The Thebarton Theatre, also known as the Thebbie Theatre or simply Thebbie/Thebby, is an entertainment venue located in the inner-western Adelaide suburb of Torrensville, South Australia. Built in 1926 as a combined town hall / picture theatre and officially known as Thebarton Town Hall and Municipal Offices, the building was opened in June 1928. It was listed on the South Australian Heritage Register on 23 September 1982.
Its capacity is 2,000 people, with customisable seating, enabling to be arranged from "in the round", or with the seating partially or fully removed to make room for a dance floor. It is known as a music venue for both big international names and newly established artists, as well as a range of other types of performance. Thebarton Theatre is in partnership with Holden Street Theatres, and houses its office headquarters.
History
Former Thebarton Municipal Offices, facing South Road
When the "old" Town Hall, designed by Withall & Wells and built in 1885, proved inadequate, the council bought land on the corner of Henley Beach Road and Taylor's Road (now South Road).[citation needed]
Cinema entrepreneur Dan Clifford played a vital part in the design of the building so that it could accommodate use as a picture theatre.[3] He negotiated with several local councils of the western suburbs to create these dual-purpose buildings in the early days of building his cinema chain (first named Star Pictures, then D. Clifford Theatres), and Thebarton was one of the earliest.[4][5]
The theatre was designed by Sydney architects Kaberry and Chard, who designed a façade for the council chambers similar to Colonel William Light's Theberton House in England. They also designed the Odeon Theatre, Norwood,[6][7] in association with local architect Chris A. Smith,[8] the Athenium Theatre in Junee, New South Wales,[9] and many other cinemas across the country. Constructed in 1926 for a sum of £30,000, the Thebarton Town Hall and Municipal Offices were officially opened on Monday 11 June 1928 by the mayor, H. S. Hatwell. It was regarded as modern and luxurious, providing seating for 2,000 people, with a large stage and striking proscenium arch. The lighting was innovative and elaborate, with most of the 2,000 lights hidden and used for dimming and colouring effects. There was room for a full orchestra, and seating in stalls, balcony and dress circle levels, and many other rooms used for a variety of purposes.[6]
It continued to operate as a cinema in the Clifford circuit until, after Clifford's death in 1942, the company's holdings, including Thebby, were taken over by Greater Union in 1947.[4] Greater Union continued to operate it as a cinema until 3 July 1965.[10]
From the early days, Thebby has hosted school concerts for a variety of schools across Adelaide.[6]
The building was revived from the 1960s onwards, when it became a venue for the Adelaide Festival of the Arts, including many international acts. From 1966 to 1972, the theatre hosted the state championships for Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds, where many great Australian bands started their careers. It was the venue for several musicals in the 1980s and 1990s, including a production of Hair.[6]
In 1979, Weslo Holdings took over the lease of the town hall, renaming it Thebarton Theatre, and spent more than $1 million on refurbishing the theatre, including the provision of new foyers, toilets, carpets, seating, electrical system, bars, and other retail areas.[6]
In May 2023 a major upgrade to the building was announced. The plans, lodged for public consultation, include the demolition of the old eastern extensions; addition of a new secondary entrance to the theatre in the form of a two-storey building 7.35m (24.1ft) tall; expansion and upgrade to the eastern carpark and plaza; and minor refurbishments and repair works to the existing building. Funding of A$4m had been announced in the 2020/21 state government budget, with an additional A$4m to be provided by West Torrens Council.[14]
Description
Thebarton Theatre is in partnership with Holden Street Theatres, and houses its office headquarters.[15]
The capacity of the theatre is 1,990 fully reserved seating, or 2,000 people with some general admission,[16] but there is a huge amount of flexibility for other configurations, whether a dance floor, kickboxing tournament or intimate performance.[6]
Norwood is a suburb of Adelaide, about 4 km (2.5 mi) east of the Adelaide city centre. The suburb is in the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters, whose predecessor was the oldest South Australian local government municipality.
Woodville is a suburb of Adelaide, situated about 8 km (5 mi) north-west of the Adelaide city centre. It lies within the City of Charles Sturt. The postcode of Woodville is 5011. Woodville is bound by Cheltenham Parade to the west, Torrens Road to the north, Port Road to the south and Park Street to the east, excluding the area of Cheltenham Park Racecourse. The population was 2,180 at the 2021 Australian census.
