In Katherine, residents braved an ominous sky and gathered in their hundreds to celebrate the opening of a new outdoor performance space. The Balang T.E. Lewis amphitheatre has been years in the making and could be a game-changer for the arts scene in the Top End regional centre, which sees hundreds of thousands of visitors every dry season.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00A smoking ceremony to celebrate the new jewel in the crown of Catherine's art scene.
00:07An amphitheatre and space for hundreds of audience members.
00:13There's nothing like this space in hundreds of kilometres in any direction.
00:18It really is beautiful and you could be anywhere in Adelaide or Melbourne here tonight.
00:25It's named after the late Indigenous actor and musician Balang T.E. Lewis, also known as Tommy Lewis, who many of the performers from Arnhem Land knew well.
00:35The families and the crowd here see really good forming and really respect.
00:43About 500 Catherine locals have turned out tonight to celebrate the opening of this $7 million world-class outdoor performance space.
00:51Tonight also marks the first stop on the Darwin Symphony Orchestra's first regional tour in a decade.
00:58The orchestra's chairperson says these upgraded facilities will make it easier for big acts from Darwin to come down the Stuart Highway.
01:06We really wanted to make sure that the DSO wasn't just north of the Berrimar Line.
01:13Music, dance, theatre, all kinds of performing arts here that we otherwise wouldn't be able to host.
01:18With the size and capacity of the Arts Centre increasing, the NT Arts Minister says another quarter of a million dollars will be injected to help meet operating costs.
01:27That means that the people around this region will be able to come and enjoy and also experience the culture right here in Catherine.
01:35A new and improved Home of the Arts at the crossroads of the Top End.
01:44Today, we'll be right back.
01:46The IDO is подготовлен in theatre with the
02:01Smart Stereo.
02:02Are you ready to come?