St James' Hall, sometimes written as St James's Hall, was a building which stood at 171

Phillip Street, Sydney Phillip Street is a street in the central business district of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. While the street runs from King Street in the south to Circular Quay in the north, the present street is effectively in two sections, separat ...

, near King Street. It figured prominently in the history of small theatre in Australia. Owned by, and on the same parcel of land as St James' Church of England, it was close to tram and bus services and the St James railway station. :(Not to be confused with the multi-storey St James' Theatre in Elizabeth Street opposite the station, built by Henry White in 1926 for Hugh J. Ward and the

Fuller brothers Sir Benjamin John Fuller (20 March 1875 – 10 March 1952) was an English-born Australian theatrical entrepreneur. Biography Benjamin John Fuller was born on 20 March 1875 in Shoreditch, London to compositor John Fuller (senior) and Harriett, ' ...

History

St James' Hall with its location and modest size and rent, it was the venue of choice for concerts and recitals by the likes of

James Brunton Gibb James Brunton Gibb LTCL (13 January 1897 – 28 June 1968) was a prominent Australian performer of radio and stage, theatre impresario and teacher of elocution. Biography He was born James Thomas Gibb, but adopted his mother's maiden name as his ...

, Ethel Lang,

Lindley Evans Lindley Evans Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, CMG (18 November 18952 December 1982) was a Cape Colony-born Australian composer, pianist and teacher. He is best known for his collaboration with Frank Hutchens in a famous piano ...

, Idwal Jenkins and Wilfred Thomas. In 1950, the

Workers' Educational Association The Workers' Educational Association (WEA), founded in 1903, is the UK's largest voluntary sector provider of adult education and one of Britain's biggest charities. The WEA is a democratic and voluntary adult education movement. It delivers lea ...

was offered lease of the hall and the State government agreed to increase the organisation's subsidy by £A770pa. But it was rather dilapidated and needed around £A7000 spent on refitting and refurbishment. £4000 of this was to be raised from its members for provision of offices, lecture rooms and a bookshop and £A3000 to fit out the theatre (mostly for seats and lighting) and to be raised from the theatre-going public. An appeal was instigated with assistance of the

Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper i ...

. After delays which forced the postponement of the first major function, a play by Sydney University Dramatic Society opened on 15 July. The WEA moved its headquarters from Albert Street late in September. It held 300 seats with a narrow (just three deep) gallery around three walls. Before 1940 it was mostly used by amateur dramatic societies, but also for public meetings, symposia, receptions, competitions, examinations and public lectures. The Sydney Players Club (interchangeably called "Players Club") was the chief user of the hall between 1931 and 1948. The oldest of Sydney's "little theatres", it was founded by W. F. Jackson, S. R. Irving, Winchester Ford and other members of

Gregan McMahon Gregan McMahon, CBE (2 March 1874 – 30 August 1941)Allan Ashbolt,McMahon, Gregan (1874–1941), Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 10, MUP, 1986, pp 336–337. Retrieved 2 October 2009 was an Australian actor and theatrical director ...

's Sydney Repertory Theatre after that group disbanded. Alice Gould was its secretary for many years. The John Alden Company played Shakespeare (and other dramas) there in 1950 and 1951.

Mercury Theatre

Theatre entrepreneur

Sydney John Kay Kurt Kaiser (3 November 1906 – 24 May 1970), better known as Sydney John Kay, was a German-born composer, musician and theatre entrepreneur. Biography Germany Born in Leipzig, Germany of Peruvian-Jewish descent, he originally pursued an engin ...

took over the lease in February 1952, re-naming it the

Mercury Theatre The Mercury Theatre was an independent repertory theatre company founded in New York City in 1937 by Orson Welles and producer John Houseman. The company produced theatrical presentations, radio programs and motion pictures. The Mercury also ...

for his (professional) troupe, ''Mercury Theatres Pty Ltd'' which was founded by himself and actor

Peter Finch Frederick George Peter Ingle Finch (28 September 191614 January 1977) was an English-Australian actor of theatre, film and radio. Born in London, he emigrated to Australia as a teenager and was raised in Sydney, where he worked in vaudeville ...

in 1946 and named after

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

Mercury Theatre. performers at the theatre included such notables as

Alexander Archdale Alexander Mervyn Archdale (26 November 190513 May 1986) was a British actor, manager and theatre producer. He had a very long career in both the theatre and in film, stretching from the 1930s to the 1980s. He spent the latter part of his life an ...

