'Theatre is sometimes imagined as an art form at risk. From movies and television to global pandemics, these risks to theatre are significant and their impact on production is real. In Sydney, which provides a locus for this study, the arrival of talking pictures in the 1920s and the advent of broadcast television in the 1950s coincided with the demise of commercial enterprises and the demolition of old theatres in the city centre. More recently, the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on theatre programming and venue management is playing out across the city.' (Publication abstract)