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 & 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] in association with local architect Chris A. Smith,[7] 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.[8]
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 7.35 m (24.1 ft) 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.[12]
Description
Thebarton Theatre is in partnership with Holden Street Theatres, and houses its office headquarters.[13]
The capacity of the theatre is 1,990 fully reserved seating, or 2,000 people with some general admission,[14] but there is a huge amount of flexibility for other configurations, whether a dance floor, kickboxing tournament or intimate performance.[6]
