Skip to content
Art

$1m funding boost for inner-city theatre

City of Sydney 2 mins read

The City of Sydney will contribute $1 million to the Griffin Theatre Company’s upgrade of Darlinghurst’s historic SBW Stables Theatre. 

 

Founded in 1979, Griffin Theatre Company is the only one of its kind solely dedicated to developing and staging Australian plays. The company purchased the theatre in 2022. 

 

The upgrade will increase the capacity of the Nimrod Street auditorium to 140 seats, make the venue accessible, add a new rehearsal room, create a bigger bar and foyer space, and improve technical equipment, dressing rooms and amenities.  

 

“Griffin’s artistic director, Declan Greene, has described the Stables as a theatre of first chances, a successful, beloved inner-city institution that continues to catapult brilliant local stories out to national and international audiences,” Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore AO said.  

 

“Supporting this redevelopment is part of our commitment to creating more space for artists to produce and rehearse their work, as spiralling costs threaten our thriving creative community.” 

 

“For 45 years we’ve used our tiny theatre to take chances on big, challenging stories and some of our recent favourites have emerged from the heart of our Kings Cross community – like Green Park by Elias Jamieson Brown and This Much Is True by Louis Nowra,” said Griffin’s artistic director Declan Greene. 

 

“This major redevelopment of our home is about offering more to the local artists, audiences and communities who have held and supported Griffin for over four decades: more creative space, more access, more opportunities for engagement.  

 

“We are incredibly grateful to the City of Sydney for helping us take another major step towards achieving these goals, and for their continued care and innovation around the creative life of our city.” 

 

Griffin has so far raised $13.4 million dollars for this redevelopment, which includes the $1 million from the City of Sydney. Griffin has additional fundraising it needs to secure before the project can go ahead. 

 

For media enquiries contact Roxanne Macara. Phone 0438 554 640 or email [email protected]  

 

For interviews with Clover Moore AO, Lord Mayor of Sydney contact Zoe Delamare. Phone 0477 263 615 or email [email protected]   

 

For more stories from your local area, visit news.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au  

 

Restrictions: The City of Sydney provides access to this publicly distributed image for editorial purposes only and remains the copyright owner. No archiving, commercial use or third party distribution is permitted without prior written consent. When using content for editorial purposes, you must include the following image credit adjacent to the content: "Photographer’s Name / City of Sydney” 

Media

More from this category

  • Art, Music
  • 04/02/2026
  • 09:00
Music Australia

Music Australia co-invests $1.7 million with Australian record labels to drive the breakthrough of Australian recording artists

Music Australia has announced the recipients of the Record Label Development Scheme, and the inaugural Marketing & Manufacturing Grants, matched-funding initiatives designed to boost the development and advancement of Australian recorded music. The $1,770,543 investment will support 36 record labels for the creation of new professional recordings, digital content and artwork, marketing and promotional campaigns, production, manufacturing and freight, and artist development. As part of the initiative, Music Australia is incentivising record labels to manufacture physical products using environmentally sustainable materials. Where labels can demonstrate they have been guided by Green Music Australia's Sound Country: A Green Guide on Physical…

  • Contains:
  • Art, Culturally and linguistically diverse
  • 28/01/2026
  • 16:20
French-Australian Cultural Exchange Foundation

$60K OF GRANTS ANNOUNCED AS FRANCE AND AUSTRALIA BUILD HISTORIC CREATIVE COLLABORATIONS

Key Facts: FACEF announces five new grants totalling $60,000 to support French-Australian visual arts exchange projects Recipients include high-profile artists Mel O’Callaghan and Vir…

  • Contains:
  • Art
  • 23/01/2026
  • 09:46
Creative Australia

Creative Australia touring programs bring more live performing arts to audiences in remote and regional areas

Creative Australia has announced the latest recipients of investment through national touring programs, Playing Australia and the Contemporary Music Touring Program (CMTP) supporting artists and organisations to bring live performance to audiences across Australia. The latest investment supports tours that will reach audiences of all ages, strengthening connections between artists, presenters and communities nationwide. 22 projects will be supported through the Contemporary Music Program, with a boost from Music Australia, enabling Australian musicians to take their original music to 87 locations nationwide. Highlights include touring support for breakthrough contemporary music acts, major new commissioned works, and family favourites, with performances…

  • Contains:

Media Outreach made fast, easy, simple.

Feature your press release on Medianet's News Hub every time you distribute with Medianet. Pay per release or save with a subscription.