After submissions from the various user groups of the Gardens Amphitheatre Sound Shell, the Darwin City Council determined that a major upgrade was required to facilitate concert productions using sound and lighting technology of the present era.

With this objective, Woodhead was commissioned to undertake the task and after consultation with the various user groups, the following problem areas were identified:
- Recent concerts had involved the erection of temporary scaffolding and trusses to support the stage sound amplification and lighting systems. This created a visual obstruction and potential safety risk to the stage front and was a costly procedure for every individual concert.
- The stage area required extension to house the Darwin Symphony Orchestra.
- The stage did not have adequate access to the existing green room and amenities.

After detailed consideration, a refined structural solution was conceived of a series of outriggers attached to the underside of the existing roof beams, braced up along the fascia truss. The outriggers were fitted with continuous lattice trusses at the extremities which are capable of supporting 750Ka sound amplification speakers suspended at each side of the stage together with batteries of stage lighting equipment being uniformly distributed along the trusses.

By a simple extension to the front of the stage, the opportunity was created to add screened side entry wings which provide access to the green room and amenities.

The solution has resulted in a significantly visually improved aspect to the front of the stage, and together with the screened wings has enhanced the proscenium. At the same time the light and sound suspension structure has created a new special dimension.