Cultural Development Analysis - Penrith City Council - NSW ...

Cultural Development Analysis – Penrith CBD and St Marys Town Centre
participates in the Spring Festival and Mamre celebrations. It receives no
government funding.
St Marys Community Arts and Crafts Centre
With approximately 200 members of all ages the Centre operates out of a
Council provided building. The Centre offers workshops five days a week and
two evenings per week. The Centre mounts one large and several small
exhibitions throughout the year. The Centre also participates in fortnightly
markets in the Coachman’s Park, St Marys.
St Marys Development Committee
A committee of Council, this organisation consists of ten members plus the
Ward Councillors. They receive $20,000 per annum from Penrith City Council
and are the organisers of the St Marys Spring Festival which includes a street
fair, Bands in the Park, Spring Festival Ball and the Spring Fair Fun Run.
They also organise Carols in the Park and assist with the sponsorship of the
Art Show and Chrysanthemum Show and the Reunion in the Park. They
estimate that attendances at the Spring Fair number 40,000.
Individual artists
The cultural audit has identified 68 artists living in the Penrith Local
Government Area.
Arts organisations
The Penrith Symphony Orchestra is a semi-professional organisation with a
core of talented musicians who play the whole orchestral repertoire including
symphonies and concertos. Professionals appointed to leading positions,
such as the principal conductor, guide a consistently high standard of
performance. The Orchestra aims to be accessible to the community. It offers
affordable tickets and diverse programming, whilst the volunteer Board
members actively break down barriers between the players and audience.
The Penrith Musical Comedy Company has been operating for 28 years.
Its membership numbers and ages change depending on the particular
production, but the core membership numbers 20 – 30 and members include
children and adults up to 70 years of age. The Company stages two full
performances a year and several smaller performances in community centres
and nursing homes in the area. The Company rehearses in the Salvation
Army Hall in Glenmore Park (at a cost of $60 per week) and performs in the
John Lees Christian Centre (a 200 seat theatre behind the Fire Station). For
a particularly big production, eg Chicago, they use the Joan Sutherland
Performing Arts Centre, but find the costs of doing so ($15,000 for a weeks
rental and staff costs) prohibitive. The Company has, traditionally, been an
incubator for local talent, acting as a starting place for professional singers
and dancers. A member of the Umbilical Brothers performed with the
Company as a young teenager. The Company has received a small grant of
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