Riverside Reimagined

Riverside Theatres is the premier performing arts venue in Western Sydney offering live performing arts experiences and a wide array of significant community events. Well-established and highly respected by the local community and the national arts industry, Riverside is a successful cultural and community asset of the City of Parramatta Council.

Riverside plays an important role in building a diverse, thriving local city culture. By connecting artists with audiences, attracting talent and industry, and supporting education and innovation, it contributes to the city’s liveliness, vibrancy and economic activity while enabling authentic community dialogue and interaction, attracting talent and industry and supporting education and innovation.

The project is part of an envisaged Parramatta Cultural Precinct, which will also include the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS) and Civic Link and other venues in Parramatta CBD. The project objectives include enhancing facilities, improving accessibility and inclusivity, fostering cultural diversity and stimulating the local visitor economy. In December 2022, Council approved a detailed business case to transform the Council-owned-and-operated Riverside Theatres into the centrepiece of Parramatta’s revitalised arts and culture precinct. Council is investing more than $136M million, with $40 million in NSW Government’s Western Sydney Infrastructure Grants also committed to the project.

The Design Excellence Competition (‘Competition’) is an important part of the redevelopment of Riverside Theatres Project. It attracted the best design teams (including local collaborations) who want to be part of the revitalisation of a significant and much loved cultural hub. After an Expression of Interest period (Stage One), five internationally recognised architectural teams were chosen to respond to a detailed Stage 2 Design Brief.

The Brief had been meticulously crafted to define the vision, scope, and functional requirements of the redeveloped performing arts centre in collaboration with and endorsed by the Government Architect New South Wales (GANSW).

Vision and Objectives

The vision for the Theatres, endorsed through the Riverside Theatre 2017- 2021 Strategy, is:

“Imagining, Understanding and Celebrating our world on stage”.

The Redevelopment of Riverside Theatres presents an opportunity to create a new cultural anchor of scale that reflects the values, aspirations, and culture of Sydney’s Central River City.

City of Parramatta Council’s ambitions are that the Riverside Theatres will support Parramatta’s aspiration and trajectory to becoming a great global and cultural city. Riverside Theatres will play an important role in building a diverse, thriving local city culture by connecting artists with the community, attracting talent and industry and supporting education and innovation.

Riverside Theatres renewal is envisaged as an iconic and unique centre of excellence and a world class cultural venue which, when complete, will deliver twenty first century cultural destination and become a centrepiece for performing arts in the Central River City

Key Priorities

City of Parramatta Council has identified a number of priorities it is seeking to achieve through this redevelopment. These include:

Inspiring Architecture
A unique centre of design excellence and architectural distinction which responds to people, place and context.

Creates Value
A centre which is an exemplar of cultural, social, environmental and economic value.

Global Stage
A global centre for performance excellence which draws people, talent and investment from around the world.

Living Legacy
A centre for living culture which builds on the distinctive identity of our community and the Riverside Theatres legacy.

Cultural Catalyst
A centre which acts as a cultural and creative catalyst for Western Sydney, complementing other offers and consolidating Parramatta’s position as Sydney’s Central River City .

Future Facing
A future facing centre which is multifunctional, fit for purpose, and can be adapted to meet its evolving role within the City.

Western Sydney has the largest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population of any region in Australia. For over 60,000 years, the area comprising present day Parramatta has been occupied by the Burramattagal people, a clan of the Dharug, who first settled along the upper reaches of the Parramatta River. Burramattagal is thought to be derived from the Aboriginal word for ‘place where the eels lie down’ to breed (within the Parramatta River). The Burramattagal have a close connection with the river, from which they caught fish, eels, and other food.

The Riverside Theatres renewal plays an important role in the restoration, growth and regeneration of Dharug culture in the City of Parramatta. Through the renewal of Riverside Theatres, it is essential that the traditional cultural legacy of the Dharug people is reflected, simultaneously creating opportunities for their contemporary cultural expression.

The site of Riverside Theatres is directly located on the northern banks of the Parramatta River and has always been a place of rich culture. The Parramatta River is regarded as a living entity by Aboriginal people both in spirit and body.

The first major alteration of the river came with the construction of the 1818 Marsden Street weir to provide a more consistent water supply. Circa 1930 Charles Street weir was constructed and the river was concreted between the two weirs to reduce tidal flux and downstream muddy water.

The renewal project offers an opportunity to foster collaborative and respectful working to unite complementary knowledge to shape the built outcomes and create urban spaces that are truly inclusive and reflective our diverse cultural heritage.

Lodgement of State Significant Development Application (SSDA)

City of Parramatta Council has lodged a SSDA for the redevelopment of Riverside Theatres.

Have your say

The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the redevelopment is now on public exhibition. The EIS presents findings from a range of specialist studies that assess the project’s potential impacts on the environment and community during construction and operation. It also details the mitigation measures proposed to avoid, minimise, or manage these impacts.

