaced, and an extension made to the rear of the building creating additional theatre facilities, dressing rooms and storage backstage. Enhancements will also be made to the foyer area. A flexible space will be developed to run cultural and arts workshops and exhibition space for art, book and music launches.

The restoration of the building will ensure that Yass, and the wider regional community can again use this unique building for a range of local and touring theatre, cultural, exhibitions, workshops, and educational activities.

Our fond memories

Many residents of the Yass region have fond memories of enjoying family movies, teen outings, first dates at the Cinema followed by many marriage proposals. The Liberty has been held with such love that prior to closing, many weddings had some formal wedding photos taken on the steps of the second-floor foyer.

We know with the restoration of the Art Deco Theatre we can return those wonderful memories, and we also envisage a much broader use to incorporate entertainment, enjoyment, education, and employment.