Sydney is to get a new theatre. In a city that has made a feature of demolishing fine theatres, this is welcome news. That it is to be in Sydney’s west, which, with the exception of a small but well-designed theatre in Paramatta is not well served by performance venues, is something else to be lauded. Social media was rather sour about the fact that a licensed club in Rooty Hill is to build the theatre.
It has never been much of a secret that licensed clubs in NSW have become wealthy. A sceptical public should think about how much gambling has contributed to the arts in Europe.