Rod Taylor Rodney Sturt Taylor (11 January 1930 – 7 January 2015) was an Australian actor. He appeared in more than 50 feature films, including ''The Time Machine'' (1960), ''One Hundred and One Dalmatians'' (1961), '' The Birds'' (1963), and ''In ...

and

Lyndall Barbour Lyndall Harvey Barbour (19 May 1916 – 10 October 1986) was an Australian actress, primarily of radio, although she also added stage and television work (both series and made-for-television movies) to her repertoire. Born in Egypt to Australian p ...

. He moved his company from

Killara Killara is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia north-west of the Sydney Central Business District in the local government area of Ku-ring-gai Council. East Killara is a separate suburb and ...

with the intention of presenting three plays in rotation six nights a week, but despite his actors accepting lower fees than they could earn in radio, in three years his losses proved unsupportable.Stephen Vagg, Finch, fry and factories: a brief history of Mercury Theatre, Australasian Drama Studies, 50, Apr 2007, 18-35

Phillip Street Theatre

The last tenant was William Orr's

Phillip Street Theatre The Phillip Street Theatre (succeeded by the Phillip Theatre) was a popular and influential Australian theatre and theatrical company, located in Phillip Street in Sydney that was active from 1954 and 1971 that became well known for its intimate s ...

(previously Playgoers' Cooperative) from May 1954. His programme of topical revues proved popular and brought to public attention actors and writers who would go on to success on television. When the hall was demolished in 1961 the company moved to the Australian Hall at 150 Elizabeth St, renaming itself the "Phillip Theatre". Names associated with this era include

Bud Tingwell Charles William Tingwell AM (3 January 1923 – 15 May 2009), known professionally as Bud Tingwell or Charles 'Bud' Tingwell, was an Australian film, television, theatre and radio actor. One of the veterans of Australian film, he acted in his ...

Margo Lee Margaret Stella Lee (20 June 1923 - 16 October 1987) credited as Margo Lee, was an Australian actor and singer of radio, stage, film and TV. She worked briefly in Hollywood. Filmography Film *''Into the Straight'' (1949) *'' The Twelve Pound ...

Gordon Chater Gordon Maitland Chater AM (6 April 1922 – 12 December 1999) was an English Australian comedian and actor, and recipient of the Gold Logie, he appeared in revue, theatre, radio, television and film, with a career spanning almost 50 years. Bio ...

, Max Oldaker. Imported stars included

Joyce Grenfell Joyce Irene Grenfell OBE (''née'' Phipps; 10 February 1910 – 30 November 1979) was an English diseuse, singer, actress and writer. She was known for the songs and monologues she wrote and performed, at first in revues and later in her solo s ...

. In 1961, the Church (which still owned the building) had it demolished to make way for a 13-storey office block. It included a small theatre with more modern and comfortable facilities with a commensurate increase in rent.

Selected productions

:Note: This list is incomplete and only dramatic productions are listed. Most are opening nights with no indication of successive performances if any. *21 Oct 1887 ''Midsummer Nights Dream'' Sydney University Union *11 Feb 1904 dramatic recitations by Lawrence Campbell *3 Jun 1904 ''comedies'' Players’ Club (dir. Phillip Lytton) *9 Aug 1904 ''Chalk and Cheese'' The Pierrot Entertainers *17 Jul 1909 ''Barbara/Shades of Night'' Mrs Albert Littlejohn et al. (dir. S.R.Innes-Noad) *6 Jun 1914 ''Dearest Mamma'' Grace Stafford Strollers *19 Mar 1914 ''The Strike'' Walter Bentley Players (Walter Bentley) *25 Mar 1916 Dramatic recitals by Ancelon-Chapman Company (Douglas Ancelon, Stella Chapman) *21 Oct 1916 ''Penelope'' Grace Stafford Strollers *19 Dec 1918 ''Dot and the Kangaroo'' Grace Stafford Strollers *22 Oct 1919 ''Jane'' Harrison Allen *30 Jun 1924 ''The Rotters'' Lawrence Campbell *25 Nov 1926 ''To Have the Honour'' Players Club (Francis Jackson) *21 Aug 1928 ''The Man from Toronto'' Andrew MacCunn School of Stage Singing and Dramatic Art (H W Varna) *22 Sep 1928 ''The School for Scandal'' Players Club (Heath Burdock) *11 Oct 1928 ''The Young Person in Pink'' Dorothy Free Comedy Company *13 Jun 1929 ''Scrapped'' Players Club (S R Irving) *14 Nov 1929 ''Glenfield'' (variety) Hazel Boss, Lottie *9 Apr 1930 Fundraising revue by Australian Women's Hockey Team *6 Aug 1930 ''By Candlelight'' The Independent Theatre (their debut - dir. Harry Tighe) *22 Aug 1930 ''The Young Person in Pink'' Girl Guides Dramatic Society *8 Oct 1930 ''The Marquise'' The Independent Theatre (Doris Fitton) *21 Oct 1930 ''Turn To the Right'' Austral Players (Harold Fraser) *1 Nov 1930 ''The Last Enemy'' Players Club (S R Irving) *5 Nov 1930 ''

