Thebarton Theatre

{{Infobox building

| name = Thebarton Theatre

| image = Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide.jpg

| caption = Thebarton Theatre

| building_type =

| architectural_style =

| opened_date = 11 June 1928

| owner = City of West Torrens

| current_tenants = Weslo Holdings Pty. Ltd

| address = 112 Henley Beach Road
Torrensville, South Australia

| renovation_date = 1981

| cost = £30,000
{{small|(A${{formatprice|2311950}} in 2016 dollars{{cite web|url=http://www.rba.gov.au/calculator/annualPreDecimal.html|title=PreDecimal Inflation Calculator|date=30 October 2015 |publisher=RBA|access-date=2017-03-10}})}}

| ren_cost = over A$1.0 million
{{small|(A${{formatprice|3779896}} in 2016 dollars{{cite web|url=http://www.rba.gov.au/calculator/annualDecimal.html|title=Decimal Inflation Calculator|date=30 October 2015 |publisher=RBA|access-date=2017-03-10}})}}

| seating_capacity = 2,000

| architecture_firm = Karberry & Chard

| website = [https://www.thebartontheatre.com.au/ www.thebartontheatre.com.au]

| references =

}}

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

File:Thebarton Municipal Offices, 1928.JPG

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|date=December 2022}}

Cinema entrepreneur Dan Clifford played a vital part in the design of the building so that it could accommodate use as a picture theatre.{{cite web | title=John Walkley '45 | website=Rostrevor College | date=14 May 2018 | url=https://www.rostrevor.sa.edu.au/articles/john-walkley--45.html | access-date=18 December 2022}} 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.{{cite web | title=Dan Clifford, starting as newsboy/bookmaker, builds his classy Star circuit of Adelaide film theatres from 1917| website=AdelaideAZ | url=https://adelaideaz.com/articles/dan-clifford--walls-and-waterman-families-stalwarts-of-south-australian-cinemas | access-date=5 December 2022}}{{cite web | title=Dan Clifford | website=Awesome Adelaide | date=11 September 2022 | url=https://www.awesomeadelaide.com/tag/dan-clifford/ | access-date=11 December 2022}}

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,{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article64112058 |title=Norwood Star Theatre. |newspaper=The Register (Adelaide) |volume=LXXXVIII |issue=25,705 |location=South Australia |date=17 May 1923 |access-date=15 February 2024 |page=10 |via=National Library of Australia}} in association with local architect Chris A. Smith,{{cite thesis | title=Entertaining the Classes: An archaeological investigation of historic cinemas in Metropolitan Adelaide, South Australia, and their development in relation to social class, 1896-1949| first= Antoinette |last=Hennessy|date=2016|type=MA |publisher=Flinders University | url=https://theses.flinders.edu.au/view/a38845ec-db63-4aa2-9e02-416a8164a0ec/1 | access-date=18 December 2022| page=97}}[https://flex.flinders.edu.au/file/a38845ec-db63-4aa2-9e02-416a8164a0ec/1/ThesisHennessy2013.pdf PDF] the Athenium Theatre in Junee, New South Wales,{{cite NSW SHR|5053909|Athenium Theatre|hr=01687|access-date=15 February 2024 }} 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.{{cite web |website= Thebarton Theatre |title=Thebarton Theatre: History |url= https://thebartontheatre.com.au/history/ | access-date=19 December 2022}}

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. Greater Union continued to operate it as a cinema until 3 July 1965.{{cite web | title=Thebarton Theatre in Adelaide, AU | website=Cinema Treasures | first= Ken| last=Roe| url=http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/35454 | access-date=19 December 2022}}

From the early days, Thebby has hosted school concerts for a variety of schools across Adelaide.

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.

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.

The theatre was listed on the South Australian Heritage Register on 23 September 1982.{{cite web | url=http://maps.sa.gov.au/heritagesearch/HeritageItem.aspx?p_heritageno=9073 | title=Thebarton Theatre | publisher=Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources | work=South Australian Heritage Register | access-date=11 September 2016}} Along with the adjacent municipal offices, it was listed in around 2000 by the Australian Institute of Architects as one of 120 nationally significant 20th-century buildings in South Australia.{{cite web| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323084255/http://www.architecture.com.au/docs/default-source/act-notable-buildings/120-notable-buildings.pdf|

url=http://www.architecture.com.au/docs/default-source/act-notable-buildings/120-notable-buildings.pdf |title=120 notable buildings |publisher= Australian Institute of Architects| archive-date= 23 March 2017}}Payne, P. (1996): Thebarton, Old and New. Thebarton City Council. Pp. 129-132. {{ISBN|0 646 30157 8}}

Outdoor bars were added in 2018.

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 {{cvt|7.35|m}} tall; expansion and upgrade to the eastern carpark and plaza; and minor refurbishments and repair works to the existing building. Funding of {{AUD|4}}m had been announced in the 2020/21 state government budget, with an additional {{AUD|4}}m to be provided by West Torrens Council.{{cite web | last=Kelsall | first=Thomas | title=Thebarton Theatre's $8m facelift revealed | website=InDaily | date=10 May 2023 | url=https://indaily.com.au/news/2023/05/10/thebarton-theatres-8m-facelift-revealed/ | access-date=29 May 2023}}

Description

Thebarton Theatre is in partnership with Holden Street Theatres, and houses its office headquarters.{{cite web | title=Venue Hire | website=Holden Street Theatres | url=http://sss.holdenstreettheatres.com/index.php/team/services | access-date=19 February 2020}}

The capacity of the theatre is 1,990 fully reserved seating, or 2,000 people with some general admission,{{cite web | url=http://www.thebartontheatre.com.au/venuehire.html | access-date=19 February 2020|website=Thebarton Theatre|title=Venue hire}} [http://www.thebartontheatre.com.au/pdf/ThebartonMap_Res_GA.pdf General admission] [http://www.thebartontheatre.com.au/pdf/ThebartonMap_Res.pdf Reserved seating] but there is a huge amount of flexibility for other configurations, whether a dance floor, kickboxing tournament or intimate performance.