Why Brisbane-based plastic surgeon Dr Dan Kennedy stepped in to save the old Brisbane Arts Theatre building.
A surgeon is hoping to breathe new life into one of Brisbane’s oldest theatres, with plans to one day use the space for medical conferences and lectures.
Formerly the home of the Brisbane Arts Theatre, the building at 210 Petrie Terrace was purchased in 2022 by Dr Dan Kennedy and his wife Fiona, who comprise two of the three directors of Ad Astra Theatre company.
“I’ve been a surgeon for more than 30 years, and during that time I’ve been married to a woman who I met at school on stage in a musical,” Dr Kennedy told The Medical Republic.
“That was in 1975, and we’ve been married for about 45 years.”
Over that time, Dr Kennedy and his wife have acted and directed as a hobby while working as a specialist plastic surgeon and a solicitor, respectively.
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In 2018, the couple decided to “get serious” and founded Ad Astra Theatre.
For several years, they ran Ad Astra out of a converted office building opposite Dr Kennedy’s day surgery in Fortitude Valley.
“[Ad Astra] drew from our real interest in communication, both from our work and in the community, from our work [professionally],” he said.
With the original 40-seat theatre often “bursting at the seams”, they eventually purchased the Brisbane Arts Theatre building on Petrie Terrace with the intention of saving it from demolition.
“For the last just about 12 months now, we’ve been doing repairs that – and this is no reflection on Brisbane Arts – but that they couldn’t afford to do … for years,” Dr Kennedy said.
“Plumbing, storm damage, leaks, rot, rust – all sorts of things that we needed to do to bring it up to what you would consider a safe modern standard.
“And on 24 September, which is just around the corner, we open with a musical – Sondheim’s Into The Woods.”
The building itself has been operating as a theatre since 1964; Dr Kennedy said some of the original wiring and lighting were still in place.
“There have been impediments, like, the asbestos guys coming and saying, ‘oh no, no, you don’t just have asbestos there – you’ve got it here, there and there and there and there’,” he said.
“And … the cyclone last year did tremendous damage to our awning, meaning that it had to come down at a huge expense, and repairs had to be effected, and painting had to be done, and there were leaks.”
Despite the stressors, Dr Kennedy said the project had been exciting.
“We hope to be able to use the building, in some respect, for medical education, because it’s an ideal lecture theatre as well as a beautiful stage,” he said.
