On the 4th September 1894, Hannan’s Find was declared, and the track from Coolgardie became the main street. The camp was becoming a town, and more and more businesses began to spring up. Many were made of hessian and canvas on wooden frames. With the arrival of the rail line came building materials such as galvanised iron. The railway also allowed entertainers to journey to the Goldfields with such names as Fitzgerald’s Circus, Aldred Dampier Theatre Company and Harry Rickards Tivoli Company.
The First Theatre In Kalgoorlie:
Kalgoorlie’s First Theatre – Image TROVE
In 1897, the Miners Institute in Hannan Street was the only large indoor theatre venue in town. The above photograph shows the Miners Institute, as it was prior to the present brick-built Miners Institute Building in Hannan Street. You can see on the right of the photograph a street lamp with the words ‘Stalls’ on it. This was the side entrance and is now the laneway between the McKenzie buildings and the Mechanics Institute where a cafe is now located.
Soon after this, Harry Rickard opened up his own open-air theatre in Dugan Street, The Tivoli Garden Theatre, later to be changed to Her Majesty’s Theatre. The following photograph is taken inside the Tivoli Theatre. It was located on the corner of Cassidy and Brookman Streets and is now an apartment building complex called the ‘Tivoli Gardens’.
Tivoli Theatre, Brookman Street, Kalgoorlie. Later renamed Her Majesty’s Theatre – Image SLWA
Poster advertising a performance at Her Majesty’s Theatre, June 191 8, The Gondoliers, The Kalgoorlie Operatic Society 1907 – Photo from Julie Lawrie.
The Cremorne Theatre, Kalgoorlie.
In 1906, Mr Harry Greville, who owned the Duke of Cornwall Hotel in Kalgoorlie, put forward to the then mayor of Kalgoorlie, Mr J H Cummings, that he proposed to obtain the vacant quarter acre adjoining his hotel premises in the top end of Hannan Street. He proposed that no reasonable expense would be spared to build a first-class venue for which the comfort of patrons was of the utmost importance.
He proposed to lay down couch grass for the floor and provision for 800 canvas deck chairs. Abutting onto Hannan Street so there would be a gallery with seating for 400. A side entrance in Hannan Street would enable ‘the gods’ to reach their position of vantage. The Cremorne Gardens would have a commanding frontage to Hannan Street with an arched opening in the centre for the ‘front seaters’.
The stage will be at the rear of the block and will be fully equal to that of the Theatre Royal in Perth. The depth of the stage from the footlights to the rear will be 40 feet. On the 15th January 1907 the foundation stone was laid by Mayor J H Cummings and the Cremorne Theatre Gardens opened on the 21st January 1907.
Advertisement for the Opening of the Cremorne Theatre Jan 1907 – Image TROVE
The first act to perform at the new gardens was Mr Harry Rickards, who presented his ‘All Star’ vaudeville Company. The show was to run for 11 weeks with new performers arriving by train each week. It was to be the longest running show at the gardens. Seating was increased to 1600 but was still inadequate, and some had to stand. On the 11th May 1908 an application was made to alter the roof of the Cremorne Theatre and Gardens to increase capacity.
During WW1 the theatre was sublet to picture show proprietor Samuel Madirsk, and in 1918 a five-year lease was taken out by George Tallis and Francis Thring, who were entrepreneurs of movies and live theatre. They also ran the Majestic Theatre further down Hannan Street.
The Cremorne Theatre, Upper Hannan Street, Kalgoorlie 1907 – Image SLWA
In 1928, E P Nelson took over the running of both the Majestic and Cremorne Theatres. He went on to purchase the Cremorne in 1935 and also the Palace Theatre in Boulder. Nelson retained the architects Hobbs, Forbes and Partners to refurbish the Cremorne. This was to also include the new Picture Gardens on land adjoining the west side of the Duke of Cornwall Hotel. He also made the addition of the Art Deco features on the front of the building as well as the foyer, which can still be seen today. It was during this time that the sliding roof was probably installed, changes were made to the gallery seating, and the external entrance was blocked off. The refurbished building reopened in 1936.
In 1970 came the drive-in theatre and television to the Goldfields. Attendance at theatres and cinemas started to decline. In 1976 the building was offered to the City of Kalgoorlie on the condition that it would remain in use for community purposes for the nominal fee of $50.00, and ownership was transferred in 1976.
In 1982, the West Australian Drive In, operating as Twin City Drive In, took out a ten-year lease on the Cremorne theatre. They refitted it out with Art Deco-style seats and a candy bar. Projection equipment was installed, along with all the latest technology. They were also to run blue light discos for teenagers. This project was to fail after only two years. In the late 1980-1990’s the Cremorne was to be the venue for indoor cricket and then volleyball. Today it is run as a church.
The following two theatres also on Hannan Street will be remembered by many. The Majestic Theatre (Where Rivers used to be) and the Regent Theatre (opposite the Town Hall in Kalgoorlie). The Regent Theatre is now gone, and the Majestic is a retail establishment.
Regent Theatre Kalgoorlie, Cnr Hannan and Wilson St, Kalgoorlie – Image SLWA
The Majestic Theatre, Hannan St, Kalgoorlie (Formerly Rivers Store) – Image SLWA
The first theatre in Coolgardie was a primitive timber-framed structure of bagging called the Great Varieties Hall in Hunt Street, which served for a time as the only entertainment centre until Frank Smalpage erected the Theatre Royal Hall in Woodward Street.
Theatre Royal, Woodward Street, Coolgardie – Image SLWA
Moya Sharp
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