The ACT Government has signed a $317 million contract for the construction of Canberra’s new lyric theatre.
“Canberrans are highly engaged in cultural activities. We boast Australia’s highest rate of attendance at cultural venues and events,” said Chief Minister Andrew Barr. “The new theatre will be a major driver of Canberra’s cultural and tourism economies, creating hundreds of jobs during the construction and operational phases.
“This project is also a key part of the transformation of our city centre. It will support the night-time economy, bringing thousands of people into to the city centre each night, over the hundreds of nights it will be used each year. It’s a timely investment in our visitor economy and our cultural identity.”
The new theatre will be purpose built to stage large scale theatrical shows. It will have a large state-of-the-art stage, technical performance capability and excellent sound quality, like that of the Sydney Lyric Theatre and the Princess Theatre in Melbourne.
The new theatre will allow Canberra to host major national and international musicals, ballet shows, operas and international acts that currently can’t come to Canberra. Examples of these types of shows include Hamilton, Wicked, Lion King, Miss Saigon, Frozen, Mary Poppins.
The existing theatres at the Canberra Theatre Centre are too small for major shows to be profitable. The new lyric theatre will seat up to 2,000 people, making it capable of attracting top-tier performances and delivering Canberra a highly attractive venue on the national touring circuit.
“This marks a major milestone in bringing this world-class cultural venue to life,” said Minister for the Arts and Creative Industries Michael Pettersson. “We are another step closer to delivering a new performance space that will inspire creativity, support local talent and attract audiences from across the country. This is an exciting moment for Canberra and we look forward to seeing the site transform as work gets underway.”
Multiplex will deliver the new project with main construction due start early in 2026 with completion in 2028. The construction team includes designers Cox Architecture in collaboration with Yerrabingin, Charcoalblue theatre and acoustic consultants, as well as Arcadia Landscape Architecture. The design reflects feedback from community consultation over the past two years.
“Multiplex has worked closely with the ACT Government, theatre users and stakeholders to ensure the new lyric theatre is a world-class cultural venue for all Canberrans. We are excited to move into the next phase of delivery of bringing those plans to life,” said David Ghannoum, NSW/ACT Regional Managing Director for Multiplex.
The National Capital Authority provided main construction Works Approval in November, following public exhibition between September and October in 2025. The new lyric theatre is designed to deliver strong economic and visitor benefits for Canberra.
The Canberra Theatre Centre will remain open during construction so the community can continue to enjoy performances at the Playhouse, Canberra Theatre and Courtyard Theatres.
For more information about Canberra’s new lyric theatre, visit: www.canberratheatrecentre.com.au for details.
Image: Render of Canberra’s new lyric theatre (east entrance from Knowles Place) – courtesy of Infrastructure Canberra