Members of the public are being given a rare opportunity to go behind the scenes at Her Majesty’s Ballarat as part of the Save Her Majesty’s – The Time Is Now campaign.
The theatre will welcome a limited number of patrons on guided tours next week, showing the need for conservation works to save the 19th century venue.
Mayor of Ballarat Cr Samantha McIntosh said the tours would give the public a better understanding of how crucial the proposed works are to the theatre’s future.
“It really is much easier to understand the works we need to do when you can see the deterioration with your own eyes,” Mayor McIntosh said.
“We know how important Her Majesty’s is to our community and we want to be able to share as much of it with the public as we possibly can.
“We think the access we can give through these tours and the information sessions will help spread the word and gather support for the campaign to save Her Majesty’s.”
The City of Ballarat is currently advocating for $15 million funding from the state and federal governments for urgent works at the theatre. Council has contributed $5.3 million to the project in its 2018/19 budget, and emergency conservation works are currently underway with the help of a grant from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning’s Living Heritage Grants through Heritage Victoria.
Drop-in information sessions will also be held at the Ballarat Library to allow interested residents to ask questions on the campaign and the works required at Her Majesty’s.
Details of the sessions are as follows:
PUBLIC TOURS
HER MAJESTY’S BALLARAT
Numbers strictly limited. Bookings essential.
Tuesday 14 August – 10am (SOLD OUT) and 6pm (SOLD OUT)
Thursday 16 August – 10am (SOLD OUT) and 6pm (SOLD OUT)
NEW DATES ADDED
Tuesday 21 August – 10am
Thursday 23 August – 10am
Friday 24 August – 2pm
Book online at http://hermaj.com/events/hermajtour/
Patrons will be required to walk for the duration of the tour and must wear flat, closed in shoes. Patrons must also be comfortable climbing stairs and being at heights.
DROP-IN SESSIONS
BALLARAT LIBRARY
Bookings not required – you may attend at any time in the two-hour period
Monday 13 August – 2-4pm
Friday 17 August – 10am-12pm
For more information, to tell us your Her Majesty’s story, or to donate, visit savehermaj.com
