Save our cinema
Submitted by debritz on January 9, 2008 - 15:37.
Before I left Brisbane last weekend, I visited the Regent cinema one night and it was very, very quiet. I've been told the current operators have a lease on the grand old picture palace until 2010, but its future beyond that date is unclear. I think the campaign to save it - and restore the auditorium to its former glory (as a live theatre venue, perhaps) - should start now. Compared to other major world cities - even Shanghai, where progress is unrelenting - Brisbane has so very few heritage buildings. Here's a chance for premier Anna Bligh and arts minister Rod Welford to leave a lasting legacy.
You are absolutely right.
You are absolutely right. The "Save The Regent" campaign (mark 2) should begin now. Everyone saw what the original campaign thirty years ago did when 7 showed a flashback in the middle of last year.
I agree. This grand old
I agree. This grand old building should be kept. A venue for live theatre in the heart of the city sounds like a great idea.
Is there a market for a live
Is there a market for a live venue in the middle of the city like this? Personally, I love the Regent as a cinema venue and its low patronage is a result of mismanagement by the current operators. Instead of covering the fixtures with posters for the latest Adam Sandler film, the venue needs to celebrate its style and history in a fashion that it doesn't now.
And that includes being able to buy tickets from the ticket booth and NOT be forced to buy them from the candy bar.
Perhaps once the current lease is up in 2010, Brisbane City Council can try and encourage one of the art house cinemas to take residence there. Surely a venue like that would better serve the Dendy than its current Edward St location?
If Melbourne can sustain
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