After years of music, dance, drama and more, it’s little surprise an “extravaganza” is part of Alan Youngson’s farewell to Dubbo.
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The inaugural manager of the Dubbo Regional Theatre and Convention Centre (DRTCC) will retire this month after 5½ years in the role and more than 370 performances at the attraction.
Dubbo City Council has begun the recruitment process to replace the man it credits as having “done a stellar job establishing the DRTCC”, with more than 110,000 tickets sold since its opening in 2010.
In his last weeks at the helm, Mr Youngson has been busy producing a concert for tomorrow night to match the successes of the past four years.
He said Hotel California – The Eagles Experience, the first show in April, 2010, set the benchmark.
“The official opening in July then showcased the depth of local talent, the broad community support for live performance and the versatility of this fabulous venue,” he said.
Mr Youngson said attracting some of the best known companies such as the Bell Shakespeare Company, Oz Opera and the Australian Ballet and performers such as Todd McKenney, Guy Sebastian and Marina Prior had been among the highlights.
“I believe people in Dubbo deserve to see what is being seen in capital cities,” Mr Youngson said.
“The majority of performances in the past four years have played in the capital cities and bringing them to Dubbo makes theatre accessible and affordable for regional people.”
The manager paid tribute to the dedication of the theatre staff and volunteers.
“Working here is a real lifestyle,” he said.
“From early morning to midnight on performance nights there are dedicated staff working to ensure every person coming to the DRTCC has a great experience and that is what makes the difference.”
Recruitment efforts are being made locally, through metropolitan media and the Australian Performing Arts Centres Association and an appointment is expected in August.
“Through advertising and promotion across a range of networks and media we are expecting to attract a wide field of skilled and experienced applicants…” council community services director David Dwyer said.
“Alan Youngson has done a stellar job establishing the DRTCC as a premier performance venue.
“The new manager will have the role of continuing to attract high quality performances to Dubbo and build the reputation of attracting and hosting premier events.”
Tomorrow night’s Broadway, Big Band and Beyond featuring the Great Western Plains Big Band, Australia’s Got Talent finalists Joshua and Oscar Han and Dubbo’s own Kellie Dickerson of Wicked fame will be the final and farewell concert produced by Mr Youngson.
“It’s a bit of an extravaganza,” he said.
“We have just under 100 tickets left, we’d love to make it a sell-out for the final.”