Torrensville is a western suburb 3 km (1.9 mi) west of the centre of Adelaide, South Australia. It was named after Irish-born economist and chairman of the South Australian Colonisation Commission, Robert Torrens.
Thebarton, formerly Theberton, on Kaurna land, is an inner-western suburb of Adelaide, South Australia in the City of West Torrens. The suburb is bounded by the River Torrens to the north, Port Road and Bonython Park to the east, Kintore Street to the south, and South Road to the west.
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Hilton is an inner western suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the City of West Torrens, for which it is the council seat.
Mile End is an inner western suburb of Adelaide, located in the City of West Torrens, around 2 kilometres from the Adelaide city centre. It has a census area population of 4,413 people (2011). Much of the suburb is residential, but there are small commercial areas along Henley Beach Road and South Road.
Hindmarsh is an inner suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the City of Charles Sturt.
Hindley Street is located in the north-west quarter of the centre of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It runs between King William Street and West Terrace. The street was named after Charles Hindley, a British parliamentarian and social reformist.
The Capri Theatre is a heritage-listed cinema in Goodwood, a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia, built in the Art Deco style in 1941. It was formerly called the New Star Theatre, Goodwood Star, New Curzon, and Cinema Capri.
The Regal Theatre, formerly known as the Chelsea Cinema, the Princess Theatre and the Ozone Marryatville or Marryatville Ozone Theatre, is a single-screen cinema in Kensington Park, a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. Originally built in 1925 to the designs of South Australian theatre architect Christopher Arthur Smith, it retains the features of a major renovation in Art Deco style in 1941 designed by noted cinema architect F. Kenneth Milne. It was heritage-listed on the South Australian Heritage Register in 1983. It is the oldest continuously running purpose-built cinema in Adelaide, and the only remaining silent cinema still operating in the city. It is owned by Burnside Council.
Grote Street is a major street running east to west in the western half of Adelaide city centre, South Australia. It is on the northern border of Chinatown and the Adelaide Central Market, and is a lively centre for shopping and restaurants. The historic Her Majesty's Theatre is located here.
Union Hall was a theatre, hall and lecture theatre located on the North Terrace campus of the University of Adelaide, in South Australia. Constructed in 1958, Union Hall served as a performance venue for various festivals and productions until 2007. It was demolished in November 2010 to make way for a new science precinct.
Christopher Arthur Smith, also known as Chris Smith and Chris A. Smith, was a South Australian architect. He was a prolific designer of picture theatres and public buildings in Adelaide and regional South Australia during the 1920s and 1930s, and is recognised as one of the leading South Australian exponents of the Art Deco style.
Piccadilly Cinema(s), formerly Piccadilly Theatre and Forum Cinema, and also known as The Piccadilly, is a cinema located on the corner of O'Connell Street and Childers Street in North Adelaide, South Australia.
Dan Clifford was a well-known cinema entrepreneur and philanthropist in South Australia. He was also a keen promoter of the cinema industry, and owned 20 cinemas across the state at the time of his death, including several in Art Deco style, such as the Piccadilly Theatre and the Goodwood Star.
Ozone Theatres Ltd, formerly Ozone Picture Company and then Ozone Amusements Ltd, was a cinema chain based in Adelaide, South Australia, from 1911 until 1951, when it sold its theatres to Hoyts. It was founded by Hugh Waterman and friends, and was jointly run by him and seven sons, including Clyde Waterman and Sir Ewen McIntyre Waterman. S.A. Theatres and Ozone Theatres were subsidiary companies, and the chain was referred to as the Ozone circuit. It was one of two major film exhibitors in the state from after World War I until the late 1940s, the other being D. Clifford Theatres Limited. After 1938, Ozone dominated the market.
The Odeon Star Semaphore Cinemas, usually referred to as the Odeon Star, is an independent multiplex cinema in the beachside Adelaide suburb of Semaphore, South Australia. It is the oldest purpose-built cinema in Adelaide, opened on 22 May 1920 as the Wondergraph Picture Palace.
Kaberry and Chard was an Australian architectural firm known for designing theatres, picture theatres and town halls from around 1920 until the end of 1939. It was based in Sydney, New South Wales, and designed many theatres in every state of Australia, as well as commercial buildings. The firm's partner's were Lewis Kaberry (1879–1962) and Clifford Chard.
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