Save the Regent!

This is the news archive. For up-to-date news on the Save the Regent campaign, click here.

February 29:

According to this story, premier Anna Bligh has stopped the current application to demolish the cinemas, but says there's nothing to stop a further application. Let's stay vigilant.

From the rumour file:
1) That the Regent building suffered more than has previously been admitted from work on the site on the corner of Albert and Elizabeth streets;
2) That the installation of the old Regent organ in the Gallery of Modern Art is not especially appreciated by the people who govern that facility.

The Views page has again been updated.

February 28:

The Courier-Mail picked up on Bille Brown's statement. The C-M story is here.

Meanwhile, work is progressing quickly on another, specific petition to parliament. Details will be here soon.

February 27:

Bille Brown - the "boy from Biloela" who worked with the Queensland Theatre Company before embarking on an international theatre and film career, and is now starring as King Arthur in Spamalot in Melbourne - has submitted his views on why we should save the Brisbane Regent. Follow this link.

Meanwhile, a correspondent has sent an email recalling an exciting episode in the Regent's history. It's here.

February 26:

There's an e-petition to State Parliament which you can sign at the Government website. I also understand another, more specific petition will be posted soon. (Update: it has and it is here.)

Thanks to Rebecca, who pointed out that the Melbourne Regent and the Plaza Ballroom were restored in a deal that allowed the developer to build a hotel on another site nearby. As I was getting at here, the state government and council should look at a similar deal to see the Brisbane Regent restored as a theatre, and allow the developers to build their office tower somewhere else. This would be a win-win situation: a new tower block provides more office space for the city, and the theatre is retained and restored. I'm told the details are at Wikipedia (here).

The Regent isn't the only icon under threat. So, too, is Yungaba. Details here.

February 25:

I thought I'd be writing a big thank-you note to Anna Bligh today. Instead, I've written this. - BD

Here's the audio from Spencer Howson's 612ABC breakfast show this morning, with Premier Anna Bligh announcing her intentions, and a disappointed Brett Debritz responding:


(Requires Apple Quicktime plug-in; may take a few minutes to load).

Anna Bligh has said she favours keeping "one or two" cinemas in the Regent, and then allowing the tower block to go ahead above it. She should know that in this age of huge suburban multiplexes, a small number of cinemas in the city are not commercially viable. The experience in Melbourne, and many other places in the world, shows that a larger live theatre venue - one that could also host "event" cinema and concerts - could be viable. It would also bring a well-behaved crowd of all ages into the centre of the city, revitalising it.

If you want to make your feeling known directly to the building's owners and developers, I have been told that these two email addresses will be useful: contact@ispt.net.au (owner) and media@multiplex.biz (developer).

Update: Don't pop the champagne corks yet. If her interview with Spencer Howson on 612ABC this morning is any indication, Premier Anna Bligh has really committed to nothing when it comes to saving the Regent as we know it. From the way I hear it, she still wants the 38-storey tower block to go ahead albeit with some small commitment to having a cinema or two in the mix. Two points: even the developers say building the tower may damage the structure; and what happens when the tower block has outlived its usefulness? You don't save something by building over the top of it. If Premier Bligh wants more tower blocks in the city, she should help the developers find a different site. What she has done smells like a stunt. - BD February 25 update:

Thanks to the proposed intervention by Premier Bligh, it seems the Regent is safe for now, but we must keep up the pressure on all levels of government to make sure this is just not a tactic to take some heat out of the council elections. There are also questions about how the government can require a private company to continue using the site as a cinema. Still, I think the thousands of people who have responded so quickly and so vocally to this campaign - and the small number of people who have coordinated it on the ground and on the Net - should pat themselves on the back for achieving this response. I thank you all. February 24 update:

Anna Bligh has said she will save the Regent! There's a story on the Courier-Mail website. More soon. [Ed's note: this turned out to be a little premature.]

I've added a statement from Greens candidate for Central Ward, Anne Boccabella, here. Other candidates are welcome to submit their say.

