Albany Entertainment Centre

Specialties

The $ 70 million Albany Entertainment Centre which opened in December 2010, sets a new national benchmark for regional performing arts spaces.

The stunning design is by award-​winning architects Cox Howlett & Bailey Woodland.

The centrepiece of the Albany Entertainment Centre is the Princess Royal Theatre, a magnificent 620 seat proscenium arch theatre. The stalls seat 480, and the circle 140. With a proscenium arch opening of 12m, flying facilities, orchestra pit, and cutting edge theatre lighting and audio systems, this venue is capable of presenting a broad range of events.

The Kalyenup Studio is a flexible space accommodating up to 200 people, capable of hosting intimate classical concerts to corporate dinners. With a floor area of 14m x 14m and a 7m high ceiling this versatile area can be divided into two acoustically separate rooms for breakout meetings or to simply create a more intimate conference space.

The Hanover Room is an elegant function space with spectacular views of Princess Royal Harbour. The room is ideal for board meetings or conferences seating up to 20 people or cocktail functions for up to 60.

History

Established in 2010.

In 1997, a steering committee recommended building an entertainment centre in a prominent location in Albany. In 2000, the City of Albany supported a York Street location over the foreshore, which was subject to concerns about land use near port activities. The State Government committed funds to the proposal in 2005.

The State Government later supported a bid by the Great Southern Development Commission to initiate work on the foreshore.

The Minister for Planning and Infrastructure invited Albany to consider locating its entertainment centre by the harbour. In September 2005, a landmark agreement brought together divergent views about the waterfront, balancing port users’ needs with other interests, enabling a workable waterfront plan that included a maritime precinct and a more viable entertainment centre site.

In 2006, architects Cox Howlett and Bailey Woodland were commissioned to design the AEC. DORIC started work in 2008 on the $ 70 million project, completing it in 2010.