Comedy Theatre, Melbourne

The Comedy Theatre is a 1003-seat theatre in Melbourne's East End Theatre District. It was built in 1928, and was designed in the Spanish style, with a Florentine-style exterior and wrought-iron balconies. It is located at 240 Exhibition Street, and diagonally opposite Her Majesty's Theatre.

Comedy Theatre
Address240 Exhibition Street, Melbourne
Melbourne
Australia
Coordinates37°48′37″S 144°58′13″E
OwnerMarriner Group
Capacity1003
Opened28 April 1928[1][2]
Website
www.marrinergroup.com.au

It typically hosts commercial seasons of plays and smaller-scale musicals, as well as comedy and other entertainment events.

History

Erected on the site of one of Melbourne's earliest play-houses, the old "Iron Pot", (officially the "Coppin's Olympic Theatre") a theatre originally built 1855 and abandoned in 1894.[3] It was a prefabricated iron theatre purchased in Manchester, England by George Selth Coppin.[1][4][5]

The Comedy Theatre was built and operated for fifty years by J.C. Williamson's. Paul Dainty purchased the theatre in 1978 for $800,000.[6] Since 1996 the theatre has been owned and operated by Marriner Group.

Previous productions

Previous notable productions and performers at the Comedy Theatre include:[7]

  • Fresco
  • Fresco detail
  • Fresco detail
  • Windows
  • Theatre in December 2012

References
  1. "Comedy Theatre Opening". The Argus. Melbourne. 28 April 1928. p. 26. Retrieved 4 December 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. "NEW MELBOURNE THEATRE". The Argus. Melbourne. 27 April 1928. p. 11. Retrieved 4 December 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. "GOPPIN'S OLYMPIC THEATRE". The Argus. Melbourne. 27 July 1855. p. 4. Retrieved 4 December 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. George Coppin 1819–1906 Archived 12 November 2009 at the Wayback Machine, Live Performance Australia
  5. "MELBOURNE'S OLDEST THEATRES". The Mercury. Hobart, Tasmania. 21 January 1930. p. 2. Retrieved 4 December 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. "Theatre bought". The Canberra Times. 52 (15, 584). Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 23 May 1978. p. 18. Retrieved 28 April 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. "AusStage - Comedy Theatre". www.ausstage.edu.au. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  8. "AusStage".
  9. "AusStage".
  10. "AusStage".
  11. "AusStage".
  12. "AusStage".
  13. https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/venue/98
  14. "Yes, Prime Minister Cast Announced | Stage Whispers".
  15. "Madiba the Musical | Stage Whispers".
  16. "33 Variations (Comedy Theatre)".
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.