This year marks a major milestone for The Art House Wyong, as the Central Coast’s leading performing arts venue celebrates its 10th birthday in May. Since opening in 2016 in the heart of Wyong, The Art House has become a vibrant cultural hub for the Central Coast region, connecting the community with world–class theatre, music, comedy, dance and family entertainment.
Over the past decade, the venue has worked tirelessly to build relationships with the community, national arts organisations, key promoters and touring agents, artists, and festivals around the country to bring metro shows out of the city and direct to Central Coast audiences.
“We believe our audience should have access to the shows we see in metro centres but without the need to travel, the higher ticket prices, nor the additional expenses and logistics to have a great night out seeing quality performance.” says Executive Director, Anne–Marie Heath.
Over the past ten years, thousands of locals have enjoyed performances from acclaimed Australian artists and companies, including Bangarra Dance Theatre, Kasey Chambers, Opera Australia, Sydney Dance Company, Human Nature and comedians such as Anh Do and Tommy Little. These performances give Coasties the chance to experience nationally and internationally recognised names without travelling to city venues. This has made a significant contribution to the nighttime economy, and the Wyong CBD has seen immense economic growth with restaurants, cocktail bars, and boutique stores working together to create a vibrant hub.
The Art House has also supported individual artists and community groups from across the Central Coast to help local talent create on home turf. This has included not–for–profit arts organisations such as Central Coast Music and Arts, Words on the Waves Writers Festival, Tuggerah Lakes Art Society and Wyong Musical Theatre Company. Hosting over 30 community dance schools during its December end of year concert season each year, many of the Central Coast’s upcoming dancers have performed on The Art House stage.
Through artist development programs, residencies and community initiatives, the venue has assisted new works and engaged hundreds of artists across multiple disciplines, which has played a considerable role in developing the region’s creative sector.
Heath said the anniversary is an opportunity to celebrate all the people who have made the venue what it is today.
“Over the past decade, The Art House has become so much more than a theatre – it is a creative home for artists, audiences and our community. We are incredibly proud of the role The Art House plays in bringing extraordinary performances to the Central Coast while also supporting local artists to create new work.”
Purpose–built as a contemporary performing arts centre, The Art House features a 500–seat theatre, a flexible studio space, public exhibition area and meeting facilities designed to serve the whole community. Throughout the year the venue plays host for many community events from Citizenship Ceremonies, Australia Day Awards, school tours, and exhibition launches.
Since opening, the venue has received national recognition for it’s contribution to the arts, including being named Performing Arts Centre of the Year in 2022 and winning multiple regional business awards for excellence and community impact.
The 10th birthday celebrations will honour the venue’s journey over the past decade whilst looking ahead to an exciting future of bold programming, artist development and community engagement.
Audiences can expect fun moments and plenty of surprises throughout the month of May, so for first time visitors, there’s never been a better time to book a seat at The Art House.
For more information and upcoming performances, visit www.thearthousewyong.com.au.