The curtain is set to rise once again at an iconic city theatre, where things may look much the same to the audience but behind the scenes, much has changed.
Victoria's newly refurbished State Theatre, now officially the Ian Potter State Theatre, will welcome back the public on Saturday with a First Nations-led concert.
The project, which began in March 2024, is six months ahead of schedule, and even on budget.
Arts Centre Melbourne Reimagining director Chris King told AAP it has been a long road to reach the point of finally reopening doors to the public.
"I can't wait but it's certainly been worth it," he said on Friday.
"It's been utterly incredible watching people's faces as they come back into the venue ... and just see the joy that people have, it's just magnificent."
The refurbished 2000-seat theatre now includes state-of-the-art lighting and sound, new seats and restored heritage-listed interiors.
A large aspect of the renovation includes improvement in disability access, along with the introduction of two new aisles.
"The most significant changes are the improved access and accessibility,'' according to Mr King, who described the wheelchair positions in the stalls as "a real game changer".
"Getting to your seats was always a bit more of a challenge given the length of the rows,'' he said.
"So being able to introduce those aisles and not drastically diminish the overall commerciality of the seating counts has been great."
It's been the first major refurbishment since 1984, with the theatre stage one of the largest in the southern hemisphere.
Victoria's Creative Industries Minister Vicki Ward said the milestone completes the first stage of Labor's $1.7 billion Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation project.
''The Ian Potter State Theatre has been an icon of Victoria's creative scene for four decades - now it's back, better than ever and six months ahead of schedule," she said.
Australian Associated Press