The Queen Was in the Parlour ''The Queen Was in the Parlour: a romance in three acts'' is a play by the English writer Noël Coward. Although written in 1922 it was not produced until 24 August 1926, when it was premiered at the St Martin's Theatre. The play is Coward's only ...

'' The Independent Theatre (Doris Fitton) *8 Apr 1931 ''The Traitors'' Players Club *26 Dec 1931 ''On the Doorstep'' Sydney Repertory Theatre *20 Jun 1931 ''That Young Person in Pink'' (Grace Stafford) *15 Apr 1932 ''Art and Mrs Bottle'' Players Club (Raoul Cardamatis) *16 Jul 1932 ''The Kingdom of God'' Sydney Repertory Theatre *12 Nov 1932 ''The Rivals'' Players Club (John Appleton) *11 Apr 1933 ''Dona Clarines'' Players Club *2 May 1933 ''Mary’s Other Husband'' Postal Institute Dramatic Society *1 Jul 1933 ''A Social Convenience'' Players Club (S R Irving) *22 Jul 1933 ''Tobias and the Angel'' Players Club *9 Oct 1933 ''Pandora Lifts the Lid'' Bellevue Hill Histrions (H W Varna) *17 Feb 1934 ''The Father (Strindberg)'' (Montgomery Stuart) *5 May 1934 ''The Roundabout'' Players Club (S R Irving) *19 May 1934 ''Knuts in May'' Public Services Music & Dramatic Socy *16 Jun 1934 ''The Mocking Bird'' Players Club (Cedric Kempson) *29 Sep 1934 ''Dr Knock'' Players Club ( J Appleton) *10 Nov 1934 ''Jonah and the Whale'' Players Club (J Appleton) *22 Dec 1934 ''Everyman of Everystreet'' Players Club (J Appleton) *16 Mar 1935 ''Intruders'' Players Club (Horace J Salier) *18 Apr 1935 ''Libel'' Players Club (J Appleton) *24 Apr 1935 ''Again Mere Man (revue)'' St James’ Joy Boys (Eric Howell) *22 Jun 1935 ''Peace and Quiet'' Players Club (J Appleton) *21 Sep 1935 ''Red Sky at Night'' Players Club (J Appleton) *9 Nov 1935 ''Putting It Over Clara'' Thespian Dramatic Prod. (Alan Stone) *16 Nov 1935 ''Dragons Teeth'' Players Club (J Appleton) *21 Nov 1935 ''Miranda'' Studio Theatre Players (A C Gordon Forsythe) *29 Feb 1936 ''Hawk Island'' The Thespians (Muriel Conner) *14 Mar 1936 ''Haunted Houses'' Players Club (J Appleton) *2 May 1936 ''The Maitlands'' Players Club (J Appleton) *30 Mar 1936 ''To Have the Honour'' Thespian Dramatic Prod. (Muriel Conner) *10 Jun 1936 ''Indiscretion'' Dajonian Repertory Society *20 Jun 1936 ''Cock Robin'' Players Club (Cedric Kempson) *18 Jul 1936 ''Family Affairs'' Thespian Dramatic Prod. (Muriel Conner) *22 Jul 1936 ''Nine Til Six'' Little Theatre Club *8 Aug 1936 ''April in August'' Thespian Dramatic Prod. (Alan Stone) *15 Aug 1936 ''The Path of Glory'' Players Club (Frank Appleton) *24 Aug 1936 ''Short Story'' Little Theatre Club *20 Nov 1936 ''Dangerous Corner'' Brunton Gibb Players (

