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As the Roxy in the 1950s
The roof was raised and timber and bark walls were replaced with
brick in 1914. The original roof with its round timber pole
construction remains to this day.

Australian Heavyweight Champion boxer Les Darcy fought an The Auditorium
exhibition boxing bout there in 1916 and Dame Nellie Melba is
thought to have performed there early in her career. The theatre closed briefly in the 1960s, as people turned to television,
and it could well have been demolished. In 1974, however, the
During the 1920s, the theatre was renamed the Pictoria, screening Gulgong Musical and Dramatic Society was re-established and a
silent films, with the first sound movie being shown in 1928. In the community appeal enabled it to buy the building.
late 1930s the name was again changed to the Roxy. This was
emblazoned in vertical neon lights on the front of the building, near The Gulgong Musical and Dramatic Society (Gulgong MADS)
the top of the parapet. presents several performances a year in the Opera House, and there
are regular appearances by such famous artists as Roger Woodward
and James Morrison.
The front façade of the building was cement rendered in 1992.

A Steinway Concert “D” piano was originally purchased by the late
Gulgong Steinway Trust for the theatre, and it is now in the
custodianship of MADS.
A scan through Trove shows the Opera House / Pictoria / Roxy to
have been the centre of the town’s social activities. As well as live
performances and movies, it was the centre for events such as boxing,
wrestling, and numerous land and livestock auctions.

The Prince of Wales Opera House is claimed to be the oldest,
continually operating opera house in Australia. ★

Credits:

Images: Keith and Judith Gulliver

Newspaper advertisements:

Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative (Trove).

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