Since opening in 1985, Australia’s Queensland Performing Arts Centre has welcomed more than 30 million visitors to indoor performances, free events, workshops and outdoor performances. More than 33,500 performances have taken place in one of the Centre’s four venues, many featuring some of the world’s most significant artists and major presentations.

The newest addition to QPAC, however, is the stunning Glasshouse Theatre, which officially opened its doors to the public this past March, marking a significant milestone in Queensland’s cultural landscape. The new theater has made QPAC the largest performing arts venue under one roof in Australia, with a capacity of 1,500 seats, as well as the only theater in Australia capable of presenting world-class ballet, dance, symphony, opera, theater and musicals in the same complex.

© Christopher Frederick Jones

New Glasshouse Theatre in South Bank, a vibrant district of Brisbane, is a sight to behold, veiled in its strikingly rippling glass walls containing the most versatile theater in Australia.

The theater was designed by Brisbane-based Blight Rayner Architecture in partnership with Oslo’s Snøhetta Architects. The firms won an international design competition for the project in May 2019.

The idea of building an undulating glass façade emanated from a prose-poem written by Aboriginal Elder and artist Lilla Watson, and refers to the ripples of the Brisbane River and fish swimming underneath the surface.

© Christopher Frederick Jones

According to the designers, “We decided to make the transparent façade a setting for a public theatre where people in the foyers would be seen variously clear and blurred from the street, and we wanted to embed the beginnings of First Nations narratives related to the context into the design.”

One of these narratives concerns seven skylights in the roof representing the seven watersheds of Queensland. This is complemented by the sculpture Floriate by Torres Strait Islander artist Brian Robinson, which features seven emblematic flowering plants that grow in abundance across Queensland.

The lightness and airiness of the foyers contrast dramatically with the theater interior, conceived like a cocoon of dark grey ironbark walls and rainforest green carpet.

© Christopher Frederick Jones

The distance from the stage to the furthest seat in the theater is only 90 feet, just nine feet longer than a half-Olympic pool. Together with wrap-around balconies, the design makes the atmosphere intimate for both patrons and performers.

“From its stunning architecture and enhanced technical capabilities to its breathtaking façade, Glasshouse Theatre is a game-changer that will put Queensland on the map as a major drawcard for tourists, performers and productions,” said John-Paul Langbroek, Minister for the Arts.

© Christopher Frederick Jones

The auditorium has two levels with 1,000 seats in the stalls and 500 at the balcony level. There are also 100 fly bars in the fly tower, all fully automated. Fly systems are designed to ensure safety while allowing for efficient scene changes. An in-house digital broadcast suite enables live performances to be broadcast to towns and cities throughout Australia, including livestream production in 4-K HDR with Dolby Atmos sound quality.