Theatre Royal, Adelaide

The Theatre Royal on Hindley Street, Adelaide was a significant venue in the history of the stage in South Australia.

The first "Theatre Royal" in Adelaide was a small venue above the Adelaide Tavern in Franklin Street, managed by Mr. Bonnar and was opened in May 1838. The first production staged there was Mountaineers, or, Love and Madness (Colman). Bonnar was succeeded as manager by Sampson Marshall. This was eclipsed in 1841 by the opening of the Queen's Theatre on Gilles Arcade, off Currie Street, and the old theatre was remodelled as a Commercial Exchange. In December 1850 The Royal Victoria Theatre opened, also on Gilles Arcade, with Coppin and Lazar joint managers.

In December 1865 a prospectus was issued in Adelaide for a Theatre Royal company to take over White's Assembly Rooms and the adjacent Clarence Hotel, alternatively to purchase a vacant site and erect a new building. By December 1867 plans had been prepared for a new structure to be added to the rear of Peter Cummings & Son's drapery store at 21 Hindley Street, Leonard Voullaire's at 23 (then was the financially troubled Paull & Meredith's wine bar 1868–1870), and Mrs Bament's at 27. Paull & Meredith had a wine bar.T. English was chosen as supervising architect and W. Lines the builder. The proprietors were John Temple Sagar, Samuel Lazar and J. M. Wendt. The foundation stone was laid by owner of the property H. R. Fuller on 8 January 1868, and the first performance held on 13 April 1868 (Easter Monday) was All that Glitters is not Gold by J. M. Morton. Edgar Chapman became owner of the property shortly after; it remained in his family for some time.

The first lessee and director was George Coppin of Coppin, Harwood and Hennings, with stage manager J. R. Greville (1834–1894), a noted comedian.

Samuel Lazar was lessee and manager from 1870, for a time in partnership with one Reuben Mills, suspended while his liquidity was being sorted out, then sole lessee from 1871.James Allison joined him as partner in 1873, became sole lessee around 1876.

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