The succeeding Governor, Sir Colin Hannah, officially opened the theatre on 11 June 1972. "The Courier-Mail" noted at the time that the Brisbane Repertory Theatre had made Australian theatre history by owning the first theatre in the country to be designed and built "in the round", a significant departure from traditional theatre design. Internal changes have occurred to the theatre since, but the essential design elements remain. In 1988 seats from the Expo 88 Russian Pavilion replaced the original seating.