ACT Hub will hold a trivia night on Friday 7 August to raise funds for the independent theatre venue.
Founded in 2021, the Hub, based at Causeway Hall in Kingston, was Canberra’s first venue dedicated solely to producing independent theatre. It is home to three award-winning companies: Everyman Theatre (Jarrad West), Chaika Theatre (Karen Vickery), and Free-Rain Theatre (Anne Somes).
The venue has presented Australian and international plays using Canberra actors, directors, designers and technicians, and its productions and resident companies have received Canberra Critics Circle awards and other accolades.
“ACT Hub has established itself as a premier venue for independent theatre,” Ms Somes said.
Highlights of its 2026 season have included Terence Rattigan’s The Deep Blue Sea and (finishing tonight) Five Lesbians Eating a Quiche.
The rest of the year will feature the musical revue I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change; satire Eureka Day; Australian classic Picnic at Hanging Rock; and a queer take on Sheridan’s The Rivals.
But independent theatre is financially vulnerable.
“Every theatre venue has been impacted economically by world events and the financial resilience of the community,” Ms Somes said. “In times of economic downturn, the entertainment dollar is the first to feel the pinch. We have watched interstate companies cease to exist. We have seen major productions cancel seasons.”
Money raised through the trivia night will contribute towards purchasing technical equipment; reducing the venue’s reliance on hired equipment; and delivering new programs for theatre-makers.
Ms Somes said the trivia night was intended not only to raise money, but to “bring the community together in a fun evening”.
ACT Hub promises “an evening of laughs, friendly competition, and seriously good prizes” – some contributed by Lerida Estate Winery and Capital Brewing.
Actor Meaghan Stewart (who appears in Quiche) will host the trivia night.
ACT Hub receives no government funding, and relies on ticket sales, patrons, donors, partners, and fundraising activities like the trivia night.
May’s Hub-Athon, a 24-hour play-reading marathon, and a modified production of Sondheim’s musical Into the Woods raised almost $4,300 towards a $10,000 target.
The public can also support the venue through the Power the Hub giving program (supporters can donate $5 to $10 to keep lights on, or $20 to $30 to mow the lawn, keep possums out, and heat and cool the theatre) and the Take a Seat scheme (donors of $550 will be honoured with an engraved plaque on the back of a seat).
“ACT Hub does not just rely on one major event to fund raise,” Ms Somes said. “We endeavour to have a series of different options which will have wide demographic appeal.”
Ms Somes said the Hub’s strength lay in the collaboration between its three resident companies and their directors.
“The three companies complement each other and give our wide demographic a variety of productions to attend,” Ms Somes said.
“We all bring different things to the table and have areas of expertise which cover the requirements of running a business entity. We are flexible in our planning and can make decisions based off both needs and consequent success or make changes to improve outcomes.”
ACT Hub has also recently introduced more opportunities for members of the community to become involved in productions, either by contributing existing skills or learning new ones.
The ACT Hub Trivia Night will be held at Causeway Hall on Friday 7 August. Doors open at 6.30pm for a 7pm start. Tickets cost $20. Discounts are available for tables of six, eight, or 10. Tickets: https://www.acthub.com.au/event/trivia-night/
ACT Hub encouraged the public to “round up your people, sharpen those synapses and make a night of it!”
