First look: New era awaits Mousetrap Theatre

The curtain will soon rise on a new era for Mousetrap Theatre Company, with work almost finished on its new home in the heart of Redcliffe.

Moreton Daily met with President Karen Matthews at the group’s soon-to-be-opened premises – The Sutton Centre - for a sneak peek at the venue.

Karen says the theatre company took possession of the building in March 2025 and has been working hard on the fit out since then.

It had to vacate its old building at Lamington Drive, Redcliffe, in July 2022 after a council inspection discovered serious structural issues.

A subsequent building condition assessment determined the structure, which had been the group’s home for more than 60 years, needed to be demolished.

Since then, Mousetrap Theatre has performed at other venues including John Neumann Hall, Deception Bay, and Scarborough Bowls Club.

The theatre company secured a $1-per-year lease from Moreton Bay City Council in December 2023 for part of the Sutton Centre at 157 Sutton St, Redcliffe, ending more than 12 months of uncertainty.

It followed a sustained community campaign and petition to find the much-loved organisation a permanent home.

Council has recently completed refurbishments including a reclassification of the building, roof replacement, a new Heating, Ventilation and Airconditioning (HVAC) system, additional toilets and shower, disability compliance, access upgrades and electrical and fire safety compliance.

Karen says the theatre group has spent almost $100,000 on the fit out, engaging licensed contractors and a team of volunteers to complete the work.

Mousetrap Theatre Group received a State Government grant to cover the cost of tiered seating but has self-funded the remainder of the fit out.

“We’re hoping the work will be finished soon. We have on our schedule the annual drama festival in mid-September, so we’re certainly hoping we’ll be open and certified by then,” she says.

“Our first proper show is scheduled for the end of October. It’s a play called Mirandolina, which is based on a 16^th century comedy in Italian. One of our guys sat down and translated it and he’s going to direct it for us.”

New era begins

Karen and fellow Mousetrap Theatre members are looking forward to making The Sutton Centre home in their new central location.

“It is exciting because, not only is it the culmination of a lot of work and the end of the nomadic existence but it’s a rebirth. New location, new building, new possibilities,” she says.

“I know there are a lot of people who are still hurting because the old building had a great deal of emotional relevance to them and it had a lot of history. So many people had spent 40, 50 years of their life building up that building, and letting go is hard, but we can embrace the changes.

“There are potential opportunities here that we would not have had in the old building.

“It’s a new chapter. It’s not a new theatre company. It’s the same old Mousetrap, just in a shiny newer facility.”

Karen says the location, within walking distance of restaurants, hotels and cafes, is the main benefit of the new theatre.

“So many people are saying we could go for dinner before a show or we can have a drink after the show,” she explains.

“We’re in the middle of the Redcliffe CBD and it’s a lot easier to find than the showgrounds.

“The building itself has a great deal of flexibility. The auditorium space has a curtain down the side – we can open the space up.”

There is a second space across the hall which can be used for meetings, rehearsals, youth workshops and small performances.

“We have flexibility with space that we didn’t have before. The facilities are a lot more modern and up to date. Our old building was an old building,” Karen says.

The Sutton Centre has new toilet, kitchen and dressing room facilities as well as plenty of storage space at the back, which is easy for volunteers to access via a loading dock.

Team effort

Karen thanked Moreton Bay City Council Sport and Recreation Development Officer Scott MacAllister for his assistance throughout the process.

“I also want to thank each and every volunteer who put blood, sweat and tears, and hours, days, weeks and months of their time into this and keeping us going on the road which was exhausting, and then coming in here and keeping on working,” she says.

“We have a working group who have been planning every step of the way on this building – how we’re going to lay it out, where we’re going to put walls, how we’re going to put things up.

“They’re just members, volunteers who’ve given hours and hours of their time and effort to draw plans, build walls, paint things … all of it.

“It’s a community and the community is working hard to keep the theatre going and to move us forward into a new era.”

Karen says this team effort had successfully converted what was office space into a boutique theatre, with council’s assistance.

“There will be slightly less seating here than there was in the old theatre building but that just means that we can do more shows – four weekends instead of three, whatever we have to do,” she says.

“It’s got that intimate, small community theatre feel.”

The Mousetrap Theatre will soon be open. To find out more, follow Mousetrap Theatre Co. Inc. on Facebook.