Our mission

The Friends of the Liberty Theatre and Cultural Centre Inc. aim to restore and fit out the iconic 1939 Art Deco Liberty Theatre in Yass to enable the community of Yass Valley to again enjoy cinema, theatre, stage, musical, and arts productions.

It is also intended to bring tertiary education to the area and provide sound, film, video and production experience for the youth of the region, who may be looking at possible employment in those fields.

Listed by the National Trust as a heritage building of national significance, the theatre has been used by the Yass Repertory Society for the past 27 years. The Yass Repertory Society is the longest continuously running Repertory Society in NSW, and has been running for nearly 100 years.

Sadly, the theatre is no longer fit for this purpose. The restoration will ensure that Yass, and the wider regional community can again use this unique building for a range of theatre, cultural, exhibitions, workshops, and educational activities.

Our heritage offers fantastic opportunities for learning and development, volunteering and wellbeing. Evidence shows that people who engage with heritage are happier and have higher life satisfaction and lower anxiety levels than those that do not.

Acquisition

The Liberty Theatre is currently owned by a local family who has agreed to sell the building to the Friends of Liberty. We aim for the theatre to be owned by the whole Yass Valley community, run by the board of management, for the benefit of the broader region and as a destination for visitors from Australia and beyond.

To achieve our vision, we need to purchase the building before any work can commence. We have already secured a pledge from a private foundation who will donate a significant amount towards the purchase price. Additional money is required to cover the remaining purchase costs and to undertake the restoration.

With the co-operation and support of the current owner, along with a grant from CreateNSW for equipment, we are currently working towards having a cinema based in the theatre before the end of the year.

Reuse

Historic buildings can be as much at risk of loss through disuse as they can be from the wrecking ball. So it is crucial to bring life to the theatre again.

Plus, restoration is a big project and we want to ensure the community doesn’t wait years to enjoy the building again.

We might start small, but as the other parts of the project progress the range of activities which will be available in the theatre will change and expand.

Operations will also provide the project with sustainable revenue to contribute towards further works.

Ongoing and consistent use of historic public buildings for their original intended purpose forms part of their significance. Finding new uses for the theatre will contribute to the regeneration of Comur St, attract new investment and new opportunities and making it once again a place of thriving economic and social activity.

Concept designs for the restored theatre.

Restoration

This is an important heritage conservation project which will preserve this beautiful building for future generations. The restoration will preserve the building’s rich heritage and provide jobs, investment and new entertainment and education opportunities into the region.

Bringing the theatre back to good health will take time and will mean balancing making changes to ensure safety and viability of new uses with retaining what makes this landmark special.

Recent donations from local individuals and organisations have enabled the Friends of the Liberty Theatre and Cultural Centre Inc. to develop plans and engineering designs for the theatre and we remain confident the project will be delivered.

This will be an ongoing process, and will be broken into smaller phases to minimise disruption to activities in the building and the community.

We know we need approximately $4 million for the restoration:

$500,000 for the restoration and refit of the Organ
$3,200,000 is the quote from 2021 for the Theatre restoration and upgrades
$300,000 for contingencies

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 Architect Eric Martin AM and Associates.

The restoration plans include:

Replacing the roof and rear walls after removal of the fibro asbestos sheeting
Reconfiguring backstage areas for improved dressing rooms and costume storage
Upgrades to all the bathrooms including installation of accessible toilets
Improving disability access
Installation of solar panels on the roof to improve sustainability
Upgrading air conditioning, electric wiring and lighting
Installation of drop-down screen and digital projection for cinema funded by Create NSW Government Grant.
Repairs, reupholstery and replacement as needed of 150 seats in the upper gallery for total seating of approximately 250 people in the whole theatre
Fitting out of exhibition space under the gallery for hanging and lighting of works
Installation of 1927 Wurlitzer Organ