Theatre Royal, Hobart

Theatre Royal

The Theatre Royal exterior in 2015
Address	29 Campbell Street, Hobart 7000 Hobart, Tasmania Australia
Coordinates	42°52′47″S 147°19′52″E / 42.8796°S 147.3311°E / -42.8796; 147.3311
Owner	Theatre Royal Management Board
Designation	Listed building
Capacity	698
Production	ballet, opera, drama, repertory
Construction
Opened	1837
Rebuilt	1837, 1850s, 1890s, 1986
Years active	1834–1984 1986 – present
Architect	John Lee Archer
Website
http://www.theatreroyal.com.au/

Theatre Royal is a historic performing arts venue in central Hobart, Tasmania. It is the oldest continually operating theatre in Australia; Noël Coward once called it "a dream of a theatre" and Laurence Olivier launched a national appeal for its reconstruction in the 1940s.

In 1834, Peter Degraves, founder of Cascade Brewery, and a group of Hobart citizens purchased dock-side land for the purpose of building a public theatre. Architect John Lee Archer created a provincial Georgian design and the first stone was laid that year. The location was not ideal for future gentry audiences; it was in a rough and foul-smelling area near an abattoir, brothels, factories, and pubs. The architect accommodated the local population by creating an entrance through a neighbouring pub directly into the theatre's pit seating, colloquially known as "the Shades." When a national economic downturn caused most of the original investors to pull out, Degraves stepped in and took complete ownership. The building was completed, using convict labor in part, by the end of 1836. It staged its inaugural performances in March 1837; Thomas Morton's Speed the Plough and the W. Oxberry's The Spoiled Child. In June, the theatre was formally named the "Royal Victoria Theatre" in honor of the coronation of the Queen of England but it became known simply as "The Theatre Royal."

Due to the neighbourhood, early performances tended towards cockfights, boxing, and religious meetings. The patrons of the Shades included visiting seamen and workers from the convict-laden Wapping area surrounding the theatre. They became known for their drunken and disruptive interactions with performers.

Degraves undertook a major renovation in 1856 but it didn't improve bookings or offerings. Following Degraves' death in 1883, Richard Lewis purchased the theatre for £3222. For the next 40 years or so, Lewis made improvements to further attempt to upgrade the theatre's fashion. It changed hands again and in 1911, underwent extensive renovations that closed the Shades, added tiers of new seating, and upgraded the decorating to feature red velvet upholstery and a crystal chandelier.