Riverside Theatres wins national award after a record year

Parramatta’s much-loved Riverside Theatres are in the national arts spotlight after being named Performing Arts Centre of the Year at the prestigious PAC Australia Impact Awards.

The PAC Australia Impact Awards recognise excellence in performing arts leadership, new thinking and best practice, with a focus on lasting impact on communities.

In the past year, Riverside Theatres has rebounded from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, breaking 35-year box office and attendance records for a single season, presenting and touring Choir Boy as part of 2023 Sydney WorldPride, and welcoming more than 18,000 young people through its outstanding schools’ program.

City of Parramatta Lord Mayor Cr Sameer Pandey said Riverside Theatres had long been recognised as the premier performing arts centre in Western Sydney.

“Riverside Theatres plays an integral part in our City’s cultural identity and being named the Performing Arts Centre of the Year puts it on the national stage,” Cr Pandey said.

“We are very proud of the achievement and excited about its multi-million-dollar redevelopment which will make these theatres world class, making it Western Sydney’s landmark theatre and performing arts centre, more than doubling our current capacity and setting a new standard when we open in early 2027.

“August has been a month of great success for Parramatta’s cultural services, with Parramatta Artists’ Studios and our new community, cultural and civic hub PHIVE all recently recognised by prestigious awards to further cement Parramatta as a major arts and cultural destination in NSW.”

Riverside Theatres Director Craig McMaster said it’s a momentous occasion for the City.

“For more than 35 years Riverside has led the way in Western Sydney for the presentation and development of the very best in inspiring, artistic and educational performing arts,” Mr McMaster said.

“As we head towards our exciting redevelopment, this award is a wonderful recognition of the quality of the years of past achievement by our creative, production, technical and customer service teams and of the exceptional work they do for our community, our patrons and industry.

PAC Australia’s Executive Director Katherine Connor said it is proud to call Riverside Theatres the Performing Arts Centre of the Year.

“This award recognises the full spectrum of activity that takes place in our performing arts centres as arts organisations in their own right,” Ms Connor said.

“Riverside Theatres are unquestionably leaders in the field, exemplifying the role of presenters as proactive programmers, facilitators of creative resources and key connectors of the art to the audience.”