Castlemaine's Theatre Royal is heading into a new era with Rich Moffat tackling the venues music programming.
Nestled into the Goldfields region of west central Victoria, Castlemaine is a melting pot of rich history, stemming largely from its role in the Australian gold rush narrative but also embedded in the town’s vibrant and eclectic arts and hospitality scenes.
Keep up with the latest music news, festivals, interviews and reviews here.
Actively covering all of these sources of nourishment is Theatre Royal. Established in 1854, Theatre Royal came to life during the gold rush migration as a live entertainment venue, rolling on to be one of the first picture palaces to screen silent films. Proudly one of the oldest continuously operating theatres in the Southern Hemisphere, the heritage building now houses a cinema, a live music venue, a bar, and a bottle shop, acting as a cultural institution in Castlemaine and a hub for the creative community.
View this post on Instagram
Hoping to add to the Theatre Royal’s cultural mark is Rich Moffat. Appointed as the venue’s new Music Programmer at the top of August, Moffat brings with him decades of experience in venue management and music festival programming, a thirst for renewed regional touring and a binding string of love for the heritage space and Castlemaine cultural community.
“The existence of the Theatre was actually one of the main reasons we bought a house up here. I’m sure many others would be the same,” explains Moffat.
“It acts as a hub for the local community. One of my favourite things about living in Castlemaine is that I can go to a show and always see a friend without ever having to organise it in advance. That would rarely happen in Melbourne. It means music fans here can have a richer, more connected social life. It’s such an easy place to make new friends if you get out and about.”
Playing into the Theatre Royals strengths, the space has allowed for a diverse range of offerings, being a pivotal player in the towns annual cultural events including Castlemaine State Festival, MIFF Regional Film Festival, Castlemaine Pride, and Castlemaine Jazz Festival, whilst also curating a vigorous internal program across film and live music. Moffat aims to continue and extend that legacy.
View this post on Instagram
“I love that the Theatre always feels like an “event” space, with high ceilings, great sound and a big stage. It’s a neutral space too, so can cater to a wide variety of audiences, genres and demographics. I’m excited to explore all the different types of artists we can host there. The local audience is definitely hungry for live music and keen to discover new things, but it also feels like we get a lot of travelling music fans from Melbourne and the surrounding towns,” he says.
With the venue having already secured the likes of The Buzzcocks, The Saints, Kate Miller-Heidke, Andy Shauf and Thirsty Merc for 2024, Moffat is jumping in head first to the new position and excited for the impending announcements for the 2024/25 calendar year.
“I’m super excited about an act we’re about to announce (if you want a hint they were one of the main Oz acts meant to play GTM before its sad cancellation). We also have a bunch of exciting international acts confirmed for 2025 already, which will be announced in the coming months. There is an African band, a blues singer, some metal acts, an awesome American rockabilly guitarist, two fascinating female roots artists from the U.S, a U.K DJ duo from a much loved band, and many popular Oz acts of course. Please subscribe to the venue newsletter for details – all will be announced in coming months,” he teases.
View this post on Instagram
“Soon, we will have UK punks legends Buzzcocks on Cup Eve, which will be amazing. I’m also really looking forward to Canadian singer Andy Shauf in December. To have 70’s UK icons 10cc coming to Castlemaine seems ridiculous, but it is happening – get a ticket for that show early.”
This new Theatre Royal and Moffat marriage is overflowing with excitement, only adding to the notion that regional markets are the key to a strengthened live music ecology. With the Theatre Royal being exemplary of the power of creating and maintaining strong and connected regional touring circuits, the future of the venue is in good hands.
“All my favourite events I’ve been involved with have been regional – things like Falls in Tasmania, GTM in Townsville and the North West Festival in Port Hedland. Regional audiences are never jaded or judgemental and are always appreciative that artists have chosen to visit them. The artists that choose to do regional shows early on seem to always be the ones that have the longest careers. Regional audiences are loyal! I think most of the key agents and managers understand this, so expect to see a lot more acts heading out next year. Live music is such a joyous way for people to connect and celebrate life.”
Keep up to date with all of the incredible artists heading to Castlemaine’s Theatre Royal via their website.
If anyone has any ideas of acts they’d like to see, or events they would like to co-host, they can reach out to Rich Moffat directly via [email protected] or simply drop in and say hi to the wonderful Tim and Felicity at the venue anytime.
