The coming auction of The Regent Theatre has renewed hopes that the cinema will re-open.

However, as the report in today’s Mudgee Guardian shows, discussions with both commercial and community-run theatre managers show that it is unlikely to be viable as a single-screen cinema with nearly 1000 seats.

The current owner’s vision of a cinema included in a redeveloped building would appear to be the best outcome, bringing cinema at no cost to the council and the community other than the price of a ticket. However, if the eventual new owners of The Regent do not choose to follow this path, or if the theatre is not sold, the community might want to look at the feasibility of a community-run cinema.

While such proposals have so far focussed on proposals that Mid-Western Regional Council acquire and restore The Regent, the experience of the Mansfield Armchair Cinema indicates that it could be cheaper to lease and refit a smaller venue than to purchase and re-open The Regent, with the associated costs of upgrading to digital technology, meeting new fire safety standards, and meeting heritage conservation requirements, even before the structural condition of the building and existing fittings and on-going costs are considered.

Founders of The MAC, with a much smaller population, provided two cinemas with state-of-the art sound and picture quality for less than $500,000 and believe this model can be replicated elsewhere.

If there is a need for a community-run theatre, proponents might have to accept that The Regent, although beautiful and loved, is no longer suitable for the purpose for which is was built, and investigate alternative funding models and venues instead of focussing solely on council acquisition of this building.