State Theatre of Western Australia

174-176 William St 
(Corner with Roe St)
Perth Western Australia 6000
(08) 9231 9941
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The State Theatre of Western Australia, is a great addition to cultural scene of  the City of Perth and a landmark of the city despite being barely one year old. It is home to the Black Swan Theatre Company and hosts their yearly programs in the Heath Leadge Theatre, which alternate with functions popping up from other states and overseas. They also have screenings for some extreme and winter sports films and festivals, and temporary Art exhibitions, Vintage and handicraft events, and other functions. The underground area has a theatre studio and an events space, and a courtyard that also holds other functions. There is a bar upstairs and a mini-bar downstairs, and two sets of toilets up and down. In a way, the STWA has a "Downtown Abbey" sort of approach to the venue, and you want to be up up up. 

When I saw the Kerry Hill' building finished from outside I thought that it was disappointedly concrete-ish square-ish and bland, and not edgy at all. However, once I entered inside my opinion completely changed. It is a magnificent building, very appropriate for what is designed for, has a mix of old and contemporary elements, and it is very edgy, classic, well organised and comfortable - uber-cool. Just the design of the ceiling is wow.

The Heath Ledger Theatre itself is extremely beautiful, spacious and Nordic-inspired style with a very soft sinuous and warm woodiness that swallows you in  - like a wooden warm womb. It is not only beautiful, it is comfy. The seats are spacious and the rows placed in a way that people seating below will not  impair your view of the stage and show. The toilets attached to this theatre are wow, movie-like. Hyper-clean and uber-classy. I had a movie-star moment when visiting. Dunno about the male ones. Perhaps they are too girlie for men? Men, do share your experience. The toilets downstairs, attached to the courtyard area, are on the contrary, not very appealing or glamorous, still OK.

The killer location of the place makes it super-easy for everybody going to functions without having to take the car out.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
 1/ There is an over-presence of elderly and middle aged people in general. That is so because the prices are very expensive for students to venture. Masterminds of the STWA be cooler by being more generous with student prices and memberships. Have a vision of future, and start creating the public of the future by making easy for young people attending and getting interested in Theatre. Do you know what I am saying?


2/ I like the overall whiteness of the bar upstairs, but I think that is too impersonal, boring and uncomfortable. It needs of some good paintings to break the white, and an overall restructuring of the space to allow some extra seating area to be included there. There is plenty of corners and walls to cling to. Eating a snack on a common white table on my feet is not my kind of exciting eating moment. At the moment the upper bar looks more like an airport sort of eating stop, so please fix it.

TIP 1
The ground level has an official BOCS ticketing office retailer. This means that you buy anything without being charged extra for the purchase. The chaps attending to are quite friendly. 

TIP 2
Pre-order your drinks and light meal online and save.  

DID YOU KNOW?
Previews are about 16 dollars cheaper than the normal shows. You won't notice any difference, as the Previews are for the show team and actors to test that everything goes smoothly and fix little things that you would not notice during a performance.

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The Blue Room Theatre

53 James Street
Perth Western Australia 6000
(08) 9227 7005
http://www.blueroom.org.au/

The Blue Room Theatre is what any alternative avant-garde theatre needs to be - a place where the interaction between the actors and the public is immediate, so close that you can touch and smell the actors, where the nature of the shows is always independent, experimental, and intimate, The problem with the immediacy and the intimacy is that, if you start to snooze everybody is going to see you, that if you don't like what is going on there is no escape out until the recess, that if you have a coughing attack, well, the function is disrupted.

The staff are all very friendly and young, and very cute.

The toilets need to be refurbished and redecorated, really! So unglamorous for my royal bottom. No no no!

I have always found taking alcoholic drinks to a theatre room an oddity. Can't we watch anything without a drink or something? Does our brain need to be conveniently boozed to enjoy anything in this country?

It always shocks me that the WA Arts scene, and the BRT, seems to be attended by, mostly, +55y.o. people, retires and couples. Perhaps this is just my experience. Although some nights quite young trendy people seem to be around, that is rarely the case. This is not theatre for the masses or mainstream theatre, so where are all those WAAPA students, Art students and those hypsters who pretend to be such a thing? Ahh, yes, in the usual mainstream booze booths or eateries among the vulgus. I find it a very bad indication of the artistic soul of this city, really, that young people seem to have little interest in independent art shows unless you go to the hipster place where you go, mostly, because it is where you get your stamp of approval as a hipster. So very mainstream... really.

Please go to the Blue Room. It is the best way to watch theatre in Perth, and the best way to watch theatre in general, costs a trifle (especially if you subscribe), it won't take much or your time, and you'll get an unique experience in a theatre of which Perthites should be very proud,

Listen carefully... it could even enlarge your brain, and even even even... your erogenous parts... Just give it a try. If it doesn't work for you, you are, officially, culturally impotent. Ha!

Did You know that, if you are a poor person and still want to attend a performance here, you can volunteer as an usher and get your ticket gratis?
Call them at 08 9227 7005

Bear in mind that you can get cheaper prices if you subscribe to 4 or 8 shows, or even cheaper if you become a member. Thus, this season ticket prices go from $20 concession, to $25 full priced, but if you are a member you pay 15 and 20 respectively, and even cheaper if you go on a group of + 8 people as you get your seat for just 15 bucks.

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