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Her Majesty’s Theatre, Ballarat

by Earl Martell

n 2025, Her Majesty’s Theatre in Ballarat When it opened, the Academy was seen as As the demand for moving pictures grew,
th
Iwill be celebrating its 150 anniversary, comparable to Melbourne’s theatres but, by theatres responded. On 4 April 1910, Royal
opening on 7 June 1875 as The Academy of 1898, it had become dowdy, with a limited Pictures (later to become part of
Music. capacity and a stage that was too small. Amalgamated Pictures, which in turn became
Greater Union), turned Her Majesty’s into
The original architect was George Browne, With the death of its owner, William Clarke Ballarat’s third cinema (following the Alfred
the son of a builder from Manchester who had (who had fallen from a tram in Collins Street Hall and the Coliseum). A Saturday
established himself in Melbourne in the Melbourne), the Academy was sold to three afternoon childrens’ matinee was introduced
1840s, building Melbourne’s Theatre Royal wealthy Ballarat businessmen who hired in February 1911.
in Bourke Street. The Academy, at architect William Pitt to re-design the theatre,
17 Lydiard Street South, had a two-storey enlarge the stage, increase the capacity and In May 1913, Fuller’s Vaudeville and West’s
façade and just the one balcony - no upper bring it up to modern standards. Pitt ripped out Pictures leased the theatre, using it for both
balcony or gallery. The ceiling was lined with the old balcony, replacing it with a dress circle cinema and vaudeville shows. In 1916, Tivoli
boards because of their acoustic qualities and and family circle. He put in a sloping main Pictures took over and had a bio-box installed.
because, unlike plaster, they wouldn’t crack or floor, away from the stage so as to improve
fall on the audience (something that must have the view from the auditorium. To top it off he Her Majesty’s was sold yet again in February
occurred in other theatres at the time - talk installed a dome on the top of the hall, the 1920, this time to the owners of Bendigo’s
about “atmospheric”!). However, because of central panels of which could be opened to Royal Princess Theatre but, in 1928, they in
the large auditorium, it failed to gain the improve the air circulation. Pitt also added a turn sold it to Ballarat Theatres, which was
affection of theatre goers used to the smaller fire escape at the rear and provided space for building the new Regent Theatre in Lydiard
and cosier Theatre Royal in Sturt Street, new dressing rooms, removing them from the Street North, and was part of the Hoyts
Ballarat. But with the closure of the Royal in back of the stage which, in turn, increased the company.
1878, they didn’t have much choice. area available for stage productions. The
Melbourne diva, Mrs. Armstrong (later “new” theatre opened on 3 April 1899 and Although it took control of Her Majesty’s,
known as Dame Nellie Melba) was among the was renamed Her Majesty’s in honour of Hoyts didn’t make payment for its purchase
famous names of the period who appeared at Queen Victoria (so it was never called “His until 1942!
the Academy. Majesty’s” when there were kings on the
throne). 1930 saw the introduction of “talkies” at Her
In December 1875, the supper room above the Majesty’s. Until 1936, Hoyts ran two cinemas
entrance to the theatre was hired out as a Moving pictures came to Her Majesty’s in in tandem from the Regent with
commercial art gallery and was later made 1900, when J C Williamson added to its live Her Majesty’s being the “second run” house.
available to the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery program the Anglo-American Bio-tableaux - However, that changed when Hoyts proposed
Society before it had its own premises in “vivid and realistic Biograph pictures of the to lease the huge Coliseum, and so leased out
Lydiard Street North (opposite the Regent Boer war, taken on the battle field”. Her Majesty’s to Ballarat Amusements (part
Theatre). of the Woodrow Corporation, which owned a

22 CINEMARECORD # 95