The Princess Theatre, Queensland’s oldest-standing performance venue, has been bought by the owners of The Tivoli and will be renovated as a live music venue.
The siblings who own The Tivoli – Steve Sleswick and Dave Sleswick – purchased the 133-year-old theatre with Brisbane investor Steve Wilson, as announced in a press release yesterday (April 8).
The Princess will reopen in August as a “sister” venue to The Tivoli, featuring a brand-new auditorium with a standing capacity of 900, and a seated theatre capacity of 500. It will also have four bars, a public café, private event spaces, a rehearsal room, a co-working creative office and workshop space, and an outdoor courtyard.
“The Princess was created as a theatre in 1888, originally known as the South Brisbane Public Hall,” Dave Sleswick said in a press statement. “We feel it’s vital for us to reclaim the building for Brisbane’s vibrant world-class arts sector and return it to the community to be used as it was originally intended.
“It shares the same independent spirit as The Tivoli and will have live music at its heart, providing a home for Brisbane and Queensland artists, musicians and entertainers, as well as those from throughout Australia and across the world.”
The Sleswicks did a similar refurbishment of The Tivoli in 2016, when it was slated for redevelopment.
Building works kick off this week, with an expected re-opening slated for late August this year. The venue’s inaugural program of gigs will be revealed in May.