Brisbane Arts Theatre refers to both an independent theatre company in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, Australia and the building in which it resides. __TOC__

Theatre company history

Brisbane Arts Theatre was founded in 1936 as Brisbane Amateur Theatres by Jean Trundle and Vic Hardgraves. The company's name was changed in 1947. Its early seasons up until the early 1960s consisted of five productions, each with three-night seasons in venues such as All Saint's Hall, Princess Theatre, Theatre Royal and

Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no governm ...

. It also presented 12 to 14 performances of an annual junior

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

play and three one-act plays throughout its season at various venues, including the Brisbane branch of the Royal Over-Seas League. Brisbane Arts Theatre's first production in its new venue on Petrie Terrace was ''

The Multi-Coloured Umbrella ''The Multi-Coloured Umbrella'' is an Australian play written by Barbara Vernon. Plot The play is set at a house in Bondi Beach belonging to the Donnellys, an upwardly mobile family who are bookmakers at Randwick Racecourse. The younger son, Jo ...

'' by

Armidale Armidale is a city in the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. Armidale had a population of 24,504 as of June 2018. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. It is the administrative centre for the Northern Tablelands region. I ...

playwright Barbara Mary Vernon, which opened on 16 September 1961. Its first full season in its new home included nine plays of up to 20 performances each. During the rebuilding of the venue (see below) between 1964 and 1965, the company persisted with its seasons off-site. Following the completion of the rebuilt venue, ten plays per season were performed, each consisting of 19 performances over a five-week duration. In 1965, an annual children's theatre season was added with the first production featuring

Carol Burns Carol Ann Burns (29 October 1947 – 22 December 2015) was an Australian actress, theatre director and patron of the arts, with a career spanning 50 years. She worked extensively in theatre and television serials, as well as telemovies and min ...

as Gretel in ''Hansel and Gretel''. The company was funded only by box office revenue until government funding began in the form of a small annual Queensland state government grant in 1969, which ceased in the 1990s under the Goss Labor government. It has since again operated solely on performance and theatre bar revenue and theatre workshop tuition fees. In recent years, the theatre's annual seasons have consisted of five to seven productions each from its mainhouse and children's theatre divisions. Its recent high-grossing productions have included the stage debuts of three plays based on novels by

John Birmingham John Birmingham (born 7 August 1964) is a British-born Australian author, known for the 1994 memoir ''He Died with a Felafel in His Hand'', and his ''Axis of Time'' trilogy. Early life and education Birmingham was born in Liverpool, United ...

, adapted by Simon Bedak ( He Died with a Felafel in His Hand, The Tasmanian Babes Fiasco and How to Be a Man), a once-reprised production of

We Will Rock You "We Will Rock You" is a song written by Brian May and recorded by British rock band Queen for their 1977 album ''News of the World''. ''Rolling Stone'' ranked it number 330 of " The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and it placed at num ...

, and productions of Avenue Q in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017 (including a regional Queensland tour) and 2018. The company claims to be "Brisbane's home of Avenue Q."

Venue history

Brisbane Arts Theatre was the first theatre company in Brisbane to operate its own theatre premises. The venue is located at 210 Petrie Terrace, in the suburb of

Petrie Terrace Petrie Terrace is an inner suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Petrie Terrace had a population of 1,124 people. Geography The suburb is by road west of the Brisbane General Post Office. The precinct is bordered to ...

. With 152 seats, it is sold as 149 in the stalls and gallery combined and features a small courtyard and a bar. The property, formerly Dan's, a second-hand shop, was purchased in June 1959 for £6,000 and redeveloped as a theatre. Initially reported to seat 220, it opened in September 1961 with a single-level, raked 144-seat auditorium and a 10 ft-deep stage. The first floor accommodated the costume department and office. The theatre was officially opened by

Premier of Queensland The premier of Queensland is the head of government in the Australian state of Queensland. By convention the premier is the leader of the party with a parliamentary majority in the unicameral Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The premier is ap ...

