Annual Report - QPAC

Chairman’s Report
I am very pleased to report that the Queensland Performing
Arts Centre has had another fantastic year despite a number
of challenges. To have almost 580,000 guests visit with us in
a year when our two main performance spaces – the Lyric
Theatre and the Concert Hall – were closed for four months for
major refurbishment works, was simply an outstanding result.
The refurbishment was a major challenge but was necessary
for a number of reasons. There was a serious need to address
a deficiency in our facilities for people with disabilities and
I believe QPAC now leads the way in servicing the needs of
guests with a disability. Replacement of seating and other
improvements have created warm and vibrant spaces that have
been very positively received by all and our new food and
beverage facilities have been well received and patronised.
Opportunity was also taken to improve some of the technical
elements of the theatres and those with a finer ear than mine
have welcomed the improved acoustics.
I am pleased to say that the refurbishment has been universally
judged as an outstanding success and I want to place on
record my appreciation of the Queensland Government, Arts
Queensland and the other Government agencies involved, for
their support for the project. As circumstances permit, we will
continue to work together on other projects to create the great
people place that we know QPAC can be.
Perhaps our most notable achievement for the year though
was securing the world famous Paris Opera Ballet for a season
of Rudolf Nureyev’s La Bayadère in June. To say it was
an outstanding artistic and financial success hardly seems
sufficient to describe what The Paris Opera Ballet meant to
Brisbane. One of the challenges for the Board in the period
ahead is to build on the momentum created by The Paris Opera
Ballet visit and to bring to fruition other opportunities for
similar visits and experiences.
While the big musicals will always be a key income producer
for the Centre, it has been a strong commitment of the Board
to bring a wider diversity of product to QPAC and to encourage
a greater diversity of attendee, to nurture new talent and work
closely with our key local partners. I believe we have more
than delivered on that commitment and this is evidenced
by the details in this report of what has been on offer in the
Centre during the year. It is simply stunning.
Although QPAC posted a loss of $2.4 million in 2008-09, I still
consider it an outstanding result given the fact that our two
main revenue earners, the Lyric Theatre and the Concert Hall,
as well as our food and beverage outlets, were out of action for
four months during the refurbishment. About $1.4 million of
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Laura Dance Festival, Cape York. Kicking up Dust Exhibition, 2008.
Photography Kerry Trapnell