February 23 update:

The Media page has been updated - including one link to a story where a man identified as an historian says the Regent is "not worth saving" because the original auditorium is no longer there. I guess we'd better knock down the rest of the Colosseum in Rome then, too, because a big chunk of it is missing. - BD
On the Views page, there's now a message of support from a Geoffrey Rush fan in Prague.

February 22 updates:

The Views page has, yet again, been updated. Combined membership of the two Save the Regent Facebook groups is now more than 2900!

Saving the Regent isn't just an exercise in nostalgia for the old. Claire Hamilton, 27, emailed these moving thoughts.

February 21 update:

Academy Award-winning Brisbane-bred actor Geoffrey Rush has sent a strong message of support for the campaign. Stories here and here.

Vicki Howard, the Liberal candidate for Central Ward, has emailed this media release. in response to the call for comments. If other candidates want to respond, I will post their remarks too.

February 20 updates:

The question has been asked: what do we want to achieve with this campaign? My thoughts are that the Regent should be restored as nearly as possible to its original design - incorporating the original fittings and replicas. Obviously this would be an expensive option but, if the experience of Sydney and Melbourne is any guide, such a venue would be viable. Melbourne has three old theatres - the Regent (which was restored after being empty for 25 years), the Princess and His Majesty's - as well as a modern arts centre and many smaller venues. Brisbane surely can sustain one old theatre. What do others think? Email me with your suggestions.

The Views page has, again, been updated, as has the Media page. As this page is starting to get a little long, older News content has been archived here.

The Save the Regent Facebook groups now have a combined membership of more than 2500.

February 19 updates:

Does anybody know the whereabouts of the original fittings from the old Regent that were not used to create the Showcase cinema? Apparently, the fittings and furniture were stored somewhere by the building's previous owner, the Mayne Estate. It's also been suggested that there are fewer old chairs in the lobby now than just a few years ago. If so, where have they gone? If you have answers, please email me.

The Views pages has been updated. Keep them coming!

February 18 updates:

This site has undergone several improvements to the Media, Views and Links page - and there's a page of Regent pictures (past and present), here.

Somebody has also launced a Save the Regent group on MySpace here.

February 19 updates:

Does anybody know the whereabouts of the original fittings from the old Regent that were not used to create the Showcase cinema? Apparently, the fittings and furniture were stored somewhere by the building's previous owner, the Mayne Estate. It's also been suggested that there are fewer old chairs in the lobby now than just a few years ago. If so, where have they gone? If you have answers, please email me.

The Views pages has been updated. Keep them coming!

February 18 updates:

This site has undergone several improvements to the Media, Views and Links page - and there's a page of Regent pictures (past and present), here.

Somebody has also launced a Save the Regent group on MySpace here.

February 17 updates:

Between them, the two Facebook groups now have 2000 members. Even allowing for some duplication, that's a fantastic result in less than a week!

I've had no direct replies yet from the politicians, but Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg has been in email contact with other people working on this campaign, which is a very positive sign.

I have also received many more messages of support, edited highlights of which will go on to the Views page tonight.

I have sent an email to major political figures and candidates posing the following question. Their responses, if any, will be published on this site:

"Do you support the current proposal to redevelop Brisbane's Regent theatre into a tower block? If yes, why. If no, why not - and what do you suggest should be done with the Regent?"

- Brett Debritz

A Media page has been created to track coverage of this issue. Contributions welcome.

February 15-17:
Many people are fighting to save this historic building in Brisbane's Queen St Mall. The purpose of this website is to be a central point of information, updates and "calls to action".

If you want to do your bit, leave a comment for publication on the "Views" page by emailing debritz(at)hotmail.com, or join one or both of the "Save the Regent" groups on Facebook.com.

It's also a good idea to send emails and letters to your councillors and council candidates. With an election coming up, they should be very receptive. The more people who make contact in this way, the more likely it is that something is done.

What's at stake here is not just one building but the already-depleted cultural and architectural heritage of Brisbane. The BelleVue, Cloudland, Her Majesty's, the Wintergarden, the Metro, the Paris, the Suncorp Theatre and Festival Hall are already gone, don't let the Regent follow them!

- Brett Debritz)

PS: If you want to know what this website is all about, please visit the About page.