Long ago... Performance Space was established by Mike Mullins in the early 1980s (and constituted in 1983) as a space to explore and present 'new forms' of theatre. Housed at 199 Cleveland Street in Redfern, Performance Space was created by and for artists as an affordable, permanent space for contemporary performance makers in Sydney to explore a practice driven by ideas and politics, an exploration of form as well as content. The artists working alongside Mullins set out to challenge conventional notions of theatre and representation, and explore critical intersections between performance and visual cultures, new media, film and sound.

More recently… Since then, Performance Space has facilitated and accommodated an enormous variety of work that has been recognised locally, nationally and internationally. We have been a hub for thousands of artists and their work, for hundreds of thousands of audiences, and most significantly have created a profile for hybrid practice and offered enduring support to the obstinately ephemeral. In February 2007, Performance Space moved to Carriageworks, a new cultural centre developed by Arts NSW in the old Eveleigh Railyards.  This impressive building was built to serve the needs of the small to medium performing arts sector and is now home to a number of arts companies including Performance Space, which was identified as the ‘anchor-tenant’.

Very recently… In 2012 Performance Space celebrated 30 years of iconic performances with our anniversary festival, YOU’RE HISTORY! Since the move to Carriageworks, Performance Space’s audiences have more than doubled, while remaining artist-centred and committed to new forms of practice. We have also expanded our program to champion site-specific projects across artforms and explore new possibilities for this mode of practice.