IO Performance creates new theatre space in former CBD office

Bought by IO Performance, the space, next to Spotlight and most recently used as an office by Coolthings.com, will soon host rehearsals and theatre shows from the up-and-coming company.

IO Performance have four shows planned this year, and with the first one happening in April, they plan to remove the office booths and refit the building for their use in the next three months.

“There’s heaps to do, but we’re super excited,” IO Performance co-founder Grace Roberts said. 

“We’ve got our first auditions [on Monday] and then it’s basically hands-on, moving the cubicles out, and moving everything we need in.” 

The company’s priority is to preserve the historical character of the building, which was built during Launceston’s wool-growing boom.

They are working with the Heritage Council to learn more, IO Performance co-founder Chris Jackson said, with long-term plans to develop an app that will inform theatre-goers of different aspects of the building’s architecture and history. 

It helps that the ornate ceiling, columns, and acoustics almost seem purpose-built for a theatre.

“There’s also quite a few little rooms shooting off, which we can use for meetings rooms, rehearsals, and so on,” Ms Roberts said. 

“One will be used as a recording room, so if people ever need to do voice-overs, or podcasts, or whatever, they can come and do that. We’ve also got a room that we’re going to transform into a computer lab, so people can come and edit anything they need to edit – because sometimes people don’t have access to computers with the software that they need, so we’ll have that as a service that people can come and use.

“It’s just services for artists – because that’s our crew.”

The motto of the company is to to “make bold, dangerous and innovative theatre and performance that interrogates the medium, challenging audiences and artists alike”.

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