New era for saved Hopgood Theatre
Published on 23 October 2022
The future of the Hopgood Theatre has been secured, thanks to an agreement between TAFE SA and the City of Onkaparinga. The 25-year lease agreement will also include a grant of $6 million to refurbish the theatre.
The state government has collaborated with a number of key stakeholders to also ensure increased funding for the management of the theatre, no additional cost to council's ratepayers and the long-term future of the theatre being secured. The agreement includes an annual peppercorn (nominal) lease consideration.
As part of the arrangement, Country Arts SA will continue to operate the theatre until 30 June 2023 before it is transferred over to the City of Onkaparinga.
Improvements to the theatre will include maintenance work, an upgrade to sound and lighting systems and re-roofing of the theatre.
Education Minister Blair Boyer said the 492-seat Hopgood Theatre has provided the southern suburbs and Fleurieu Peninsula with a facility for theatre and performing arts since it opened in 1985.
"I’d like to thank the tireless advocacy of the wonderful local MPs who listened to their community and acted on their behalf for future generations," he said.
"Having broader support to provide a refurbished theatre to support local artists to entertain large crowds, while also providing schools with an event and education space will provide many benefits for the local community."
City of Onkaparinga Acting Mayor Simon McMahon said the lease agreement guaranteed the future of the prized cultural asset and was a great win for the local community who had campaigned for many years for its upgrade and renewal.
“Our goal—and that of our residents and the SA arts community—has always been to make sure the Hopgood continues serving the community for decades to come, and this decision does that,” he said.
“Not only that, the theatre will also receive a much-needed $6 million upgrade to bring it up to modern standard.
“The long-term lease option provides substantially the same ownership rights to council as purchasing the theatre, with the benefit of reducing ongoing financial costs as the asset ages, which means better value for ratepayers.
“We’ll also be able to negotiate with the state government on extending the 25-year lease in the years before the lease term ends.
“Thank you to Minister Boyer and the state government for their commitment to finding a long-term solution for the Hopgood Theatre with us.
“A big thank you again to local residents, the arts community, and local and federal MPs who fiercely advocated with us when the theatre’s future was in doubt—without your resolve and passion, it’s unlikely we’d be in the fantastic position we find ourselves.”
“At a time when our arts community are recovering from the impacts of COVID, this is a great injection of funds and commitment to the south.”
Save the Hopgood campaigner Harry Dewar said he was relishing the triumph of people-power in the four-year battle to save the wonderful community arts and cultural facility from closure.
"The future of the Hopgood Theatre and its continued contribution to the life of this community is at last secured and I thank everyone for their unwavering and tenacious leadership in the fight," he said.
Sanjaya Oakley, director of Dance Xtreme Studios, said his dancers had been using the Hopgood Theatre for 19 years, and without it they'd struggle to find a place to perform without families having to travel into the city.
"To have a place like this to be able to perform and to show what we have - not only for us but for all dance studios and other groups... to have a place like this to use just means the world," he said.
"To lock in 25 more years of the Hopgood and the fact it's going to be refurbished and made state-of-the-art is amazing for us.
"We can't wait to see what they do with the facilities and we can't thank everyone involved enough."