In the year 2022 the Lismore and Northern Rivers Region faced devastating floods, that were unprecedented in scale. These floods caused an estimated $1.96 billion worth of damage. NORPA (Northern Rivers Performing Arts), a leading regional theatre company was one such organisation that was greatly impacted. The Lismore City Hall, the home of NORPA, was severely damaged.

Despite this, NORPA found innovative ways of continuing its operation. The staging of temporary shows in unconventional spaces showcased their resilience and innovative approach to theatre-making and as an operation. The Mobile Theatre is a radical venture that aligns with NORPA’s core values of community, resilience, promoting the arts, and a shared economic uplift. The theatre is a 400-seat demountable performing venue that would ensure the continuity of NORPA’s work during future flood incidents. The ability for the theatre to relocate both provides cultural and economic stability during recovery phases, as well as reaching more remote and disconnected communities in the Northern Rivers Region.

Drawing inspiration from successful models like the Adelaide Festival Pavilion and the iconic Spiegeltent, the Mobile Theatre’s design focuses on the use of proprietary structural systems for cost-effectiveness and ease of setup, in a way that is visually interesting and recognisable as part of the NORPA brand. The design evolved to optimise seating flexibility, stage setup, and back-of-house functionality to allow a versatile performing venue to fit in a relatively compact package.