RMIT Capitol Theatre Appeal

TEXT ON SCREEN: RMIT Capitol Theatre Appeal

VISUAL: Inside the Capitol Theatre.  

TEXT ON SCREEN: Sue Maslin, Filmmaker. Producer of the Dressmaker. RMIT Capitol Theatre Appeal Ambassador.

SUE MASLIN SPEAKS: My very first documentary film was screened here in 1987 as part of the Melbourne International Film Festival. I think it was about 600 seats in the cinema and an audience of that scale watching your very very first film in this beautiful beautiful setting, which just celebrates the nostalgia and the romance of cinema, there could not have been a better place really for a first time filmmaker to have their film screened.

TEXT ON SCREEN: Marc Morel. Venues Manager, RMIT University.

MARC MOREL SPEAKS: It is the most beautiful cinema in the world, an extraordinary space, but it's also amazing that it's just sitting here on Swanston Street behind these closed doors. Most other cinemas are fairly traditional, this is unique. The original brief was a crystalline palace of wonder and it really is that. RMIT's looking to reactivate the Capitol Theatre which is a great thing because it sat sort of fallow for several years now.

VISUAL: Artistic interpretation of how the Capitol Theatre could look like in the future.

TEXT ON SCREEN: Martin Bean CBE, RMIT Vice-Chancellor and President. RMIT Capitol Theatre Appeal Ambassador.

MARTIN BEAN CBE SPEAKS: We want to revitalise the Capitol and open it up to students, industry and the community. The new Capitol will be a thriving centre of education, research and innovation. More than 1000 students across 10 disciplines will be able to gain hands on experience and exposure to industry best practice. The Capitol will be a hub for collaboration and an incubator of new enterprises. Best of all, it will quickly become a magnet for creative entrepreneurs right in the heart of Melbourne.

VISUAL: Inside the Capitol Theatre.

TEXT ON SCREEN: Bradley Dixon. Bachelor of Communications (Media) student. RMIT University.

BRADLEY DIXON SPEAKS: It's obviously a very big space and it could be much more than just a theatre. In addition to being used by students during the day as a lecture theatre or as a screening facility by night it could be used to facilitate those connections between industry and students. That's a space that would really be quite valuable to a student.

TEXT ON SCREEN: Adam Elliot, Filmmaker and Oscar winner. Harvie Krumpet. RMIT Capitol Theatre Appeal Ambassador.\

ADAM ELLIOT SPEAKS: You know the Capitol can once again become this sort of hotbed of creativity, you know with ideas sparking off each other and become a really inspirational space.

SUE MASLIN SPEAKS: I really really encourage others to get behind the vision of bringing back this beautiful beautiful icon. Not only for its former glory but it's future potential to really engage Melbournians and people from around the world with this jewel that's in the heart of our city.

TEXT ON SCREEN: A Melbourne icon reimagined. rmit.edu.au/capitol #RMITCapitol

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