Canberra's 2,000-seat lyric theatre rises above ground as Multiplex builds towards 2028

Canberra's new lyric theatre is beginning to rise above ground. Multiplex has installed the deep foundation piles, excavated the basement and finished the orchestra pit, the deepest point on the site. The government's latest construction update, for September and October, lists the ground floor slab, structural walls, columns, and stair and lift cores of the 2,000-seat venue.

The ACT Government marked the milestone on 15 August 2026, and completion is due in 2028. Designed by COX Architecture in collaboration with Yerrabingin, the theatre is being built for major musicals, ballet, opera and touring acts that can't come to Canberra today.

Project at a glance

The cost

The ACT Government signed a $317 million construction contract in December 2025, with Multiplex delivering the main works, and its project page lists the same figure as funding for main construction works. That figure covers main construction, not the whole project.

Planning and design were funded separately, including $38.385 million in 2025-26 for design and early contractor involvement, where a builder joins during design to help plan the construction.

A building drawn from the Canberra landscape

The design report lodged with the National Capital Authority describes a terraced form, with the auditorium and fly tower rising from a lower base. A fly tower is the tall space above the stage that lifts scenery in and out of view. COX describes the façade as "a vertical tapestry of shadow and light", made of layered planes, slender fins and translucent veils, framing views to Black Mountain and Vernon Circle.

Materials and colours draw on the woodlands of Black Mountain, the granite of Birrigai and Namadgi, the ochres of Mount Ainslie and the textures of the Molonglo River corridor. A large triangular skylight above the main staircase will bring daylight into the foyer.

Patrons will arrive from the east off Knowles Place or from the west along Northbourne Avenue, with a generous forecourt on the northern side. The auditorium has stalls, a dress circle and a balcony, stacked so every seat feels close to the action. It almost doubles the capacity of the current theatre, according to COX.

Inside are a framed proscenium stage, an orchestra pit that adjusts for different performance sizes, and sound quality the government likens to the Sydney Lyric Theatre and Melbourne's Princess Theatre. The community consultation page lists wheelchair seating on all levels, quiet rooms, and all-gender and Changing Places facilities. The building will be fully electric with no gas connections, and is working towards Green Star certification.

Multiplex Regional Director Harry Young said extensive engagement with First Nations communities shaped the project, and that burying the ashes from the smoking ceremony reflects its connection to Country.

The crews and firms on site

Multiplex was appointed early delivery partner through a competitive tender and started early works in October 2025. Crews set up the site compound, delivered a temporary power battery, relocated services and commissioned a temporary loading dock so The Playhouse could keep performing.

Main works opened with service diversions for stormwater, gas and electricity at Knowles Place and Theatre Lane. Two piling rigs also began on more than 200 shoring piles and about 75 footing piles, including eight for two tower cranes.

Young said the team is drawing on its recent delivery of the Canberra Hospital Expansion and the University of Canberra Public Hospital. Chief Minister Andrew Barr has said the theatre will create hundreds of jobs across its construction and operating phases.

Part of a bigger theatre precinct

The lyric theatre is stage one of a staged revitalisation of the Canberra Theatre Centre. Refurbishments to the Canberra Theatre, The Playhouse and the Courtyard Studio are planned for future stages. A consortium of Architectus, Henning Larsen and Arup was chosen in 2023 to develop the wider transformation. A shared loading dock will serve both the new theatre and The Playhouse.

The centre stays open throughout construction. By its fifth year of operation, the government projects the new theatre will contribute almost $34 million a year to Canberra's economy and generate more than 111,000 visitor nights annually.

What's next

Stage and floor structures are under way, with the roof and façade to follow. Region Canberra reported on 28 October that the structure is on track to top out, or reach its full height, in early 2027, with structural steel and façade work starting at the beginning of 2027.

Through 2027 the work moves inside, with seating, stage infrastructure and technical systems. Completion is scheduled for 2028, which Region Canberra gives as mid-2028.

Published 9 November 2026 · Updated 3 November 2026