At this unconventional venue, architecture and interior design crash together with visual and performing arts in a dramatic yet harmonious meeting, each enhancing and embracing the other for a totally immersive experience – a "total work of art".
But perhaps even more intriguing than the impressive architectural design of this performance space, is the ticketing system. There is no monetary exchange required for the cutting-edge acts you can see at Phoenix Central Park, you just need to enter a ballot and become one of the lucky winners.
The programming here is diverse and eclectic; audiences can expect anything from the classics to experimental music – from solo piano recitals to opera, from contemporary dance to poetry readings, and from chamber music to edgy performance art.
Located in Chippendale, sidled up next to the award-winning Central Park Mall, which is draped in its own shroud of living greenery, Phoenix occupies the site of a warehouse, which sat vacant and fire-damaged for a long time. Peeking out from the brick skeleton of the original building, you can see the modern black shell of the custom-built performance space within. The building, by Durbach Block Jaggers and John Wardle Architects, also includes a gallery and a central garden.
At full capacity, the space accommodates only 120 people per performance. Phoenix was always designed to offer intimate performances with strictly limited tickets, and those tickets have been in high demand. Seating is offered on a first-in, first-served basis. There is bench seating, floor cushions and standing room. Get in early to guarantee a seat, or if you have accessibility requirements, you can make it known and have a seat reserved.
The venue's construction and the programming it breathes life into is the vision of Judith Neilson, the same philanthropist and arts enthusiast who co-founded White Rabbit Gallery. The gallery, which showcases contemporary Chinese art, is just a few hundred metres from Phoenix, and is also free to visit (no ballot required, but you might have long lines to contend with if the exhibition is popular).
You might be able to guess why Phoenix was named after the mythical firebird that rises from the ashes. But aside from the original building’s own charred history, the name also symbolises the renaissance of a previously gritty, semi-industrial inner-city suburb to become a cultural hub.
Under the creative direction of Beau Neilson, Phoenix opened in February 2021, after the global pandemic initially delayed the building’s public opening by almost a year.
Check out the latest performances and enter the ballots at phoenixcentralpark.com.au.