A RENOWNED Australian artist has thrown his support behind efforts to restore Rosebud’s nearly century-old Broadway Theatre, offering one of his works for sale to help raise funds for the project.
John Baird’s painting Coda is currently on display in the Wannaeue Window, a public-facing exhibition space built into the front of the old theatre. The striking piece is priced at $7000, with Baird generously pledging to donate half of the proceeds to the theatre’s restoration project.
Funds will be directed through a tax-deductible campaign via the Australian Cultural Fund, bolstering efforts by the Mornington Peninsula-based Barnacle Studios Collective to transform the building into a vibrant performing arts centre – the only one of its kind on the peninsula.
First opened in 1928 and admired for its art deco architecture, the Broadway Theatre was once a hub for film, dance, and community life. Until the end of last year, the space was home to a vintage clothing market before it moved to a different location. Now it is being revived as a multi-purpose cultural venue, featuring a professional space for live theatre, music, and performance; gallery and exhibition area; rehearsal and mentorship facilities for youth and emerging creatives; and a community venue for education, cultural exchange, and events.
Barnacle Studios Collective co-founders Max Johnson and Sally Ballieu have expressed their passion behind breathing new life into the historic theatre. “I’ve actually been advocating for 15 years to find a performing arts centre on the Mornington Peninsula and we’ve been working towards this for some time and all of a sudden this building became unoccupied at the end of last year,” Ballieu said.
“Max and I leapt in and took it over and our great hopes are to restore it, to reignite the story of the Whitakers (the family who own the building) and their cultural stewardship on the Mornington Peninsula, but most importantly to provide a place for the community to engage with arts of all different sorts.”
While the space is currently being activated, Ballieu told The News that seed funding was being sought to “kick us off and get the building upgraded so that we can function immediately to then be self-sustainable”. “We’ve got loads of dance companies and classes wanting to work in that space because there’s just no large venues on the Mornington Peninsula at all,” she said.
Ballieu said having such a venue would be a huge economic boost for the region, attracting visitors, supporting artists, and creating jobs. “We have eight million tourists come down to the Mornington Peninsula, and we have nothing for them, nowhere to actually bring them except these small halls that are owned by the shire, but none of them are fit for purpose.”
Ballieu said they were grateful for Baird’s support to transform the Broadway into an arts hub for the Southern Peninsula. Baird, one of the Mornington Peninsula region’s most accomplished artists, said “the revival of the Broadway Theatre is one of the most exciting developments to happen to the arts community of the southern Peninsula in recent memory”. “Having my work displayed in such a public and historic space is a huge privilege and a powerful way to connect with the community.” His painting will be displayed in the Wannaeue Window until the end of October.
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 22 October 2025
