Parramatta has pulled the curtain back on the $188 million plus redevelopment of Riverside Theatres, revealing a Broadway-style lyric theatre for western Sydney.
After much anticipation, the winning design for the iconic local theatre has finally been announced.
Led by COX Architecture with 3XN Architects, Aileen Sage, Turf Design Studio, and Bangawarra, the new design will more than double Riverside Theatres’ current capacity to 2,780 seats.
It will enable the venue to welcome more than 400,000 visitors per year.
Along with the new 1,500-seat lyric theatre, the venue will also include a refurbished 760-seat Riverside Playhouse theatre, an all-new 420 seat black-box drama theatre and state-of-the-art 80 seat digital studio and cinema and enhanced public spaces.
The Riverside redevelopment project has been jointly funded by City of Parramatta and the NSW Government’s Western Sydney Infrastructure Grants.
Speaking in Parramatta, NSW Minister for the Arts John Graham said the redeveloped Riverside Theatres will really make Parramatta a performance powerhouse.
“It’s a very exciting development, that’s why we committed ahead of the election to invest $40 million,” he said.
“This is really where arts, culture and performance will happen now, it’s a huge boost for arts and culture in western Sydney.
“Once you have a 1,500-seat Broadway-style lyric theatre here, that will be transformative.”
For Lord Mayor Pierre Esber, it will bring the city one step closer to its vision of becoming the home of entertainment, festivals and sport by 2050.
“It will be great for the Sydney, great for Parramatta, great for us all,” he told Parra News.
“It will cement Parramatta as the cultural precinct of Sydney. We have a lot talent here in the city and we don’t want to lose that, we want to keep it here.
“It will give the young up-and-comers confidence that they know they’re in their own city, they can get things done, and they’ve got venues and facilities here instead of trekking all over the place.”
With construction set to start in late 2025, doors to the new multi-million performing arts facility are expected to open in 2028.
State Member for Parramatta Donna Davis said the new Riverside Theatres will help to establish Parramatta as the major CBD of western Sydney.
“This investment in Riverside Theatres is part of a bigger vision to enliven Parramatta, we are at the forefront of the 24-hour economy,” she added.
“We know that to enliven a city you need to have all those different elements working together. Great public transport so that people can come and enjoy those facilities, we want to be able to embolden our restaurants, we want to have a wonderful nightlife.”
On behalf of the winning design team, Joe Agius, Design Director with COX Architecture, said the reimagined Riverside Theatres will be a major uplift in the cultural capacity for Parramatta and greater western Sydney.
“Guided by a commitment to the location’s First Nations origin and sense of place, our goal was for a design that sensitively responds to both the natural beauty of the river and the site’s city context,” he said.
“Our team of creative collaborators are honoured to be part of this transformative project for the City of Parramatta and New South Wales.”
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.