History

Thebarton Theatre History
The Thebarton Theatre was officially opened on Monday June 11 1928 by Mayor HS Hatwell Esq and at the time was considered the premier venue for concerts, films and theatre performances.
Known as the Thebarton Town Hall and Municipal offices the building was built by the Thebarton Council at a cost of £30,000.
The opening was a grand occasion with residents satisfied that this was a truly modern building with modern conveniences.
It was in fact elaborate and luxurious featuring seating for 2,000 people, a large stage, beautiful proscenium arch and indirect lighting.
The theatrical lighting installed in the theatre was regarded as an innovation with "all the colours of the rainbow thrown forth through the protruding cone and rosette ceiling."
The hall was fitted with 2,000 lights, with only around 200 visible the remainder used for dissolving and dimming effects.
As well as the state of the art lighting there was a full orchestra and a variety of seating arrangements and rooms for use.
A large Assembly Room was used for functions and dancing, the administrative building included offices and the Council Chambers as well as the Mayors and Mayoresses rooms.
Another room was set aside for the School for Mothers, a precursor to the Mothers and Babies Health Association.
The Dress Circle provided spacious seating with the front section boasting luxurious armchairs with room for two people. Ten boxes to the side of the Stalls were also fitted with armchairs to create Balcony seationg on each side of the auditorium.
Seating in the stalls was also designed for comfort with specially constructed chairs finished in gold leather.

Recent History
In 1981 Weslo Holdings Pty. Ltd took over the lease of the Thebarton Town Hall and renamed it Thebarton Theatre.
The building had deteriorated significantly in the latter years of the Council's management and Weslo Holdings had to spend more than $1million on redeveloping the theatre.
It was fitted out with new foyers, toilets, electrics, carpets, seating, administration areas, bars, and confectionary and merchandise areas.
The developers were instructed to perfectly blend the new work with the old and have done brilliantly with the redevelopment winning praise from historical theatre societies and buffs world wide. “There is not to be any way that you can see where the old work (plaster, woodwork etc) finishes and the new starts”…were the absolute directions given to the architects and builders. The work carried out by Weslo has won plaudits from historical theatre societies and buffs world wide for its heritage-sensitive treatment.

Weslo Holdings Pty Ltd is very proud of the fact that, except for the initial loan of $350,000 taken out by the council (the interest on which (and some) was paid by Weslo Holdings Pty Ltd), all other development (over $1.0 million worth) has been undertaken and paid for by the company. Further upgrades including the beautiful old interior will be undertaken in the near future.

Following the redevelopment the Thebbie renewed its position as a favourite place for entertainment in Adelaide, particularly on the contemporary music scene. The size and flexibility of the theatre makes it easily suited to a wide variety of events from children's concerts to alterative rock and dance acts and even sporting events such as wrestling and kickboxing tournaments.
The medium sized venue now seats 2000 people and is perfect for young bands breaking into the concert circuit and more established bands that prefer the intimacy of the Thebbie to huge and impersonal stadiums.
Alternative bands love the theatre where they can perform right in the midst of the energy and excitement of their fans.
It can be transformed though a number of seating arrangements from a 700 seat lyric mode suited to more intimate performances to 'in the round' seating for sporting events.
The theatre can also be used for lounge/balcony section only seating perfect for events such as The Dance Theatre of Pina Bausch.
The Thebarton Theatre is licensed, has kitchen facilities and a number of breakout areas which can be used for conferences and seminars.
The old Council Chambers, lounge and offices have not been forgotten and are also available for hire. They can be used for corporate entertainment, breakout areas, private functions and other events.
The Thebarton Theatre is a popular and versatile historic treasure situated just ten minutes from the city centre.