Feedback on the EIS should be provided directly to the NSW Government Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure via the Major Projects Planning Portal.

Make a submission now Parramatta Riverside Theatres Redevelopment | Planning Portal – Department of Planning and Environment. Submissions close 5pm, 28 April 2025.

Find out more

Visit Participate Parramatta to stay up to date on the Riverside Theatres redevelopment.

About Riverside Theatres
Established in 1988 as a Bicentennial project, Riverside Theatres is located on the banks of the Parramatta River in the heart of the Parramatta CBD. Much loved and valued by the local community, approximately 180,000 people attend around 1,000 events and performances at the venue annually.

Riverside Theatres is the premier performing arts venue in Western Sydney and a successful cultural and community asset of the City of Parramatta Council.

Why is Riverside Theatres being redeveloped?
Riverside Theatres has been a significant cultural hub in the City of Parramatta for over four decades. While it has served the community well, the existing infrastructure has become outdated and limited in its capacity to accommodate the growing demand for cultural events, performances, and gatherings.

The renewal of Riverside Theatres signals Parramatta’s evolution into a great global city.

Where are the Riverside Theatres located?
Located on the northern banks of the Parramatta River, Riverside Theatres is nestled in the Church Street dining precinct and is accessed by road, train and river.

Later this year, the site will be connected to Parramatta CBD and Parramatta Train Station by the new Parramatta Light Rail route via Church Street. Parramatta Powerhouse and the renewal of Riverside Theatres form two foundational cultural anchors within an emerging precinct.

What is the importance of Riverside Theatres’ location on the Parramatta River?
The Burramattagal people, a clan of the Dharug, have a close connection with the river, from which they caught fish, eels, and other food. The river and land surrounding it remain important for Aboriginal people in maintaining dreaming storylines, culture and traditions.

The Riverside Theatres renewal plays an important role in the restoration, growth and regeneration of Dharug culture in the City of Parramatta. Man-made weirs and hard concrete edges have seen the original watercourses and natural topographies of Country reshaped and concealed. The renewal project offers an opportunity to embrace the riverfront and create inclusive urban spaces with a publicly accessible river foreshore that reflects our diverse cultural heritage.

What is the role of Riverside Theatres in Western Sydney?
Western Sydney is one of the NSW’s fastest growing and most dynamic regions. Currently, it is home to a large and diverse population of about 2.2 million people, more than a quarter of the NSW population. The new Riverside Theatres will be an anchor venue in this emerging cultural cluster, alongside new prospects such as the Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences (MAAS).

A new Riverside Theatres plays an important role in creating Parramatta as a diverse, thriving local city culture. It will bring the world to our City, giving Western Sydney access to international productions as well as sharing our unique cultural identity more broadly.

Who conducted the design competition?
Through a Request for Proposal and Expression of Interest process, Council engaged ARUP as Lead Consultants to manage the Competition.

What key elements needed to be included in the submission?
The proposed redevelopment of Riverside Theatres will encompass the following essential features:

Expanded Venue
The plan includes expanding the current facilities to add additional performance spaces, rehearsal studios, multi-purpose rooms, and enhanced back-of-house facilities.

Innovative Design
The new design will be architecturally striking, incorporating sustainability principles to minimize environmental impact while providing an inspiring and inviting atmosphere for patrons.

Technological Advancements
The redevelopment will invest in cutting-edge audiovisual and technical infrastructure, offering unparalleled experiences for artists and audiences alike.

Accessibility Upgrades
The redevelopment will prioritise accessibility, with features such as all abilities mobility access, assistive listening and vision technology, and sensory-friendly spaces to cater to a diverse range of audiences.

What was the judging process?
Five competition teams were required to provide a written response and present their design concepts to the Jury. The Jury evaluates these submissions against the Evaluation Criteria and are assisted by the Competition Manager.

The Jury Chair was Abbie Galvin, the NSW Government Architect.

The Chair was supported by:

Jefa Greenaway
Director, Greenaway Architects. Deakin University Honorary Fellow of Design, Principal Assoc. Greenshoot Consulting

Kerry Clare
Director, Clare Design. Professor, School of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Newcastle, RAIA Gold Medallist

Oi Choong
Founding Director of CONTEXT Landscape Design

Craig McMaster
Director, Riverside Theatres – City of Parramatta Council

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Who is building the new theatres?
Council has not appointed a Head Contractor at this stage of the project. An Expression of Interest will be issued and a Head Contractor will be appointed in 2025. Construction will commence later in 2025.

Will Riverside Theatres relocate during construction?
Council is reviewing a number of options that will see the Riverside Theatres program of events continue during construction. More information will be available at a later date.

When will the new Riverside Theatres open?
Construction on the new Riverside Theatres will commence in late 2025 and we look forward to welcoming our patrons, members and visitors in 2028.