Plenty Ranges Arts Centre manager James Mavros talks about the role of performing arts in the community.
There is no doubt in my mind Plenty Ranges is the premier performing arts venue in Melbourne’s outer north.
It is a true community facility – not only a conduit to the arts, it also astonishes me how it touches the lives of many in the community.
Recently, a young woman booked her wedding with us. She told the story of how she had first come to the centre while in primary school, performed here with her dance school, performed in her secondary school musical, was a debutante here and now is getting married at Plenty Ranges.
I told her that when the time comes we’ll have to do her a great price on a christening.
Part of my role as manager is to maintain a state-of-the-art facility for local residents at a reasonable cost. As it is a community facility, it is in part subsidised by council. However, each year the aim is to keep this subsidy as low as possible and we do that by generating income through commercial and corporate events. Every cent earned is returned to the centre so we can continually upgrade our facilities and present the best venue, hence host the finest local theatre Australia has to offer. A great example is the recommissioning through improvements on our Woodstock Theatre, which caters to the smaller schools and community groups through providing a low-cost space.
Our Plenty Ranges centre also means locals can stay local. We regularly book shows that were previously available only in the CBD – eliminating the 45-minute drive to the city and the cost of a ticket that won’t give you much, if any, change from $100 (and let’s not forget the parking fees). A trip to Plenty Ranges, on the other hand, gets you a theatre ticket to a world-class show such as The Australian Ballet at a cost affordable for most families. And the parking is free.
In our modern technological world, some people still feel going to the theatre is a big occasion. I’m here to say that it is many things, from the joy of kids dancing to Bananas in Pyjamas to the emotion of Swan Lake to the laughs of great Aussie and international comedians and the imagination of shows such as The Flood or Moth. In many ways it is no different to going to the movies, a casual night out. Instead of sitting at home channel surfing, go to the theatre and experience something very different.
