The Pilbeam | |
 | |
| Location | 64B Victoria Parade, Rockhampton, Qld, 4700 |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 23°22′22.8″S150°30′33.119″E / 23.373000°S 150.50919972°E Coordinates: 23°22′22.8″S150°30′33.119″E / 23.373000°S 150.50919972°E |
| Owner | Rockhampton Regional Council |
| Operator | Rockhampton Regional Council |
| Capacity | 979 |
| Opened | 6 June 1979 |
The Pilbeam Theatre is an indoor performance venue in Rockhampton, Queensland. [1]
The Pilbeam Theatre was officially opened by Australian Governor-General Sir Zelman Cowen on 6 June 1979 and was named after the city's mayor at the time, Rex Pilbeam. [2]
Located on the corner of Cambridge Street and Victoria Parade in the city directly opposite the Fitzroy River, the theatre was designed by local architect, Neil McKendry. [3] [4]
The venue has a maximum capacity of just under 1000 people. [5]
A life-sized sculpture of explorer Charles Archer on his horse Sleipner, designed by Australian artist Arthur Murch, was installed in front of the theatre and unveiled in 1980. [6] [7]
A special seven-night program was held in the theatre's opening week with the opening night concert broadcast live on ABC Radio along with the ceremonial speeches. Anthony Doheny, a Rockhampton-born violinist featured on opening night as a soloist with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. [2]
Early in his career, Australian film director Baz Luhrmann directed a community musical called Crocodile Creek at the Pilbeam Theatre in 1986, vision of which was unearthed by a film historian in 2014. [8]
Among the many popular Australian musical artists that have used the Pilbeam Theatre over recent years have been Tina Arena, Guy Sebastian, Boy & Bear, Angus & Julia Stone, Kasey Chambers, Jimmy Barnes, Xavier Rudd, Lee Kernaghan, Melinda Schneider, Beccy Cole, Paul Kelly, Adam Harvey, Troy Cassar-Daley, Graeme Connors, Marina Prior and David Hobson. [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19]
Comedians who have performed at the theatre over recent years include Kitty Flanagan, Jimeoin, Carl Barron, Dave Hughes, Kevin Bloody Wilson, Arj Barker and Akmal Saleh. [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25]
It was reported in 2015 that Carl Barron holds the record for the fastest selling adult show in the Pilbeam Theatre's history. [21]
Akmal Saleh was scheduled to perform at the Pilbeam Theatre again in 2011, with proceeds from the show destined for the victims of the 2010-11 Queensland floods. [26] However, he cancelled the show after claiming he had received threats from local residents, following his controversial comments about Rockhampton on Network Ten's Good News Week in 2009 when he said the city should be removed from Australia and relocated to Afghanistan. [27] Saleh claimed he was angry after being assaulted and racially abused by a woman who had accused of being a paedophile after allegedly observing Saleh film children on an amusement ride at the 2009 Rockhampton Show while Saleh and two friends, including Joel Ozborn, were filming a "Borat-esque" skit dressed in traditional Arabian outfits. [28] [29] [30]
Rockhampton Regional Council also uses the Pilbeam Theatre to host their Morning Melodies concerts for senior citizens which has attracted notable Australian performers including Lucky Starr, Kamahl, Rhonda Burchmore, Ian Stenlake, Little Pattie, James Blundell, Rachael Beck and Karen Knowles. [31] [32] [33] [34] [35]
Flamboyant Australian entertainer Peter Allen infamously damaged the Pilbeam Theatre's Steinway piano by dancing atop of it during a concert in 1980. [36]
Along with numerous musical, cultural and comedic performances, the Pilbeam Theatre has also hosted a number of special events.
This includes a three-day sitting of Queensland Parliament in 2005, prompting strict security measures to be employed around the venue. [37] The cost of holding the parliamentary sitting at the Pilbeam Theatre in Rockhampton also attracted criticism. [38]
ABC Television's Q&A program hosted by Tony Jones was broadcast live from the Pilbeam Theatre in 2014, featuring a panel of guests which included Patrick McGorry, Josh Thomas and Bob Katter. [39]
The Pilbeam Theatre has also hosted auditions for reality talent programs, Australian Idol and The X Factor . [40] [41]
Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. The population of Rockhampton in June 2018 was 78,592, making it the fourth-largest city in the state outside of the cities of South East Queensland, and the 22nd-largest city in Australia. Today, Rockhampton is an industrial and agricultural centre of the north, and is the regional centre of Central Queensland.
Duaringa is a town in the Central Highlands Region and a locality split between the Central Highlands Region and the Aboriginal Shire of Woorabinda in Central Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Duaringa had a population of 278 people.
Akmal Saleh is an Egyptian Australian comedian and actor. He was born in Egypt and arrived in Sydney with his family in 1975 at the age of 11. He has been performing comedy since the early 1990s and his live shows have toured comedy festivals both within Australia and internationally. He has also made guest appearances on numerous Australian television series such as Superwog.
Browne Park is a rectangular football stadium located in the Rockhampton suburb of Wandal, Queensland, Australia. The venue has been the home of rugby football in Central Queensland since 1890 and today also hosts rugby union and soccer matches. It hosted a match of the 2008 Rugby League World Cup. The ground was named Browne Park in 1958 as a posthumous honour to long serving president of Rockhampton Rugby League, Jack Browne who died in office.
The Morning Bulletin is an online newspaper servicing the city of Rockhampton and the surrounding areas of Central Queensland, Australia.
Reginald Byron Jarvis "Rex" Pilbeam was a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly and long-serving mayor of Rockhampton.
Port Curtis is a suburb in the Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census Port Curtis had a population of 281 people.
Beef Australia is an international exposition held triennially in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia. The week-long expo has been held in the city during the month of May triennially since the inaugural event in 1988. The event is promoted and used as an opportunity to facilitate international trade opportunities for those involved in the beef industry. However, it is also considered more generally as a celebration of the local beef industry in Central Queensland. In 2015, almost 90,000 people attended the event.
Kalapa is a rural locality in the Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia.
Rockhampton Zoo is a zoo in the Australian city of Rockhampton, Queensland.
Callaghan Park is a horse and greyhound racing venue in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia. It is located in the suburb of The Common.
The Neville Hewitt Bridge is a road bridge which spans the Fitzroy River in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia. It was officially opened on 16 August 1980.
The Rockhampton nightclub bombings consisted of two separate incidents that occurred in Rockhampton, Queensland in November 1989 and June 1990 where two nightclubs in the city centre were bombed. It has never been confirmed whether there were any links between the two events.
The Rockhampton Showgrounds is a multipurpose recreational venue in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia. It is situated in the suburb of Wandal.
The Rockhampton Music Bowl is an outdoor sound shell music venue in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia, situated in the suburb of Parkhurst.
Syeid Alam was an Australian man who was killed and then beheaded in Rockhampton, Queensland on 5 April 2016.
The 2021 Rockhampton Region mayoral by-election was held on Saturday 23 January 2021.
The Rockhampton Heritage Village is a tourist attraction and multipurpose venue located in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia.
The Rockhampton Museum of Art (RMOA) is an art museum located at 212-214 Quay Street, Rockhampton City, Queensland, Australia.