Phillip Street Theatre

The Phillip Street Theatre (succeeded by the Phillip Theatre) was a popular and influential Sydney theatre and theatrical company of the 1950s and 1960s that became well known for its intimate satirical revue productions.

Glasgow-born impresario William Orr had a background as a director and theatre administrator in London before coming to Australia. Orr felt that there was a market in Australia for the new British theatre craze, the intimate topical satirical revue and he pioneered the format in Sydney in the early 1950s. Actor Gordon Chater praised Orr as a champion of Australian theatrical talent:

Between 1954 and 1971 Orr promoted a series of 'Phillip Street Revues' which featured many noted Australian performers including Gordon Chater, Margot Lee, Barry Creyton, Jill Perryman, Noeline Brown, Robina Beard (the sister of Chris Bearde), Judi Farr, Kevin Miles, Charles "Bud" Tingwell, Ray Barrett, Ruth Cracknell, June Salter, John Meillon, Barry Humphries, Reg Livermore, and Gloria Dawn.

In 1953 Orr premiered a small revue, Metropolitan Merry-Go-Round at the Metropolitan Church Hall in Reiby Place, Sydney. This production marked the first professional credit for John McKellar, Jerry Donovan and Lance Mulcahy, three budding writer-performers who met at school and developed their writing skills in university revues. The trio worked together on several subsequent Phillip St productions and McKellar became the driving force behind most of the Phillip St revues of the '50s and '60s

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