) *12 Feb 1937 ''This Thing Called Love'' Vogue Theatre (Ina Allan) *20 Feb 1937 ''Avalanche'' Dajonian Repertory Society *13 Apr 1937 ''The Roundabout'' Austral Players (S R Irving) *15 May 1937 ''Pot Luck (revue)'' Insurance M. & D. Socy. (Ray McLean) *22 May 1937 ''Past and Present'' The Vogue Theatre (Karen Greyson & Robert Pollard) *26 Jun 1937 ''David Copperfield'' Harry Thomas *29 Jun 1937 ''A Sleeping Clergyman'' Players Club (J Appleton) *20 Jul 1937 ''The Young Person in Pink'' renamed ''That Certain Feeling'' Ella Massey Players *28 Jul 1937 ''The Path of Glory'' Chelsea Theatre Club (Frank Appleton) *17 Aug 1937 ''Bees on the Boat Deck'' Independent Theatre (J Appleton) *12 Oct 1937 ''In Theatre Street'' Independent Theatre (J Appleton) *14 Sep 1937 ''Her Shop'' Austral Players *25 Sep 1937 ''The Cradle Song'' Therese Desmond *19 Nov 1937 ''Angels of War'' Brunton Gibb Players ( Ethel Lang) *30 Nov 1937 ''Worse Things Happen at Sea'' Players Club (

Lynn Foster Lynn Foster (1914-1985), was a playwright, radio producer and writer, a script editor and television writer. She was the first woman in Australia both to direct and write a major national radio show, this being the serial " Big Sister". In ...

) *23 Feb 1938 ''The Brave and the Blind'' New Theatre League (Jerold Wells) *10 May 1938 ''Israel in the Kitchen'' Jewish Youth Theatre *25 May 1938 ''Springtide'' Chelsea Theatre Group (Joan Mackaness and

Gwen Meredith Gwenyth Valmai Meredith OBE (18 November 1907 – 3 October 2006), also known by her married name Gwen Harrison, was an Australian writer, dramatist and playwright, and radio writer. She is best known for her radio serials ''The Lawsons'' (194 ...

) *28 Mar 1938 ''When Ladies Meet'' Players Club (William Craufuird) *2 Apr 1938 ''Time and the Conways'' Thespian Dramatic Prod. (Alan Stone) *25 Jun 1938 ''They Came By Night'' Players Club (Edwin Dean) *12 Jul 1938 ''The Merchant of Venice'' Players Club (Arthur Greenaway) *16 Aug 1938 ''Her Step-husband'' Austral Players *23 Nov 1938 ''Wives Have Their Uses'' (

) *26 Nov 1938 ''Night Must Fall'' Thespian Dramatic Prod. *18 Mar 1939 ''Heroes Don't Care'' Bryant's Theatre Group *21 Mar 1939 ''Call It a Day'' Dajonian Repertory Society *15 Apr 1939 ''This Thing Called Love'' The Entertainers *3 May 1939 ''The Truth About Blayds'' Koorara Club (Mrs Kit Jamison) *15 Aug 1939 ''No More Music'' The Thirtyeight Theatre ( May Hollinworth) *9 Dec 1939 ''Sheppey'' Players Club *13 Apr 1940 ''Baby Cyclone'' Dajonian Repertory Society *27 Apr 1940 ''The Rosary'' Theatre Productions *8 Jun 1940 ''A Kiss for Cinderella'' *18 Aug 1942 ''George & Margaret?? When We Are Married??'' Modern Theatre Players (Edna Spilsbury) *10 Aug 1946 ''They Came to a City'' Aust. Academy of Dramatic Art *8 Nov 1946 ''Nine to Six'' Mina Shelley's School of Dramatic Art *13 May 1947 ''A Murder Has Been Arranged'' Dajonian Repertory Society *10 Jul 1950 ''You Don’t Play with Love'' Sydney Uni. Dram. Soc. *25 Aug 1950 ''The Merchant of Venice'' John Alden Company *6 Oct 1950 ''Measure for Measure'' John Alden Company *30 Nov 1950 ''Before the Party'' John Alden Company *24 Mar 1951 ''Smugglers Beware'' Children's National Theatre (Elsie Dayne) *9 May 1951 ''

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane an ...

'' John Alden Company *25 Jul 1951 ''A Victorian Marriage'' John Alden Company *30 Jul 1951 ''Night Must Fall'' Saul Sterling Players *4 Aug 1951 ''

Anna Christie ''Anna Christie'' is a play in four acts by Eugene O'Neill. It made its Broadway debut at the Vanderbilt Theatre on November 2, 1921. O'Neill received the 1922 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for this work. According to historian Paul Avrich, the orig ...

'' John Alden Company *8 Sep 1951 ''

Misalliance ''Misalliance'' is a play written in 1909–1910 by George Bernard Shaw. The play takes place entirely on a single Saturday afternoon in the conservatory of a large country house in Hindhead, Surrey in Edwardian era England. It is a continuation ...

'' John Alden Company *12 Oct 1951 ''The Vigil'' John Alden Company *15 Nov 1951 ''

Rusty Bugles ''Rusty Bugles'' was a controversial Australian play written by Sumner Locke Elliott in 1948. It toured extensively throughout Australia between 1948–1949 and was threatened with closure by the New South Wales Chief Secretary's Office for obscen ...

