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Playhouse stage with lighting bars lowered for rigging Playhouse lighting control - Strand 520 console

Playhouse flying facilities operated from stage level One of two Robert Juliat Korrigan 1200 watt HMI follow spots in Playhouse

On stage, all scenery was flown on hemp lines, manually hauled from
the fly floor high above the west side of the stage tower. The stage
curtains were electrically operated, located immediately behind a
combination wool/asbestos fire curtain, which was manually raised and
lowered on a single purchase counterweight system, operable from
both sides of the stage.

Access to the orchestra pit was via a timber walkway through a rather
dank tunnel leading from outside the rear wall of the building. A
brick-lined gutter alongside the walkway drained groundwater and
other seepage which gathered beneath the stalls area of the theatre.
By the early 1970s, planning was underway for a new performing arts
centre in Geelong, with funding being sought from Geelong residents
as well as local businesses. The Ford Motor Company donated
generously, as did local transport company Blakistons, Alcoa and the
Shell Oil Company. The large theatre was named the Ford Theatre
(now known as the Playhouse) and the small studio space became the
Blakiston Theatre (now known as the Drama Theatre). Construction
commenced in 1978 after demolition of the Temperance Hall and part
of the former Plaza Theatre, the shell of which, after much renovation,
now forms the Playhouse.
GPAC was officially opened in 1981 as a state-owned cultural agency
that receives funding from the Victorian Government. It is managed by
the Geelong Performing Arts Centre Trust, which is made up of
persons nominated by the local councils, experienced in the fields of
education, business administration, finance, or having an active interest
and leadership role in the performing arts. It presents many and varied
performances throughout the year, and has become known as a venue
equal to, or better than some Melbourne performance spaces. Its
technical staff, in particular, are highly qualified in all aspects of
theatrical presentation. Recent renovations have raised production and
comfort standards even higher. ✶

Left: The Playhouse projection room, equipped with a pair of Ballantyne
35 mm projectors and a Fumeo 16 mm projector.

12 CINEMARECORD # 93