A THEATRE WITHIN A THEATRE

Foundation Theatres unveils the Foundry Theatre

Foundation Theatres have officially unveiled their newest venue, the Foundry Theatre, located within the Sydney Lyric. This innovative space is the end result of a $12 million investment and the reimagining of an underutilised backstage area. While the concept of a ‘theatre within a theatre’ is relatively rare in Australia, it’s more commonly seen overseas.

Foundation Theatres is an Australian-owned theatre owner, operator, and production investor. Headquartered in Sydney, the company acquired the Capitol Theatre in 2009, followed by the Lyric Theatre in 2011, which was subsequently renamed the Sydney Lyric under its new ownership.

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Some of the main specifications of Foundry Theatre, at a glance

• Width 15.39m
• Length 15.9m
• Max Trim Height 8.0m Max Flown Weight 6 Tonne Seated Capacity 360
• Standing Capacity 630

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The Foundry Theatre’s name draws inspiration from a traditional foundry – a space of transformation, innovation and creation.

Construction began in May 2024 and was completed in early 2025, with the theatre officially opening its doors to audiences in February 2025 with a number of concerts by Tim Minchin. Although construction was completed in a relatively short timeframe, the journey to bring this venue to life spanned over 14 years. The vision for a second theatre within the Sydney Lyric was conceived in 2011, when Foundation Theatres originally acquired the Lyric Theatre and initiated its rebranding as the Sydney Lyric.

Many unsuccessful attempts were made over the years. With each effort, valuable lessons were learned, refined and reapplied. These cumulative experiences ultimately led to the successful creation of a theatre within a theatre – an ambitious and technically complex achievement that speaks volumes to Foundation Theatres persistence, innovation and vision.

Originally designed to accommodate repertory opera, the Lyric Theatre, as it was first known, was built with advanced technical capabilities. The venue features generous wing space and a rear stage area equal in size to the main stage, enabling seamless set changes. This design allowed one set to be stored upstage while another was in use, facilitating smooth transitions between productions. Despite its original design, the venue has not operated in a repertory format since its opening in 1995. Over the past 30 years, it has consistently functioned as a commercial venue, typically hosting one resident production at a time.

Today, Foundation Theatres has the capability to host two independent productions simultaneously; one in the Sydney Lyric and another in the Foundry Theatre. Through meticulous planning and collaboration with acoustic and structural engineering experts, the venues have been designed to operate without any noise or vibration transfer between them.

The Sydney Lyric stage and the Foundry Theatre are structurally independent, each supported by its own set of columns. This separation ensures full acoustic isolation. Background sound levels in the Foundry Theatre measure just 35dB during performances in the Sydney Lyric. This is equivalent to the ambient noise produced by the venue’s air conditioning systems.

Foundry Theatre is a flexible performance space that can operate in multiple modes and has seating for a variety of performance types across floor and balcony levels. Foundry Theatre is two levels and features an upper seating bank, lower seating bank and floor seats. The lower seating bank can be moved and packed away, it is a modular set up and can accommodate thrust seating as well as proscenium style. The flat floor performance space is also versatile enough to allow for it to be used as a thoroughfare to the Sydney Lyric and can be used for storage too. It has its own laundry, dressing rooms and backstage space.

We caught up with Paul Rigby, Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Foundation Theatres for a tour and a chat.

KH: What inspired the ‘theatre within a theatre’ concept?

PR: We’ve been keen to build a theatre in the rear stage since purchasing the venue in 2011. The main challenge was maintaining unimpeded access to the main stage, as all loading goes through the rear stage. We also struggled with how to bring patrons into a space never intended for public use. In March 2023, it all came together; we developed a concept where the stage and seating could be entirely removed when required for loading. We also rethought the patron journey, turning what was once a limitation into a unique and immersive entry experience.

KH: What inspired the patron entry?

PR: We flipped the traditional model. Patrons use the Sydney Lyric’s foyers, bars, and box office, then enter Foundry Theatre via a series of corridors and spaces. The aim is to shift their perspective from the bright buzz of the main foyer into a quieter, more focused environment that builds anticipation. We see this transition as a key part of the Foundry Theatre experience.

KH: Why did you decide to kit the venue out, as opposed to having it as a ‘black box’?

PR: It’s about making the space accessible and production- ready from day one.

KH: What was the biggest challenge during construction?

PR: Without a doubt, building a theatre while major productions like & Juliet and Hamilton were running eight shows a week. Our builders worked across almost every backstage area. It was a balancing act, and we’re so grateful to the production teams for their understanding during such a complex process.

KH: What are you most excited about now that the Foundry Theatre is up and running?

PR: Seeing people use it in ways we hadn’t imagined. We designed the venue to be as flexible as possible, so each production can reshape it into something new. That’s what the name Foundry is all about; melting things down and creating something fresh each time.

KH: What do you consider to be the highlight of the venue?

PR: The acoustic isolation. It’s extraordinary. Foundry Theatre is separated from the Sydney Lyric stage by just one metre – literally to the millimetre – and yet there’s no sound transfer. That level of engineering precision is something we’re incredibly proud of.

Foundry Theatre has its own inventory of brand-new technical equipment. It is a very well kitted out venue and features a versatile lighting system, audio system, and rigging set up. The smaller details have been taken care of on the technical side. The top trim height is a generous 8m. The air con and other services sit well above that. Black truss has been used instead of silver. Masking has been done properly. There is ample space to store roadcases and other equipment. Considerations have been made for cable runs and cable management, power is easily accessible. Logistically it is a very easy venue to move gear in and out of. A true testament to the level of planning that has taken place to get this of the ground.

Operated by a team with vast experience in live entertainment, the venue is quickly establishing itself as a valuable addition to the city’s cultural landscape. Since opening it has seen strong interest and is heavily booked for the remainder of the year.

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Here is just some of the technical equipment available in house at the Foundry Theatre

Lighting

• 1 x ChamSys QuickQ 30 console
• 8 x ETC Source 4 26 deg Lustr LED Profiles
• 6 x Acme XA-400 Spot Pro
• 17 x Acme Icarus 320 RGBW wash lights

Audio PA

• 4 x Meyer Sound UPA-1P speakers (Left & Right)
• 4 x Meyer Sound UPA-2P speakers (Centre Array)
• 2 x Meyer Sound PSW-2 sub speakers
• 2 x Meyer Sound UPA-1P speakers (Side Fill)
• 4 x Meyer Sound UPM-2 speakers (Front Fill)
• 2 x Yamaha PX3 Amplifiers (Front Fill)
• 1 x Allen & Heath SQ6 Mixer
• 2 x dbx Venu360 Drive Rack

Staging

• 22 x 2000mm x 1000mm GT stage decks 4 x 1000mm x 1000mm GT stage decks Rigging
• 1 x SRS Rigging 24 way hoist controller w/ remote
• 18 x 500KG Motors with Broadweigh load cells
• 2 x 500KG motors
• 2 x 12m 400mm 5 Chord CLS truss – Stage area
• 2 x 3m 400mm 5 Chord CLS truss – Side Trusses
• 1 x 12m 300mm Tri Truss – FOH All venue truss is black