Photo: Friends of the Liberty Theatre and Culture Centre – David Campbell, Bimbi Turner and Ian Wearing want to see the art deco cinema in community hands, restored and operational.
Friends of the Liberty Theatre and Culture Centre are hosting a public meeting at the iconic Liberty Theatre on Comur Street at 3pm on Saturday, November 27.
The not-for-profit group will be discussing their grant proposal for restoring and refurbishing the old building, plans to purchase the theatre as a community asset and the funds needed to do so.
Committee member Bimbi Turner said they will also be inviting Council candidates standing in the December election to the meeting to talk about their stance on the issue.
Bimbi said this is an opportunity for Yass residents who are interested in joining the committee to meet everyone and help bring their vision to fruition.
“It’s a public meeting to try and bring people out of the woodwork who might be interested in seeing the theatre refurbished,” she said.
“We’d like to see the theatre being used with a weekly turnover of things happening, whether it be a standalone exhibition, whether it be a book launch, or a music launch, or concert, or an art exhibition.”
“We’re hoping it to be used for education, particularly for the use of people in the areas of theatre and film.”
“It’s got a lot of potential that theatre and it’s been sitting there not doing anything for a long time.”
Bimbi said they will launch a fundraiser at the meeting to raise funds to buy the theatre as a public asset.
“We don’t want an individual owner,” she said. “We want a trust fund to run it, then it will be there in perpetuity.”
Bimbi said the Liberty Theatre is far too valuable due to its nearly untouched 1939 Art Deco design, a popular design style of the era.
“It really has stood the test of time,” she said.
To register for the event email Bimbi at bimbiturner53@gmail.com or call 0417 422 193 as the theatre can only hold just under a hundred people within their COVID-Safe Plan.
By Brianna O’Rourke
