{"id":37207,"date":"2026-06-24T01:19:24","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T01:19:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/37207\/"},"modified":"2026-06-24T01:19:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T01:19:24","slug":"the-unholy-playhouse-how-sydneys-historic-genesian-theatre-is-transforming-into-a-new-creative-arts-and-nightclub-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/37207\/","title":{"rendered":"The Unholy Playhouse: How Sydney\u2019s historic Genesian Theatre is transforming into a new creative arts and nightclub space"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Kayla<\/p>\n

June 24, 2026 \u2014 11:00am<\/p>\n

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In the heart of Sydney\u2019s CBD lies a 158-year-old deconsecrated church that has fostered the careers of many creative pilgrims, including Australian director Baz Luhrmann. Previously operating as the Genesian Theatre \u2013 and before that, a poorhouse, the Kursaal Theatre and the first Matthew Talbot Hostel \u2013 it now has a new calling.<\/p>\n

The Unholy Playhouse, as it will now be known, is carrying the theatre\u2019s legacy on Sydney\u2019s Kent Street by becoming a performance and creative arts space \u2013 but fused with a nightclub.<\/p>\n

\"MusiciansMusicians and artists inside The Unholy Playhouse, a 158-year-old deconsecrated church that was previously home to the Genesian Theatre.Janie Barrett<\/p>\n

As popular late-night venues in Sydney struggle to stay afloat with punters easing spending and young people drinking less amid the cost-of-living crisis<\/a>, the new space indicates a push towards non-traditional venues and experimental experiences not solely based around alcohol.<\/p>\n

It will host an array of events, such as late-night cabaret, gospel choirs, live exorcisms, a DJ school, show-tune singalong nights, and even a Harry Potter \u201ccaba-rave\u201d (a burlesque circus and hybrid of cabaret and rave).<\/p>\n

Built in 1868 as St John\u2019s Church and owned by the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney, the building was sold to developers in 2017, and the theatre was relocated to Rozelle in 2024. As one of the oldest remaining churches in the city, the heritage-listed building stands mostly untouched. The warehouse directly adjacent to the church will undergo a $55 million redevelopment to become a 16-storey tower with 25 luxury apartments.<\/p>\n

When developers decided to rent out the church, it coincided perfectly for Kat Dopper, the owner of events company Heaps Gay, who was looking for her next fringe-style pop-up event space. \u201cI flipped through Realestate.com.au after getting back from a holiday and feeling inspired, and believe it or not, churches are for lease,\u201d Dopper said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just really fortuitous that that day I flicked every page \u2026 and I\u2019d called a bunch of venues, some warehouses, actually another church in Redfern, and then this one [the real estate agent] was like, \u2018Yeah, I\u2019m into a pop-up. Come down and have a look\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"KatKat Dopper inside the new performance space.Janie Barrett<\/p>\n

Dopper said the building\u2019s development application \u201cpredates the planning system\u201d, meaning its existing use rights remain valid, and it is currently listed for entertainment. The space comes with two ghosts that previous theatre members claimed made regular appearances backstage and beside the proscenium arch.<\/p>\n

The Genesian\u2019s stage was trodden by actors including Angela Punch McGregor, Bryan Brown, Peter Carroll and Judi Farr.<\/p>\n

\"CurtinCurtin call for The Critic at Genesian Theatre in 1960.\"AA production of Noah from 1950 at the Genesian Theatre.<\/p>\n

The list also includes actor and director John Bell, playwright and director Nick Enright and writer and academic Coral Lansbury, mother of former Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull. Michael Schell, who joined in 1973, said Baz Luhrmann\u2019s \u201cfirst time ever on stage\u201d was at the Genesian.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Genesian Theatre was there for 70 years, so imagine how many artists have stepped onto that stage,\u201d Dopper said. \u201cI don\u2019t know how to articulate it for everyone else, but for me, I\u2019m grateful. I\u2019m kind of still in shock that we\u2019ve got the keys.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following the closure of Sydney\u2019s only lesbian bar, The Bearded Tit, Dopper hopes the Unholy Playhouse will fill a vital gap as an inclusive, late-night dance floor for the queer community.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was one of those like really lucky finds, actually,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"\u00a0The\u00a0The Critic at Genesian Theatre from 1960.Want to read more about Sydney\u2019s live music scene?Save<\/p>\n

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\"KaylaKayla Olaya<\/a> is a culture reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"June 24, 2026 \u2014 11:00am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":37208,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[247],"class_list":["post-37207","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sydney","tag-sydney"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37207","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37207"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37207\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37208"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}