Source:  The Australian (Sydney, Australia), March 16, 2004 p006.
                                                                              
    Title:  Theatre revamp to ease Rush-hour crush.(Local)

Byline: Jane Albert * Deputy arts editor


GEOFFREY Rush does not mean to sound ungrateful, but his enduring memories of
performing with Company B are of recurring bouts of tinea and rationed use of
the one backstage toilet.


In fact, so cramped are the facilities at the theatre in inner-city Belvoir
Street that David Wenham and Richard Roxburgh have been forced to use
toothbrushes to rehearse a sword fight from Hamlet, and artistic director Neil
Armfield does not even have an office. Not for long.


NSW Premier and Arts Minister Bob Carr yesterday announced another sizeable
boost to the state's theatre scene, pledging $5.5million towards an overhaul
of the company's character-filled but ultimately unworkable theatre and office
space.


Company B has set a target of raising $2.5million over the next 18 months and
will launch a fundraising drive in the hope of meeting the $8.3million
renovation bill. For Rush, whose Company B productions include Hamlet and The
Diary of a Madman, the upgrade was essential.


``There was a social and cultural and political edge to (working) in unusual
places, but as Company B's work has become more sophisticated you start to
look for a more functional way of maintaining that reputation,'' the Oscar
winner said.


Other actors who have trod the boards at Company B include Cate Blanchett and
Noah Taylor. The refurbishment will add an extra two storeys to the building,
providing much-needed rehearsal rooms, workshops, offices, dressing rooms and
new theatre seating.


The original architect, Viv Fraser, will oversee the renovations, which are
expected to take 14 months from mid-2005. The company must find an alternative
space during the renovation period.
                                                                              
                                -- End --