The Capri Theatre is a heritage-listed

cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking * ...

in Goodwood, a suburb of

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

, built in the

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

style in 1941. It was formerly called the New Star Theatre, Goodwood Star, New Curzon, and Cinema Capri. It is owned by and is home to the

Theatre Organ Society of Australia The Theatre Organ Society of Australia (TOSA) is an Australian non-profit organisation that promotes the preservation and presentation of theatre organs. Each state has its own division, which is a free-standing and independent body. History Afte ...

(SA Division). A notable feature of the cinema is the

Wurlitzer The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...

theatre organ, which is used regularly for recitals, as well as an entertainment feature supporting the screening of films.

History

Capri Theatre Goodwood, Star 1941 B-40916

Earlier Curzon

The building housing the Goodwood Wondergraph, which opened on 3 November 1911, still stands two doors down from the present Capri, used as offices and a warehouse. It was acquired by the

Clifford Theatre Circuit Dan Clifford (1887 – 9 December 1942) was a well-known cinema entrepreneur and philanthropist in South Australia. He was also a keen promoter of the cinema industry, and owned 20 cinemas across the state at the time of his death, including se ...

in September 1920, along with Wondergraph's other suburban cinemas, renamed Star Theatre until late 1942. After the October 1941 opening of the New Star Theatre, the old Star was sold to

Ozone Theatres Ozone Theatres Ltd, formerly Ozone Amusements, was a cinema chain based in Adelaide, South Australia, from 1911 until 1951, when it sold its theatres to Hoyts. It was founded by Hugh Waterman and was jointly run by him and seven sons, including ...

and renamed Ozone Theatre. It was renamed the Curzon in 1955 and was leased until its closure on 20 February 1964.

New Star

Theatre entrepreneur

Dan Clifford ''Holby City'' is a British medical drama television series that premiered on 12 January 1999 on BBC One. The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama ''Casualty''. It is set in the sa ...

had built several other cinemas in Adelaide, including the

Piccadilly Theatre The Piccadilly Theatre is a West End theatre located at 16 Denman Street, behind Piccadilly Circus and adjacent to the Regent Palace Hotel, in the City of Westminster, London, England. Early years Built by Bertie Crewe and Edward A. Stone ...

North Adelaide North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct and suburb of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands. History Surveyor-General Colonel William Light of the colo ...

in 1940, and he was responsible for the building of this new

picture theatre A movie theater (American English), cinema (British English), or cinema hall (Indian English), also known as a movie house, picture house, the movies, the pictures, picture theater, the silver screen, the big screen, or simply theater is a ...

. The cinema was designed by renowned Art Deco architect

Christopher Arthur Smith Christopher Arthur Smith (19 November 1892 – 2 March 1952), also known as Chris Smith and Chris A. Smith, was a South Australian architect. He was a prolific designer of picture theatres and public buildings in Adelaide and regional South Austr ...

. It was built by R.J. Nurse of Norwood, and the

interior decoration Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. An interior designer is someone who plans, researches, coordina ...

was by a Mrs B.A. Gordon. The original plans show the name "Savoy", but it was initially named the Goodwood Star. The cinema opened on 8 October 1941 as the New Star Theatre. It was part of the

(D. Clifford Theatres Ltd.) and had a

seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...

of 1,472 persons. The films shown on opening night were Robert Young in '' Florian'' and

Lew Ayres Lewis Frederick Ayres III (December 28, 1908 – December 30, 1996) was an American actor whose film and television career spanned 65 years. He is best known for starring as German soldier Paul Bäumer in the film '' All Quiet on the Western Fr ...

in ''

Dr. Kildare Goes Home ''Dr. Kildare Goes Home'' is a 1940 American Drama (genre), drama film directed by Harold S. Bucquet, starring Lew Ayres, Lionel Barrymore and Laraine Day. It is the fifth in the MGM series of nine films with Lew Ayres as Dr. Kildare made from 193 ...

''.

