The Butterfly Club Calls for Community Support to Relocate in Feb 2013

The Butterfly Club today called for community help for a necessary relocation from South Melbourne to 256 Collins Street in the city centre in February 2013.

Director Mr Simone Pulga said the move was due to the unbearable costs of operating in the current premises. “If we increased the cost of drinks to match the rise in rent, we’d have to charge $12.50 for a stubby. We must move The Butterfly Club to a better location ... or close it... . Paradoxically, inner-city Melbourne has provided us with an affordable, long-term opportunity to create a new theatre space in an exciting unused building.”

“The show room will be larger with more comfortable seating but the venue will remain just as intimate and quirky with the much-loved decor and regular shows moving with the venue,” he said.

The venue has long been lauded for its sustainable arts model which relies on no government subsidy. Mr Pulga said that this model would be replicated in the new location but first needed funds specifically for the relocation.

“The Butterfly Club houses Australia’s largest collection of kitsch art. It’s hard enough to dust it, let alone move it!”

A community fundraising campaign was today launched using popular crowd-funding website Pozible. The campaign is embracing a cabaret twist on the ‘Buy A Brick’ phenomena, aptly coined: ‘Cash For Kitsch’. Supporters will be able to adopt a piece of The Butterfly Club history and ensure it has a home at the new venue.

The artist community including Tim Minchin, Eddie Perfect, Sammy J & Randy, Spanky (UK), Marieke Hardy, Dan Ilik, Tripod and many, many more have rallied behind the campaign, donating exclusive rewards and experiences. $130,000 is needed for the relocation, and it is hoped at least $20,000 of this can be raised via the crowd-funding campaign, which closes on 16 January. Click http://pozible.com/thebutterflyclub for more information.

The Butterfly Club remains operating from 5pm nightly (except Mondays) at 204 Bank Street, South Melbourne, so the coming months represent a final opportunity for Melburnians to experience its unique charm at that location, described by The Age as ‘Melbourne’s most intimate nightspot’.

An exclusive ‘Final Countdown’ Gala will be held on Friday 8 February with tickets exclusively available via http://pozible.com/thebutterflyclub.

The Butterfly Club will present a series of opening events from late February next year, culminating in an extensive program in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in the venue’s new location, a butterfly-flap away from the Town Hall festival hub. These opening shows will be quickly snapped up by email subscribers. Subscribe here for your chance – http://bit.ly/butterflysubscribe.