Blanc de Blanc Encore opens in Sydney

After a sold-out season when it premiered at the Sydney Opera House in 2019, the acrobatic artistry of Blanc de Blanc addition returns to Sydney to a newly refurbished theatre, The Grand Electric, in Surry Hills.

After three years of closure, the Cleveland Street Theatre, formerly known as Giant Dwarf, will reopen on Wednesday thanks to the time, effort and money put in by production company Strut & Fret.

The theater began in the 1920s as the Transport House, an Australian Railways Union workers’ hall, and then was used as a burlesque theater during World War II, said Scott Maidment, creative director of the award-winning production house.

“It then became the home of Performance Space in the ’80s and ’90s before moving to Carriageworks and most recently being the Giant Dwarf Theater run by the guys from The Chaser,” Maidment said.

“It sat vacant for three years because of COVID, so we restored it to its original railroad look and feel and renamed it the Grand Electric.

“When we came back, we wanted to find a bespoke location that would fit the look of the show,” Maidment said.

The exteriors have been painted to look like spirit signs, while plush interiors include green velvet curtains and gold picture frames, Maidment said.

“When they see all the paintings that our artist-in-residence has painted outside, people come in because they’re curious just to take a look inside,” he said.