Theatre Works' new Glasshouse doesn't treat pandemic social distancing as a problem. It's more of an opportunity for some outside-the-box thinking.The St Kilda venue is now home to four giant Perspex blocks, each containing three booths a metre above the floor. “As you walk into the theatre your booth will be lit up in a certain colour, and the rest of the booths won't be lit, they'll just have little downlights and lamps in them,” says general manager Dianne Toulson.
The venue has developed an app to handle bookings, brochures, in-booth dining and drinking. Between performances hospital-grade cleaning will take place. Even if greater restrictions returned, the venue will still be able to operate.Then there are the shows. Theatre Works had nine slated for this year's Melbourne Fringe, and so the first works presented in the Glasshouse in January will be a Fringe Replanted program. “We've got a blistering program for next year,” says Toulson.
By March this year, the venue's box office takings were the highest they'd ever been. Audience and artist participation were up by 500 per cent. Bar sales had already topped half of what was expected for the entire year. Previously the venue's relationship with artists performing there had been a little like a Tinder date, says Toulson. “Everyone would apply, and we'd flip through and work out the ones we wanted to have this quick relationship with.”
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