Arcadians plea for help to save their Corrimal theatre home

Over the decades, much-loved musical theatre group The Arcadians have witnessed many dramas; thankfully they were all played out on stage – until now.

Sitting in the costume room of the Arcadians' long-term home, Corrimal’s Miner's Lamp Theatre, the organisation’s president and life member, Steve Sanders, outlined the dilemma facing the group.

After purchasing the former Corrimal community hall and library in 1997 from Wollongong City Council for $270,000, it was discovered only recently the Arcadians don’t have the necessary approvals to operate it as a theatre.

What followed was a thorough structural engineering review of the building which found major improvements were needed to ensure the Miner’s Lamp met modern fire, safety and accessibility standards.

Then came the bombshell news that those improvements, to meet National Construction Code standards, would cost almost $2 million.

“It was quite a shock,” Steve Sanders said. “We expected it to be an expensive exercise, probably in the order of hundreds of thousands of dollars. I didn’t think it would round out to be nearly $2 million."

The confronting news was delivered to the Arcadians' board just as they prepared for Christmas drinks at the end of last year.

“We certainly had a moment of silence when we received the news.”

From that day on, the organisation has considered all potential options.

“We even considered whether we should sell the building and find somewhere else to rehearse and perform,” Steve said.

The board, however, is determined to fight on and raise the money needed to get their home up to the required standard, allowing them to build on the 351 shows performed to date.

Over the past decade, hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent on the Miner’s Lamp Theatre – rebuilding the stage, bringing in new seating and enhancing lighting infrastructure to meet the ongoing needs of the organisation.

Steve said the theatre was used six days a week, including by their children’s group and the Lamplighters Male Choir, and no one wants to walk away from it.

“It would be disastrous. While $2 million is a lot to put into the building, the alternative isn’t good. While we have this building, we don’t have to pay rent.”

Katie Pearce, an Arcadians performer and producer, says while accepting the challenge ahead is daunting, she believes it’s worth fighting to save such an important part of the region’s theatrical history.

“Having a community theatre like this disappear would be such a huge loss for the community. It would leave such a big hole. It’s awful thinking about it,” Katie said.

“So many of my happiest memories have been in this building. Not only have I made lifelong friends, performed and created, I’ve had the opportunity to learn from legends.”

Now that the size of the challenge is known, the Arcadians are considering the best options to achieve their big fundraising target. A GoFundMe page has just been launched, but the $7000 pledged to date is a long way short of what’s needed.

“Our members and patrons know we’re under financial stress and pressure, and we know they will give as much as they can,” Katie said.

Steve said he hoped there would be enough community goodwill and business support to help the organisation meet what’s probably its biggest challenge ever.

”Businesses have offered in-kind support and other theatre groups had also offered to help where they can."

But it’s money that’s needed.

“We believe we’ve been generous in supporting local charities. Over the years we’ve supported local causes like the Wollongong Hospital Children’s Ward and bushfire appeals,” Steve said.

It’s now the Arcadians' turn to call in a favour and Steve is hopeful the community will rally in their hour of need. “We’re at the point we need help.”

Steve believes once work begins the theatre will probably close for about 12 months but that creates a new problem, given it will mean a loss of income when it’s needed most.

“We want to get all the work done at once to keep the costs down.”

It’s been a bittersweet month for the Arcadians who recently scooped eight awards at the Combined Area Theatre Awards.

As well as the GoFund Me option, donations to help save the Miner’s Lamp Theatre can be made via the Arcadians website.