# State Theatre Centre of Western Australia ![[State Theatre Centre of Western Australia/stc-wa-01.jpg]] ![[State Theatre Centre of Western Australia/stc-wa-02.jpg]] ![[State Theatre Centre of Western Australia/stc-wa-03.jpg]] ![[State Theatre Centre of Western Australia/stc-wa-04.jpg]] | Attribute | Detail | |---|---| | Architect | [[Kerry Hill Architects]] | | Location | Cnr Roe & William Streets, Northbridge, Perth WA | | Completed | January 2011 | | Type | Performing arts centre | | Spaces | Heath Ledger Theatre (575 seats), Studio Underground (250 seats), Rehearsal Room (200 seats) | ## About Designed via an international two-stage competition won from 40 entries, the State Theatre Centre was a significant departure for Kerry Hill — a civic cultural building rather than a resort, on a dense urban site in Northbridge. The brief called for a 575-seat theatre and a "black box" studio side by side on a tight site. KHA's winning move was to **stack one theatre over the other vertically**, freeing the ground plane for a third performance space and an active street edge. The result is a building that punches far above its footprint. **Materials** read dark and precise: dark brick, timber, concrete, and glass, with gold-coloured screens and a transparent façade with black metal screening. The 575-seat Heath Ledger Theatre is named in honour of the Perth-born actor. > *"With strong client support, the building realised differs little from our 2005 competition design, making the efforts worthwhile."* — Kerry Hill ## Awards - **2011** — Emil Sodersten Award for Interior Architecture (AIA National Architecture Awards) - **2011** — President's Design Award, Singapore (awarded by President S. R. Nathan) ## Reviews & Further Reading - [State Theatre Centre — ArchitectureAu](https://architectureau.com/articles/state-theatre-centre-of-western-australia/) - [State Theatre Centre — Australian Interior Design Awards](https://australianinteriordesignawards.com/gallery/2011/public-design/36M2SX2KNW2) - [President's Design Award citation](https://pda.designsingapore.org/presidents-design-award/award-recipients/2011/state-theatre-centre-of-western-australia/) - [Arts and Culture Trust — history](https://www.artsculturetrust.wa.gov.au/venues/state-theatre-centre-of-wa/your-visit/theatre-and-spaces/history/)