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18. THE VICTORY/NATIONAL THEATRE by Peter Fogarty

In August/September 197 4 the National Theatre staged their first productions at their new location within the
former Victory Theatre. To mark the twentieth anniversary of this event. it is perhaps appropriate to describe
some of the history of that structure since its construction in 1921. Under the heading of "New Theatre At St.
Kilda" the following article appeared in the July-August issue of the Footlight Star in 1920:

"Positions at St. Kilda for new amusements are difficult to obtain, but Messrs. F.l. Nelson and V.C. Marshall
have secured an extensive and valuable site at the intersection of Carlisle and Barkly Streets, where the
Balaclava road and the Brighton electric tramways cross, and just a short distance from the cable system along
the Esplanade. The building of the imposing Victory Theatre, designed by Mr. Cecil F. Keeley is well forward.
There will be seating accommodation for 3,000 persons, and features of the building will be its spacious roof-
garden and buffets. While the new theatre is being constructed, Messrs. Nelson and Marshall are occupying
the Lyric Theatre on the Esplanade.· 1

At this period in St. Kilda, most of the entertainment facilities (with the exception of "The Barkly" on the comer
of Barkly and Acland Streets) were located on or around the area of the Upper and Lower Esplanades. Be-
cause of this concentration of theatrical facilities, the difficulty of obtaining a block large enough for the building
of a theatre the size of the proposed "Victory" can be appreciated. Although it could have been considered a
slight risk to establish a new theatre in an area away from the boy now traditional entertainment precincts,
perhaps the new location was also an attempt to distance it from what some now considered the "en deshabille
environs of the Upper Esplanade". 2 It could be misleading to over-emphasise this point however, as the same
source also described the adjacent Lower Esplanade as now having "an appearance of smartness formerly
missing". 3

At the time that the Victory was being built, other picture-theatres were either under construction or else being
planned in what was to be the second stage of their expansion into Melbourne's suburbs, when the earlier
existing makeshift venues were giving way to more substantial, purpose-build structures. Other picture-thea-
tres being planned or built at this time were in Bay Street North Brighton, Church Street Middle Brighton,
Hampton, Sandringham and Carnegie. 4 Also, before the opening of the St. Kilda Victory in April 1921 , the
other link in the proposed chain of Victory theatres (in Wattletree Road Malvern) began operating on October
20. 1920. This Malvern Victory was about half the cost and capacity of its St. Kilda counterpart, being built at
a cost of 20,000 Pounds and seating 1,800. s It is also worth while to consider that all of these picture-theatres
were located in what were then-and often still are now- regarded as highly respectable suburbs.