2015-09-15 Infrastructure and Services Committee Att 2 to Item 4 The J Service Review 2014-15

                                                                      Service Review 2014-15
                                                                                                     The J

Events and theatre performances at The J are of three types.

       Self-entrepreneurial performances where Council takes the risk;
       Hire of The J Theatre by a community group such as the Noosa Long Weekend Festival,
        Noosa Chorale or Noosa Heads Jazz Club where the venue is provided to the group at a
        subsidised/community rate;
       Hire by a commercial promoter (as is the case of many of the comedy acts which utilise the
        venue).

The percentage of Council-entrepreneurial events at The J is low, due to a lack of budget and the
higher risk associated with them. There may be opportunity to expand in this area; however an
allocated budget and full profit and loss analysis will be required to ensure their ongoing viability.

The J Theatre has a capacity of approximately 330 seated and 500 standing. It can be set up in a
variety of configurations due to the retractable seating. The number of seats is a limitation for certain
events. Feedback from promoters and user groups such as the Long Weekend indicate that if the
venue had 400 to 500 seats it would allow for a greater number of commercial events at The J.

As part of the review, respected theatre architect Peter Roy was tasked to see if it were possible to
increase the seating capacity of The J Theatre to 450 seats and extend the backstage area. His
conceptual study concluded:

       The existing “J” Theatre capacity can be increased to a 430-450 seat theatre;
       The existing “dull” acoustic can be changed to a “brighter” acoustic, more suitable to live
        music;
       The stage can be enlarged and back stage facilities built which will allow a greater range of
        performances;
       Additional study is required to determine possibilities more precisely and to determine cost;
       An initial budget of $5-6million should be set aside to achieve most, if not all, of the
        improvements.

In consideration of the above, the architect also acknowledges that a diversity of performance (usage)
is often required for multi-purpose venues to be viable. Given the necessity for flexibility in this regard
The J’s current acoustics, lighting and technical equipment generally meets the requirements of our
diverse client base. However ongoing development of acoustics and investment in upgrading
sound/lighting equipment is recommended.

Any increase in the theatre space needs to be balanced against the cost of the capital works required,
the actual demand for a larger venue and the potential increase in revenue that may be achieved by
enlarging the seating capacity.

While there are a number of potential alternative management options for The J including divesting all
or part of the activities to a commercial or community group, or creating a stand-alone council-owned
company to manage the venue, none of these models are perfect. All would require continued council
subsidy of one form or another, and some could also mean a loss of community access to the venue.

Therefore it is recommended at this stage that the Council retain management of The J as a multi-
purpose venue until such time as either USC or Hillsong Church vacate, at which time a review of
management models be undertaken by an independent consultant. In the meantime it is
recommended that The J remain a flexible multi-purpose venue managed by Council and a 3-5 year
business plan for The J be developed.




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