Sydney is to see a significant addition to its theatre capacity with the announcement that Foundation Theatres and casino operators The Star Entertainment Group plan to transform the 4,000-capacity Event Centre at The Star Sydney into a two-theatre complex.

The new complex will feature a 1,550-seat Broadway-style New Theatre on two levels with the capacity to host large scale musicals, dance, drama, concerts, ballet and opera productions. It will feature a full fly system and an orchestra pit.

Render of the proposed New Theatre at Star. Image supplied.

The second room (1,000 seats), the Live Room, will host comedy shows, live music, cabaret, plays and smaller-scale productions.

The New Theatre will feature similar technology to that employed in the Sydney Lyric Theatre (currently hosting the Hairspray the Musical), which uses moveable walls to make a “breathable” auditorium of 2020 seats into a more intimate 1350-seater within minutes. The technology allows the space to respond to ticket sales, while at the same time creating the ambience of a full house at every performance.

Foundation Theatres currently owns and operates two of Sydney’s major theatre venues; the Capitol Theatre, Haymarket, and the Lyric...