The exhibition Theatrical traditions: stage and screen in Bendigo is now on at the Post Office Gallery. This exhibition looks at key moments, venues and people in the evolution of theatrical entertainment in Bendigo.
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Despite the dominating popularity of ‘the pictures’ in the early 20th century, live theatre has remained a constant.
One of the longest standing performance venues in Bendigo is the Capital Theatre. It first opened as the Masonic Hall in 1874, just two months after the Royal Princess Theatre just down the hill on the other side of View Street.
The Golden and Corinthian Masonic Lodges purchased the land at an 1866 Government auction.
The foundation stone was laid on June 24 1873 and the striking building completed the following year. Designed by renowned local architects Vahland and Getzschmann, it was touted at the time, as ‘... the finest Masonic Hall in Australia … [with] the advantage of having been erected on the very best site of the city, and … seen from every point for a long distance’.
Public access was restricted to the downstairs ‘Tavern’ (later known as the ‘Masonic Shades Hotel’) and an upstairs room was used as a ballroom and concert hall. An array of entertainment was provided in the upstairs space, including opera, plays, lectures, recitals and balls. Later with the advent of the ‘picture show’, silent movies were also screened here.
In 1890, a time many saw as the golden years of live theatre in Bendigo, the Masons undertook a major refurbishment and the Masonic Theatre was built.
Vahland and Getzschmann were once again commissioned to design the amendments which included reversing the original configuration of the ballroom and concert hall to transform it into a more suitable theatre with a large proscenium and a new stage.
The theatre’s name was changed to the New Britannia in 1912 and the Capital Theatre in the 1930s.
Performances continued to take place at the Capital until the aging theatre closed to the public in the 1970s. With this closure, the need for a premier theatre in Bendigo was once again apparent.
After a decade of passionate lobbying and political struggle, the Capital Theatre was officially re-opened on April 26, 1991 with a significantly upgraded auditorium seating 500.
It was then named the Bendigo Regional Arts Centre and provided a much needed venue for professional and community theatre to once again flourish and be enjoyed by audiences in Bendigo.
Find out more about the history of live theatre in Bendigo by joining a walking tour at 11am this Thursday, November 5. The tour starts at Post Office Gallery, 51 – 67 Pall Mall and will take approximately one hour. Gold coin donation. Limited numbers. Bookings essential. Call 5434 6088