Frank Nicklin Sir George Francis Reuben Nicklin, (6 August 1895 – 29 January 1978) was an Australian politician. He was the Premier of Queensland from 1957 to 1968, the first non- Labor Party premier since 1932.Brisbane Arts Theatre (1987). ''The First Fifty Years 1936-1986''. . At around 3am on 31 May 1964, the theatre was heavily damaged by fire, caused by an electrical fault in the toilet block. Upon initial assessment of the damage, the theatre director and insurance representatives agreed that the building could be repaired within a matter of weeks; however, smouldering materials ignited a second blaze at 8.30am, which resulted in extensive damage throughout. The Commonwealth Trading Bank loaned £12,000 for the rebuilding of the theatre based on a new design by the initial architect, John Dalton. It included the addition of a dress circle, increased stalls capacity, a 25 ft deep stage and two dressing rooms under the stage. The theatre reopened on 25 June 1965, the reconstruction totalling £20,000. The venue's architectural shape served as the inspiration behind the company's new logo in 2014. In the late 1960s, the adjoining cottage–a deceased estate–was purchased for £6,000 and later, in August 1971, a two-storey building at 222 Petrie Terrace was added to the complex for $16,000. The cottage, at number 206, was renamed after Cor Boogaart, a workshop manager for the theatre for 27 years. The property at number 222 housed the theatre's wardrobe department and rehearsal space until its sale in 2011. Cor Boogart Cottage, having previously been used as a rehearsal venue, now houses the wardrobe division and

construction Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form Physical object, objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Pr ...

workshop downstairs. The previous two rehearsal venues were renovated between 1976 and 1978 at the same time as the construction of the theatre's current

office An office is a space where an organization's employees perform administrative work in order to support and realize objects and goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific du ...

and bar. The Cor Boogaart Cottage was again refurbished following the sale of 222 in May 2011. Brisbane Arts Theatre also owns and operates a registered training organisation, offering accredited certificates in live production and technical services.

Theatre for sale

As of 12 July 2022, the iconic Brisbane Arts Theatre at 210 Petrie Terrace is up for sale, following financial difficulties.

Notable people

Performers at the theatre include: * Roslyn Atkinson, later the judge in the trial of Daniel Morcombe's killer *

Bunney Brooke Dorothy Cronin (9 January 1920 – 2 April 2000), professionally known as Bunney Brooke, was an Australian actress, creator, producer, director, designer, playwright and casting agent, best known for her being one of the early faces of Aust ...

* Dale Camilleri *

Michael Caton Michael Caton (born 21 July 1943) is an Australian television, film and stage actor, comedian and television host, best known for playing Uncle Harry in the Australian television series '' The Sullivans'', Darryl Kerrigan in 1997's low-budget h ...

Penny Downie A penny is a coin ( pennies) or a unit of currency (pl. pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. Presently, it is th ...

Jennifer Flowers Jennifer Flowers (''nee'' Jepson) is an American ice hockey administrator. In June 2019, Flowers was named the vice-president and women's commissioner of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). Early life Flowers was born to parents Mik ...

Wayne Goss Wayne Keith Goss (26 February 1951 – 10 November 2014) was Premier of Queensland from 7 December 1989 until 19 February 1996, becoming the first Labor Premier of the state in over thirty two years. Prior to entering politics, Goss was a solic ...

, whose government cut the annual grant to the company *

Judith McGrath Judith McGrath (21 April 1947 – 20 October 2017) was an Australian actress. McGrath was known for her television roles, including soap opera's ''Prisoner'' (1979–84), as Deputy Governor/Officer Colleen "Poface" Powell, '' A Country Prac ...

Barry Otto Barry Otto (born 1941) is an Australian actor, primarily of cinema, and an amateur artist. Early life Barry Otto was born in Brisbane in 1941, the son of a butcher. He trained as an artist but switched to acting. Career Otto received an AACTA ...

* John Stanton * Ian Thomson, actor and director * Kate Wilson

References

External links