Metro Theatre

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Metro Theatre

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Venue	Metro Theatre
Address	20-30 Bourke Street Melbourne VIC 3000 Australia
Notes	Formerly Apollo Theatre. Renamed Palace Theatre in 1974
Related Venues	Also known as Apollo Theatre Also known as Palace Theatre Also known as The Metro
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Latitude \| Longitude	-37.811383 \| 144.972241
Events	Date Contributor Organisation
	Equity 50th Birthday Celebration, 22 October 1989 The Cow-Cockies' Cantata, 5 November 1981 Don't Just Lie There, Say Something!, December 1973 No Sex Please, We're British!, 23 August 1973 Grease, 9 September 1972 Butley, 6 July 1972 Winnie the Pooh, 27 December 1971 Hair, 21 May 1971
	Harry M. Miller Don't Just Lie There, Say Something!, December 1973 No Sex Please, We're British!, 23 August 1973 Grease, 9 September 1972 Winnie the Pooh, 27 December 1971 Actors' Equity Association of Australia. Equity 50th Birthday Celebration, 22 October 1989 Ars Nova The Cow-Cockies' Cantata, 5 November 1981 Aztec Services Pty Ltd Hair, 21 May 1971
	Natalie Mosco - Actor, Choreographer No Sex Please, We're British!, 23 August 1973 Grease, 9 September 1972 Hair, 21 May 1971 Patrick Flynn - Composer, Musical Director Grease, 9 September 1972 Hair, 21 May 1971 Harry M Miller - Producer Grease, 9 September 1972 Hair, 21 May 1971 Brian Thomson - Designer Winnie the Pooh, 27 December 1971 Hair, 21 May 1971 Terry-Thomas - Actor Don't Just Lie There, Say Something!, December 1973 David Atkins - Actor Grease, 9 September 1972 Johann Sebastian Bach - Composer The Cow-Cockies' Cantata, 5 November 1981 John Banks - Director Grease, 9 September 1972 Tina Bursill - Actor Grease, 9 September 1972 Michael Butler - Producer Hair, 21 May 1971 Nick Callan - Actor Grease, 9 September 1972 Warren Casey - Music and Lyrics Librettist Grease, 9 September 1972 Michael Caton - Actor Hair, 21 May 1971 Ron Challinor - Actor Grease, 9 September 1972 Mary Ann Chinn - Actor Grease, 9 September 1972 Ross Coleman - Choreographer Grease, 9 September 1972 Jonathan Daly - Actor No Sex Please, We're British!, 23 August 1973 Lea Denfield - Actor Grease, 9 September 1972 John Diedrich - Actor Grease, 9 September 1972 Wallace Douglas - Director Don't Just Lie There, Say Something!, December 1973 Gary Down - Actor Grease, 9 September 1972 Denise Drysdale - Actor Grease, 9 September 1972 Tomay Fields - Actor Hair, 21 May 1971 Alistair Foot - Playwright No Sex Please, We're British!, 23 August 1973 Ken Fraser - Actor No Sex Please, We're British!, 23 August 1973 Pamela Garrick - Actor Grease, 9 September 1972 Nick Gazzana - Actor Grease, 9 September 1972 Frederick Gibson - Executive Producer Hair, 21 May 1971 Keith Glass - Actor Hair, 21 May 1971 Margaret Goldie - Actor Hair, 21 May 1971 Denni Gordon - Actor Hair, 21 May 1971 Marion Heathfield - Actor No Sex Please, We're British!, 23 August 1973 Marcia Hines - Actor Hair, 21 May 1971 Jim Jacobs - Music and Lyrics Librettist Grease, 9 September 1972 Audrey Keyes - Actor Hair, 21 May 1971 Allan Kingsford Smith - Actor No Sex Please, We're British!, 23 August 1973 Bevan Leviston - Director The Cow-Cockies' Cantata, 5 November 1981 Helen Livermore - Actor Hair, 21 May 1971 Reg Livermore - Actor Hair, 21 May 1971 Harold Love - Adaptor The Cow-Cockies' Cantata, 5 November 1981 Tim Lynch - Actor Grease, 9 September 1972 Galt MacDermot - Composer Hair, 21 May 1971 Anthony Marriott - Director, Playwright No Sex Please, We're British!, 23 August 1973 Berys Marsh - Actor Hair, 21 May 1971 Graham Matters - Actor Hair, 21 May 1971 Wayne Matthews - Actor Hair, 21 May 1971 Paula Maxwell - Actor Hair, 21 May 1971 Sandra McKenzie - Director Winnie the Pooh, 27 December 1971 Chuck McKinney - Actor Hair, 21 May 1971 Kris McQuade - Actor Grease, 9 September 1972 John McTernan - Actor Grease, 9 September 1972 Joan Millar - Actor Grease, 9 September 1972 A A Milne - Author Winnie the Pooh, 27 December 1971 John Morrison - Sound Designer Grease, 9 September 1972 Peter Narroway - Musical Director Winnie the Pooh, 27 December 1971 Bill Paton - Actor Hair, 21 May 1971 Michael Pertwee - Playwright Don't Just Lie There, Say Something!, December 1973 James Rado - Writer Hair, 21 May 1971 Gerome Ragni - Writer Hair, 21 May 1971 Penny Ramsay - Actor Hair, 21 May 1971 David Ravenswood - Actor Winnie the Pooh, 27 December 1971 Sharon Redd - Actor Hair, 21 May 1971 Jim Sharman - Director, Lighting Designer Hair, 21 May 1971 Julian Slade - Adaptor Winnie the Pooh, 27 December 1971 Creena St Clare - Actor Hair, 21 May 1971 Malcolm Steed - Actor No Sex Please, We're British!, 23 August 1973 Robert Taylor - Stage Manager Equity 50th Birthday Celebration, 22 October 1989 John Waters - Actor Hair, 21 May 1971 Ted Williams - Actor Hair, 21 May 1971
Resources	Ross Thorne, Palace Theatre Melbourne, Companion To Theatre In Australia, 1995, 422-423 Theatre in Bourke Street, opened 6 April 1912 as Brennan's Amphitheatre, seating c.2000. Renamed National Amphitheatre 1912. Redesigned by Henry E. White and reopened 4 November 1916 as Palace Theatre, seating 1700. Interior redecorated by White 1923. Became cinema as Apollo Theatre c.1929. Redecorated and renamed St James Theatre, November 1940. Renamed Metro Theatre. Returned to live musical theatre in early 1970s. Renamed Palace Theatre 1973. Became church. Metro Nightclub in late 1980s When Brennan's Amphitheatre opened on Easter Saturday 1912 the auditorium was a plain white room with a single rake of seating with a 'balcony' at the rear. The theatre 'could seat 2000 people any night they care to pay the price of admission', said the Bulletin on 2 May. “The cost of the land and the building is set down at £32 000 and none of the money was wasted on interior decoration.’ Fullers’ obtained a controlling interest in the Brennan Vaudeville Circuit shortly after the theatre opened and renamed it the National Amphitheatre. In 1916 Fullers' employed their architect, Henry E. White, to redesign the interior as a three-level auditorium, similar to theatres he had designed or redesigned for them in Sydney (the Adelphi), Brisbane (the Tivoli) and Wellington, New Zealand. Renamed the Palace Theatre, it opened for vaudeville, revue and musicals but became the home of Fullers' melodrama companies. In 1923 Fullers' commissioned White to redesign the plaster decoration of the auditorium in the more elegant Adam style he had just used in the nearby Princess Theatre. With the onset of the Great Depression Fullers' turned their theatres over to talking pictures. The Palace became the Apollo Theatre. Snider and Dean showed films there from March 1936 until 1940, when Fullers' Theatres renamed it the St James Theatre. Then Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer bought the theatre and renamed it the Metro. Under this name it briefly returned to live performance with the rock musical Hair. A new owner renamed it the Palace Theatre in 1973. In 1978 it was bought by a revivalist Christian organisation, which moved out in 1986. Then it was turned into a technologically elaborate disco nightclub, still with White's 1923 interior decor. Article: Ross Thorne, Palace Theatre Melbourne, Companion To Theatre In Australia, 1995, 422-423
Venue Identifier	4640
Dataset	AusStage