Recent and planned improvements will benefit all patrons at the Moncrieff Entertainment Centre – whether they are there for a movie, orchestral concert or live show.
Rod Ainsworth, Manager, Arts & Cultural Services said the improvements will make a big difference to the patron experience and to the experiences of our visiting artists.
“The Moncrieff is an old building, bought by the then Bundaberg City Council in 1985 and opened as the Moncrieff Theatre in 1987.” Rod said.
“As a former cinema, the venue is great for amplified shows, cinema and rock bands for example, but performs poorly for more acoustic events like live theatre, smaller bands and acoustic and classical music concerts.
“There are a number of structural, safety and design issues that need to be rectified which we’ll be spacing out during the year so as not to interrupt the programming of the venue.”
New floor for stage just one improvement
Most recently a new floor has been laid on the Moncrieff Entertainment Centre stage.
“This is the first time that Council has replaced the stage surface.
“At the same time, we’ve replaced the old and damaged stage curtains and will have the damaged cinema screen fixed soon.”
Acoustic improvements are also underway.
“Based on the report from an acoustic engineer, we have started removing the side red curtains, replacing them with a hard painted treatment.
“We are finalising options for the side walls to give us the ability to change between hard surfaces for acoustic concerts and a sound absorbent treatment for cinema and amplified shows.
“This is stage one of the acoustic improvements, with treatment of the rear wall next.
“We are also undertaking structural works so that we can re-locate the audio equipment in a hanging mode once the final curtains are taken down and replaced with the hard treated walls.
Sealing of the old window cavities on the side of the Moncrieff Entertainment Centre building has already been undertaken, helping with temperature regulation and sound insulation.
“We have had a number of queries and complaints from customers and artists in the last couple of years and these changes will fix those issues to the best of our ability in an old retro-fitted building,” Rod said.
For more information on the Moncrieff Entertainment Centre click here.
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