'' John Alden Company *26 Nov 1951 ''They Came To a City'' Rathbone Academy of Dramatic Art *28 Nov 1951 '' Blithe Spirit'' Rathbone Academy of Dramatic Art *28 Feb 1952 ''Menaechmi (The Twins)/Comedy of Errors'' Mercury Theatre (Hans von Adlerstein/John Kay) *29 Feb 1952 ''Point of Departure'' Mercury Theatre (Norman Cull) *1 Mar 1952? ''A Phoenix Too Frequent/The Imaginary Invalid'' Mercury Theatre (John Kay) *17 Apr 1952 ''The Father'' Mercury Theatre (S J Kay/Alexander Archdale) *29 May 1952 ''

Arms and the Man ''Arms and the Man'' is a comedy by George Bernard Shaw, whose title comes from the opening words of Virgil's ''Aeneid'', in Latin: ''Arma virumque cano'' ("Of arms and the man I sing"). The play was first produced on 21 April 1894 at the Aven ...

'' Mercury Theatre (

) *14 Aug 1952 ''On Borrowed Time'' Mercury Theatre (Winifred Hindle) *29 Aug 1952 ''The Witch'' Mercury Theatre (Norman Cull) *Oct 52 ''

Love in Albania ''Love in Albania'' is a comedy play by the British writer Eric Linklater, which was originally performed in 1949. After appearing at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith it transferred to St James's Theatre in the West End. Directed by and starring ...

'' Independent Theatre (J Appleton) *13 Nov 1952 '' They Knew What They Wanted'' Mercury Theatre (Sydney John Kay) *22 Nov 1952 ''Emil and the Detectives'' Mercury Theatre (Leila Blake) *3 Dec 1952 ''The Guardsman'' Mercury Theatre (

Nigel Lovell Nigel Tasman Lovell (27 January 1916 – 13 December 2001) was an Australian stage, radio, film and television actor, and producer of opera and both stage and radio drama. History Lovell was born in Sydney, a son of Tasman Lovell, Professor of ...

) *12 Dec 1952 '' Winterset'' Mercury Theatre (Robin Lovejoy) *17 Feb 1953 ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has b ...

'' Mercury Theatre (Leila Blake) *28 Mar 1953 readings from Shaw

Lloyd Berrell Lloyd Berrell (13 February 1926 – 30 December 1957) was a New Zealand actor who played Reuben "Roo" Webber in the original Sydney production of ''Summer of the Seventeenth Doll''. He worked extensively in Australian radio and theatre, appearin ...

et al. *21 Apr 1953 ''Present Laughter'' Sydney Repertory Theatre *22 May 1953 ''The Man with a Load of Mischief'' Arts Council (

) *20 Jun 1953 ''The Reluctant Dragon/The Circus'' Meryla Puppet Group ( Norm Hetherington) *28 Jul 1953 ''Top of the Ladder'' Independent Theatre (Mark Stafford) *18 Aug 1953 Three Short Plays:''The Tenor/The Proposal/Fumed Oak'' Mercury Theatre (Sydney John Kay/Owen Weingott/Leila Blake) *23 Aug 1953 '' Tovarich'' Mercury Theatre (Leila Blake) *16 Oct 1953 ''Dragon’s Mouth (reading)'' Independent Theatre (J Appleton) *24 Nov 1953 ''The Guardsman'' Mercury Theatre (

) *24 Nov 1953 '' Winterset'' Mercury Theatre (Robin Lovejoy) *3 Dec 1953 ''The Day’s Mischief'' Mercury Theatre (John Appleton) *Mar 54 ''Merchant of Venice'' Mercury Theatre *7 May–17 July 1954 ''Top of the Bill''

(William Orr) *28 Jul 1954 ''Hamlet'' Phillip Street Theatre (William Orr) *15 Sep 1954–3? Jan 1955 ''Hit and Run'' Phillip Street Theatre (William Orr) *1955 ''Two for One'' Phillip Street Theatre *1955 ''Around the Loop'' Phillip Street Theatre

Sources

History of Australian Theatre - archive
*West, John ''Theatre in Australia'' Cassell Australia 1978 *Stephen Vagg, 'Finch, fry and factories: a brief history of Mercury Theatre', ''Australasian Drama Studies'', 50, Apr 2007, 18-35

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint James Hall Buildings and structures demolished in 1961 Former theatres in Sydney Demolished buildings and structures in Sydney