Gretel Packer Outlines Metro-Minerva Theatre Revival Plans
Community consultation will help shape the historic Kings Cross theatre’s proposed return, with capacity and operating arrangements still to be confirmed.
Gretel Packer has outlined plans to restore Sydney’s historic Metro-Minerva Theatre as a performance venue, announcing community consultation on the Kings Cross landmark.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald’s October 12 report, residents, the arts community and other stakeholders will be consulted on restoring the building while meeting contemporary safety, accessibility and performance requirements.
The report identifies Hannah Tribe of Tribe Studio Architects as the project’s lead architect, with plans including restoration of the theatre’s distinctive tower.
The restoration would return the building to its original purpose. According to ABC News, the Minerva opened in 1939 and hosted the Australian production of Hair in 1969, featuring John Waters and Marcia Hines.
A later redevelopment proposal envisaged a different future. A City of Sydney planning assessment prepared in November 2023 described a 63-room hotel, cafe, small bar and entertainment facility accommodating up to 250 patrons. ABC News reported that the Metro-Minerva Theatre Action Group had long opposed that proposal.
The broadcaster confirmed in July 2024 that Packer’s company Sacred Firebird had bought the building from developer Central Element for about $26 million.
Packer’s plans would provide a larger performance space than the earlier hotel proposal, potentially giving producers and promoters another option for seated shows in inner Sydney.
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Its final seating capacity remains unclear. The Herald reports an expected 700–800 seats after restoration, while quoting heritage architect Hector Abrahams describing a 900-seat auditorium.
Cultural historian Warren Fahey told The Herald that concerts, talks and other events were among the proposed uses.
For concert promoters, the venue’s suitability would depend on its technical facilities, programming and hire arrangements. The Herald’s report does not specify a restoration budget, reopening timetable or commercial operating arrangements.
The consultation will help shape how the historic theatre can accommodate contemporary performances. For producers and promoters, its proposed return offers the prospect of another seated venue in inner Sydney, with the eventual capacity and operating model determining which shows it could support.
