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TICKETS PLEASE

By Royce Harris

he Oxford Dictionary describes ephemera The first step in the experience was often the queues which could stretch out of the theatre
T as “things of only short lived relevance”. ticket box or booking office. For the City and along the street. Box plans were usually
Cinema related ephemera includes posters and theatres, seats, especially in the open six days in advance at the theatre or
lobby cards, programs and magazines such as Dress Circle or Lounge, by phone.
Screen News and Film Chat which were sold were booked in
in theatres, and tickets and pass outs. Given the advance at The ticket boxes were often placed
length of time that some people retain theatre centrally at the front of the theatre.
programs and tickets as mementos, that Decorating these could form part of
description must be questioned. the overall merchandising display.
There are photos of Paramount's
It wasn't only the show that Capitol Theatre in Melbourne in
they were seeing but the the 1930s and 1940s where the
whole experience of a big advertising seems to envelop the
night out in the luxury of a ticket box to such an extent it's
grand cinema palace, or the hard to see the space where you could
ultra modern Art Deco cinemas actually buy a ticket. These box offices were
of the 1930s, that made the t h e initially functional spaces, but their design
occasion memorable and theatre or a reached a peak in the Art Deco cinemas of the
enjoyable. booking office, often 1930s. Hoyts' Windsor (Vic) had a large round
by phone, and collected glass ball which was very prominent inside the
beforehand to avoid joining the long entry doors, even when the theatre was closed.
The elaborate ticket box took pride of place even in promotional material. The Rivoli, Camberwell opening program. Ross King collection.

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