Situated in the heart of the Adelaide Hills.
The historic Stirling Community Theatre, at Stirling
in the beautiful Adelaide
Hills, dates back to 1884
In July 1882 a public meeting moved that "it is desirable that an institute
be erected conveniently situated for the present and prospective population
of the neighbourhood" . The quoted price for the work was £700.
George Brown, owner of the land all round, councillor, gardener, builder,
carter, lodgeman and local justice, made the land at Lot 3 Avenue Road available at the give away price of £150.
On 18
May 1883 a commendable crowd of locals met in the Lodge Room at the
Halfway House to consider an institute suitable to Stirling'
needs. Upon raising an initial £100 the committee elected for
the purpose were authorised to proceed with the construction.
On 20
October 1883 the chairman of the new District Council of Stirling
Dr. Edward Stirling (later Sir Edward) laid the foundation stone of
the hall. In laying the stone he told the gathering that the building
was being built “for the purpose of providing means of healthful
recreation for the minds of the residents of Stirling West”.
On 18
January 1884, the modest rectangular building, not yet completed,
was opened with a garden affair at Mr. Edwards large Aldgate
flower garden.
On Saturday
8 May 1884 a musical and literary evening was held in the Institute
Hall, marking its commencement as a theatre venue although sporadic
until 1972. The ground floor front two rooms were added in 1885 and
by 1898 the building was complete. The stage area was added and two
rooms upstairs. The room on the left as one entered the front door
was the Stirling
Council Office and the room to the right was the Stirling
Library. The two upstairs rooms were also used by the Council the
larger of the rooms was used for meetings – Council, Lodge on
Friday nights and Anglican Church services on Sundays.
The shelter
with curved iron roof at the front of the building is a comparatively
recent addition by Council (1980s). It is surely very much out of
character with the rest of the building as viewed from the road and
its erection was vehemently opposed by members of the committee at
the time.
The auditorium
was a social gathering place for the locals. Silent movies were accompanied
by Mrs. Hart playing appropriate mood music on the piano. After these
films had finished and also after the early “talkies”
had finished, the seats would be relocated around the hall and a dance
would be held.
Balls
were also held with the Stirling
Hospital Ball being an annual event.As more
people became car owners they could go further afield for their entertainment
and amusement. This along with the coming of television resulted in
less and less patrons attending the various functions held in the
theatre.
In 1934
a new Bio-Box or Lighting/technical box was built due to the demand
of movies and the safety of the projectionists. In 1962 the Institute
Library closed and the Centre (movies) finally closed in 1978, making
way for amateur theatre which had been drawing larger audiences than
the pictures. Demolition became the option but in 1972 steps were
taken to inject new life into the building.>This
paved the way for the Players (later the Stirling Players), Hills
Musical Company and the Hills Youth Theatre.
In an effort to change the building’s image the name was changed from
the Stirling Institute to the Stirling Community Centre. Later on,
to more truly reflect the building’s usage, the name was changed
to the current Stirling Community Theatre.
In
1972 the two resident groups were the
Stirling Players and the
Hills Musical Company. Facilities were to say the least, primitive
by today’s standards. There was no heating in the theatre, no
dressing rooms, no toilets and no orchestra pit. Seating was traditional
country hall type of groups of three fold-up wooden chairs, arranged
in rows on the flat wooden floor. These were soon replaced by what seemed
at the time, luxurious padded seats.
The current seats were purchased
from the theatre at the Marion Shopping Centre when it closed down. As the
reputation of the two companies grew, audience numbers increased and
seasons were lengthened. All profits were returned to the theatre
via the management committee. Gradually
facilities were improved and upgraded.
An apron was added to the front
of the stage. The orchestra pit was dug – orchestras for early
productions simply sat in front of the stage in the auditorium separated
from the audience by a hastily erected black curtain.Lighting
for the first few productions was controlled from the stage wings
and this was moved into the projection box (Bio-box) above the doors
to the auditorium.
Lack of dressing rooms was a major problem for
the casts of the early productions. Firstly, wings space was used
but this was crowded and dark. A few shows had the cast dressing room
in the space under the stage. Problems here were two-fold; tall people
could not stand upright and after rain the floor was under water.
Next the green shed behind the theatre was used as changing rooms.
These unlined tin sheds were very cold in winter. The next area to
be used as dressing rooms was the upstairs room – the room where
before the building of the Council Chambers opposite the Post Office,
the Stirling
Council had held its meetings. This room is now mainly used for ballet
classes.
The other
major problem for both cast members and audience was the lack of toilet
facilities. Fortunately as profits accumulated it became possible
to add dressing room facilities and toilets. The foyer area was opened
up and carpet was laid in the foyer and auditorium.Efficient
gas heating made the auditorium a much more comfortable area during
winter and the addition of reverse cycle air-conditioning allows cooling
and comfort during the hot summer days.
The Dyster
Room was added to allow the storage of properties (& sets) during
a production much easier than was the case previously.
The History of the Stirling Community Theatre
