Wyndham Cultural Centre in Werribee will get a new orchestra pit “lift” valued at $295,000.
Wyndham council will provide the funding for the lift and its installation in the coming year.
Wyndham chief executive Kelly Grigsby said the lift would allow the orchestra pit to be raised and lowered, so large instruments could be safely transported into the theatre.
“It will also allow the configuration of the entire theatre to be more flexible, meaning more seating can be made available,” she said.
The council will spend an additional $185,000 to upgrade the cultural centre and $30,000 on an external storage room.
The council is planning to upgrade service areas within the cultural centre, including the green rooms, toilet facilities, foyer and café.
An expansion of the Wyndham Art Gallery has also been proposed to allow the gallery to host up to 20 exhibitions a year.
A council report stated that expanding the gallery would result in “greater capacity to draw the interest of top-tier artists to exhibit”.
At a Wyndham council meeting earlier this month, Cr Heather Marcus welcomed the funding news.
“Encouraging creativity is so important,” she said.