Greater Union Greater Union Organisation Pty Ltd, trading as Event Cinemas, Greater Union, GU Film House, Moonlight Cinema and Birch Carroll & Coyle (BCC Cinemas), is the largest movie exhibitor in Australia and New Zealand, with over 140 Multiplex (movie the ...

acquired the cinema 1947, as part of their acquisition of the Clifford Circuit. The cinema was renamed as the New Curzon on 21 February 1964, after the old Curzon nearby closed. It was again renamed as the Cinema Capri on 16 November 1967, when Greater Union took out most of the Art Deco interior decorative features and reduced the seating capacity to 851. The

(South Australian Division) Inc. purchased the cinema in 1978, and they relaunched the cinema as the Capri Theatre. Many of the interior features have been retained and restored since then, with an appeal launched by the

National Trust of Australia The National Trust of Australia, officially the Australian Council of National Trusts (ACNT), is the Australian national peak body for community-based, non-government non-profit organisations committed to promoting and conserving Australia's Ind ...

to repaint the exterior for the theatre's 75th anniversary in 2016.

Installation of the "Mighty Wurlitzer"

The Theatre Organ Society (TOSA) installed a Wurlitzer

theatre organ A theatre organ (also known as a theater organ, or, especially in the United Kingdom, a cinema organ) is a type of pipe organ developed to accompany silent films, from the 1900s to the 1920s. Theatre organs have horseshoe-shaped arrangements o ...

, after altering the

proscenium A proscenium ( grc-gre, προσκήνιον, ) is the metaphorical vertical plane of space in a theatre, usually surrounded on the top and sides by a physical proscenium arch (whether or not truly "arched") and on the bottom by the stage floor ...

arch to allow for it, with the pipe work in glass fronted chambers along each side of the screen. The inaugural concert took place on 2 April 1983. The organ had been built in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, before being moved to Darwin for some years, finally being moved to Adelaide by TOSA not long before

Cyclone Tracy Cyclone Tracy was a tropical cyclone that devastated the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, from 24 to 26 December 1974. The small, developing easterly storm had been observed passing clear of the city initially, but then turned t ...

devastated the house it had been kept in. As originally installed, the organ had four keyboards and 13 sets of pipes ( ranks). These were added to, until it has 29 ranks, making it the second largest in the Southern Hemisphere. The pipework has been progressively installed in glass-fronted chambers, unique in a theatre or cinema.

Heritage listing

On 27 September 1990 the cinema was placed on the

South Australian Heritage Register The South Australian Heritage Register, also known as the SA Heritage Register, is a statutory register of historic places in South Australia. It extends legal protection regarding demolition and development under the ''Heritage Places Act 1993'' ...

Authentic Art Deco restoration

While the cinema has modern presentation features, its appearance has been carefully restored to its 1941

design, including: * Exterior and interior decoration restored to original 1941 colours and styles * Original 1941 design carpeting * Replica 1941 Art Deco fireplace, mirror & wooden Venetians in the upstairs foyer * Club Lounges and replica 1941 round column seating in both foyers

Features, operation and programming

The cinema is a single-screen cinema, with 750 seats on two levels. It is available for hire, specialising in fund-raising events, and is used as a venue for

Adelaide Fringe The Adelaide Fringe, formerly Adelaide Fringe Festival, is the world's second-largest annual arts festival (after the Edinburgh Festival Fringe), held in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. Between mid-February and mid-March each year, i ...

events. The cinema had a new digital projection system installed in 2012, with the assistance of the

South Australian Government The Government of South Australia, also referred to as the South Australian Government, SA Government or more formally, His Majesty’s Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of South Australia. It is modelled o ...

and

Unley Council The City of Unley is a local government area in the Adelaide metropolitan region. It is located directly south of the Adelaide city centre. The Corporate Town of Unley was created in 1871, when 2,000 signatories to a petition from residents o ...

. Upstairs, it features lounge seats, including double "love seats". The cinema is run as a

not-for-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

organisation, run mostly by volunteers and with all profits spent on the upkeep of the building and its famous organ. The cinema operates mainstream cinema programming. Several times a year, it presents "Nostalgia Movie Nights", when popular classic films are shown, in a programme with supporting short films, a newsreel and nostalgic advertising. Another regular event is the "Cult at the Capri", when two films are shown. The Wurlitzer is played before sessions on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday evenings, and is also used for regular organ concerts featuring local and international organists.

References

External links

*{{official, https://capri.org.au/
Star Goodwood/ Capri
on Cinema and Audience Research Project (CAARP) Art Deco architecture in South Australia Cinemas in Adelaide Culture of South Australia Tourist attractions in South Australia South Australian Heritage Register