Queen's Theatre, Melbourne

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Queen's Theatre in 1880–1885, by Charles Samuel Bennett, courtesy State Library of Victoria

The Queen's Theatre was a playhouse in Melbourne, the capital of Victoria, Australia. Situated on Queen Street, it was Melbourne's first purpose-built venue for staging plays, musicals and opera.

History[]

Originally named the Queen's Theatre Royal, it was located on the north-east corner of Queen and Little Lonsdale streets[1] or the south-west corner of Queen and Little Bourke streets. It was built for councillor, later mayor J. T. Smith, licensee of the in Little Flinders Street and the architect was . It was opened on 21 April 1845[2] with a drama Bear Hunters (or) The Fatal Ravine. The first manager was the actor .

Mr and Mrs George Coppin made their Australian debut there in 1845, in Bulwer-Lytton's The Lady of Lyons.

and Charles Young were joint lessees 1849–1854, then Young alone in 1855.[3]

G. V. Brooke made his first stage appearance in Australia at the Queen's Theatre in February 1855, playing Othello. The theatre proved too small, and while in Melbourne he laid the foundation-stone for the Olympic Theatre, on which stage he made his return appearance, later leasing the Theatre Royal in partnership with George Coppin.[4]

The building was demolished in 1922.[5]

References[]

  1. ^ "Melbourne's Theatre Attains Its Centenary This Year". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 30, 957. Victoria, Australia. 17 November 1945. p. 8 (The Argus Week-end Magazine). Retrieved 21 March 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ^ George Walton (17 January 1931). "Pioneer Architects". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 26, 342. Victoria, Australia. p. 7. Retrieved 21 March 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ^ Martha Rutledge. Australian Dictionary of Biography: Young, Charles Frederick Horace Frisby (1819–1874).
  4. ^ "Mr G. V. Brooke". The Herald (Melbourne). Vol. LXXVII, no. 6314. Victoria, Australia. 16 March 1866. p. 3. Retrieved 21 March 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ^ "City's First Theatre". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 23, 615. Victoria, Australia. 12 April 1922. p. 16. Retrieved 21 March 2021 – via National Library of Australia.

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