Countdown on to Wesley reopening

Horsham’s historic and unique Wesley Performing Arts Centre is likely to reopen for public performances and use next year.

The former church, on the corner of Roberts Avenue and Urquhart Street, is undergoing upgrades after closing almost three years ago because of fire-safety issues.

Its future had been in doubt until May last year when Horsham Rural City Council committed to ultimately take ownership of the building from Wesley Performing Arts and Cultural Centre Committee.

The council made the decision in response to a 2018 Performing Arts Services Demand Assessment study, which identified the centre as a significant Wimmera cultural asset.

A key for the plan to work involved the Wesley centre committee committing proceeds from the sale of its Horsham Music Academy for a works program.

Wesley centre committee treasurer Simon Dandy confirmed his organisation had committed proceeds from its sale of the academy in December last year.

The plan is for a legal changeover to occur under new management arrangements when works are complete.

The new project started with the formation of a Wesley Performing Arts Centre Redevelopment Project Control Group, PCG. The group includes Horsham council and Wesley centre committee representatives.

Mr Dandy said the control group was working to establish a full scope and cost of the works program.

He said it would also establish realistic timelines so specifications for each job could go to tender and evaluate and award them to appropriate contractors.

“This upgrade will see the venue safely reopening to the public and, again, be a favourite with local and visiting performers,” he said.

“It will also be a venue for ceremonies, funerals, weddings and community events because of its intimacy, acoustics and central location.”

Integral

Mr Dandy said the project control group would provide community updates throughout the project.

“The PCG envisages that the Wesley Performing Arts Centre will reopen in 2021,” he said.

“It has been a long road, but there is a ‘spot’ light at the end of the tunnel.

“The centre will again become an integral part of the performing arts and cultural scene within the Wimmera community.”

Wesley Performing Arts Centre is the result of a community project and transformation of Horsham’s former Wesley Church into a 265-seat theatre.

An inaugural Wesley Performing Arts and Cultural Centre Committee formed in 1993 with a mission to acquire and transform the building into an arts centre.

Extensive philanthropic and community fundraising efforts and a $40,000 council loan, which was repaid, made the acquisition and development possible.

The venue opened as an independently owned performing arts centre run by a volunteer committee in the late 1990s.

From inception to 2006, the management committee worked with a council regional and cultural development officer with venue programming and management. From 2007 the council appointed a venue manager to take charge of programming.

National and international performers have consistently provided glowing assessments of the venue for its intimacy and acoustics.

Events at the venue stopped as a result of safety-audit findings in 2017.