Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre and City of Bunbury to benefit from regional arts funding program

The State Government has provided funding support to two Bunbury organisations to increase their annual programming for community engagement and cultural tourism. The Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre and the City of Bunbury’s Aboriginal Curatorial Development Residency Program have both secured $70,000 a year in funding until 2027 through the Regional Arts Venues Support program. BREC executive director Fiona de Garis described the announcement as great news, stating it will allow Bunbury to continue attracting shows it would otherwise not have access to. “For the next three years we will be able to bring great shows to BREC, giving more people the chance to experience the magic of live performance,” she said. “We have some exceptional touring productions for children and young people in the pipeline. “It also opens up the possibility of welcoming some of Australia’s major performing arts companies back to BREC, including Black Swan State Theatre Company, Co3 Australia, Marrugekku, WASO and WA Opera, plus (have) some great Australian stories told onstage.” Ms de Garis said locals can expect everything from Hit Production’s new production of David Milroy’s Waltzing the Willara to the recently premiered and praised The Glass Child by Queensland’s The Farm. “The funding also means we can keep our dedicated creative learning coordinator, helping us welcome up to 3000 school students a year to benefit from the many learning and social impacts of attending live theatre and continue some of our small steps to support local artists to develop new, locally made productions,” she said. Culture and Arts Minister David Templeman said the funding boost will make regional arts programming more consistent. “The State Government is proud to deliver funding that encourages a diversity of voices and audiences in the regional arts sector,” he said. The funding program is a joint initiative between the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.