About us

Geelong Arts Centre curates, supports and presents a diverse range of music, theatre, comedy and dance performances, as well as important cultural and arts practice dialogue, workshops, developments, community experiences and free public activations. 

Our work seeks to welcome every person in our community to engage, learn and express their creativity, making art a universal experience.

Geelong Arts Centre is the cultural heartbeat of Victoria’s second-largest city.

Established in 1981 as a Victorian Government statutory agency, we have evolved into Australia’s largest dedicated regional performing arts complex. A landmark $180 million redevelopment, completed in August 2023, quadrupled public space, installed world-class staging, lighting and acoustic systems, and created fully accessible foyers that link the historic Ryrie Street building with a striking new Little Malop Street façade designed in consultation with Wadawurrung Traditional Owners.

The campus now comprises four distinct performance venues supported by rehearsal studios, exhibition foyers and meeting and event spaces.

• The Play House (867 seats) remains the Centre’s largest proscenium theatre.
• The Story House (550 seats) is a new, flexible venue opened for contemporary works, touring productions and standing gigs.
• The Open House (250 seats) is an intimate industrial style studio suited to cabaret, fringe theatre and live music, with folding doors to an outdoor plaza for markets and other events.
• Costa Hall (1,421 seats) at Deakin University’s Geelong Waterfront Campus hosts orchestral concerts, major bands and university graduations.

Additional creative spaces include purpose-built rehearsal rooms, creative workspaces, and a range of hospitality areas including Tutti, our in-house café and restaurant which serves both the general public enjoying the precinct and our audiences pre-show.

Geelong Arts Centre curates a year-round season that pairs national and international touring productions with locally produced work. The Centre also commissions and co-produces work with producers from across the country. Core strands span mainstage theatre, contemporary dance, classical and popular music, children’s and family programming, First Nations storytelling and multidisciplinary festivals. A large number of community events perform annually including schools and community ensembles alongside commercial promoters and touring artists.

Geelong Arts Centre is supported by a strong and growing philanthropic and corporate community who champion our work for and by the community.

Community engagement and lifelong learning are embedded in our Creative Learning program which partners with educators from kindergarten to Year 12, offering curriculum-aligned performances, artist workshops and teacher resources. Creative Engine, the Centre’s industry development hub, allocates seed funding, rehearsal space, mentoring and networking to emerging artists, sustaining a vibrant regional talent pipeline. Access programs including Auslan-interpreted shows, relaxed performances, sensory friendly matinees and ticket subsidies ensure that people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds feel welcome.

Geelong Arts Centre’s Strategic Plan 2026-2029 comes off an extraordinary year of growth for the Centre. 

This plan has been shaped not only by the Geelong Arts Centre team but through the voices of many of our community: our donors, government partners, artists, educators, cultural colleagues, and community members. These insights and aspirations have helped Geelong Arts Centre frame a roadmap that is bold, grounded, and deeply connected to Geelong’s future. 

Our last strategic plan was focused on expanding our campus on Little Malop Street, establishing Geelong Arts Centre as a striking architectural landmark and a place bursting with potential.  

Throughout the last financial year, Geelong Arts Centre has achieved just that. Our diverse program of curated productions and community and commercial presenters attracted a record 590,000 visitors, with a third of all tickets sold to audiences from regional, rural and remote Victoria.  

Our industry-leading programs continued to deliver vital creative and cultural experiences to our community, including; 

• More than 10,000 people attending the Geelong Wonder Children’s Festival.
• 44,848 young people participating in a Geelong Arts Centre program or event.
• 103 Victorian-based artists supported through Creative Engine grants and initiatives.  

These achievements are more than numbers. They tell the story of a Centre that is alive with energy, creativity, and a growing audience for creative experiences.

Looking ahead, the next four years are about building on this momentum and unlocking the full potential of our people, our venues, and our region. At the heart of the new Strategic Plan is our clear purpose, to open a door to creative experience. 

Our ambition is to make that door wider, more welcoming, and always open. 

We will be a place where First Nations voices are at the heart of our story, and where audiences of every background see themselves reflected on our stages. We will support artists to take risks, grow their practice, and find new audiences. We will ignite sparks in young people and ensure that families, schools, and communities have access to incredible cultural experiences here in Geelong. 

We will also focus on filling our foyers and streets with life + day and night. It means deepening our role as a meeting point for ideas, conversation, and cultural exchange, where people come not just to see a show but to feel part of something bigger. 

Finally, we will nurture our people and places. Geelong Arts Centre is built on the passion of our staff, volunteers, and artists, and on the incredible venues we now steward — from the Play House and Story House to Costa Hall, The Open House, and soon The Church. Our ambition is to make each of these spaces a stage for unforgettable experiences. 

This Strategic Plan is ambitious, but it is also grounded in what has always defined us: creativity, community, and connection. It is a plan that looks outward, positioning Geelong as a cultural destination, while staying true to our role as the region’s creative home. 

We invite you to read the plan in full, and to walk with us as we bring it to life. Together, we can open new doors, spark imagination, and create cultural experiences that will enrich generations to come. 

We are all about providing extraordinary artistic experiences for all audiences that is driven by a commitment to providing world-class entertainment and exciting tourism opportunities.  Our exceptional customer service is led by our organisational values below:

Bold – We embrace the freedom to challenge the boundaries of our work.

Welcoming – Our smile celebrates inclusiveness and a shared passion for creativity.

Connected – We are proactive in connecting to and engaging with the arts and wider communities, reaching out and facilitating exchange of ideas.

Ensemble – Our team seeks to work ‘as one’, respecting and valuing the role and contribution of all.