Page 29 - CR

The Toorak Village &

The National Theatre

1961-1969

Gertrude Johnson Quest for a Home - By Robert Taylor

elbourne’s National Theatre For many years the Company was based At that stage the Village was owned by
MMovement was established at St Peter’s Eastern Hill while performing Frank Tait and Jascha Spivakovsky.
in December 1935 by opera singer at The Princess Theatre, culminating in They sold it (according to Lady Tait)
Gertrude Johnson, and celebrates its the Royal Command Performance of 1954 “for really very little money. They
75 birthday currently. with Tales of Hoffman. sometimes called Frank a hard, mean
th
man, but he was not. He really let them
Not a bad accomplishment, particularly Ironically the success of this 1954 have it so cheaply because he admired
in the performing arts, and the stories production was to be the undoing of the what they’d done over the years.”
would fill a book – as indeed they do in National Theatre as it led to the formation
National Treasure (1994) by Frank van of the Elizabethan Theatre Trust. The move to purchase a theatre (rather
Straten OAM. than just Studios for the Schools)
In 1961 the National Theatre finally came about largely because the newly
From its creation and the establishment bought itself a home.The introduction of formed Elizabethan Theatre Trust
of Schools in Opera (1935), Drama television in 1956 had taken a heavy toll was challenging the National Theatre
(1936) and Dance (1939) the Company on the cinema industry. Many suburban Movement by producing plays, opera
longed for a permanent home for the cinemas had closed and others were on and ballets in opposition to Miss
three schools and for the associated the market. At one stage the National Johnson’s own productions.
professional companies. considered purchasing the Adelphi
Theatre in Nicholson Street Carlton, As the Trust was government-funded
but towards the end of 1960, the Village many staff from The National left to join
Theatre in Toorak became available. the new companies. It was generally felt
that the National should concentrate on
its training activities, but (to quote Miss
Below: Village Theatre, Toorak and Johnson) “to hell with that!”
the Adelphi Theatre at Carlton.
(The Kevin Adams Collection).

CINEMAREC ORD 2011 29