The Hole in the Wall Theatre was a small theatre in the

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

suburb of Leederville,

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

, operating from 1968 to 1984. In 1984 it was relocated to a civic auditorium in Subiaco which, , is known as the Subiaco Arts Centre, a heritage-listed building, managed by the

Perth Theatre Trust The Perth Theatre Trust is a statutory authority which manages and operates cultural venues in Western Australia. It manages His Majesty's Theatre, the State Theatre Centre of Western Australia, the Subiaco Arts Centre (leased from the City of ...

History

The original Hole in the Wall Theatre was established in 1965 in Newcastle Street,

by Frank Baden-Powell and John Gill. In August 1968 the Hole in the Wall was relocated to a converted warehouse in Southport Street, Leederville. For part of the Southport Street era,

Richard Davey Richard Innes Davey (4 November 1938 – 13 March 2013) was an Australian actor, director and writer. He was the founder of the Round Earth Company and advocate for the understanding of the Macquarie Harbour Penal Station on Sarah Island ...

was director of the theatre. It also had produced a newsletter.

Edgar Metcalfe Edgar Metcalfe, (18 September 1933 – 13 September 2012) was an English-born actor, director and author, who widely contributed to theatre in Perth, Western Australia. Personal life Edgar Metcalfe was born in 1933 in Burnley, Lancashire, Uni ...

had also been director of the theatre. In 1984 the theatre moved to the new Subiaco Theatre Centre, part of the Subiaco Civic Hall. Its first show there was on 4 August. The new theatre building in Subiaco was designed by Perth architect Peter Parkinson. His other projects include the ''Octagon'' and ''Dolphin'' theatres at the

University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...

. Hole in the Wall

artistic director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the ...

Raymond Omodei told ABC TV's '' Stateline'' in 2006 that the theatre's unique corner stage, while criticised by some directors, was still one of the best. "It's a very demanding space, but

Joan Sydney Joan Sydney King (5 September 1936 – 28 December 2022) was an English-born Australian actress, primarily known for her television roles in soap operas and serials but who also appeared in theatre. Sydney started her career in local theatre b ...

Amanda Muggleton Amanda Lillian Muggleton (born 12 October 1951)"Muggleton, Amanda, 1951 ...

and the very lovely

Jill Perryman Jill Perryman AM, MBE (born 30 May 1933) is an Australian former stage and screen actress and singer. Combining both her stage acting and her singing, she featured in numerous musical theatre roles, over eight decades and spanning 70 years of ...

has each said this is the best space for a performer in the country. In my last year here we played to 89,000 people. We had great success here," he said. In an assessment of the centre, the Heritage Council of Western Australia said the building was "…significant in displaying aesthetic qualities of the Post-War International style. The formality and rhythm created by the articulated structure are balanced by the interest provided in contrasting materials". In 1987 Omodei directed

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Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

and in 1989 a production of ''

Travesties ''Travesties'' is a 1974 play by Tom Stoppard. The play centres on the figure of Henry Carr, an elderly man who reminisces about Zürich in 1917 during the First World War, and his interactions with James Joyce when he was writing '' Ulysses'' ...

'' by

Tom Stoppard Sir Tom Stoppard (born , 3 July 1937) is a Czech born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and politi ...

with

John O'Hare John O'Hare (born 24 September 1946) is a Scottish former footballer. O'Hare's clubs included Sunderland, Derby County, Leeds United and also Nottingham Forest and was part of their European Cup victory in 1980, coming on as a substitute i ...

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...

and

Bruce Hughes The English language name Bruce arrived in Scotland with the Normans, from the place name Brix, Manche in Normandy, France, meaning "the willowlands". Initially promulgated via the descendants of king Robert the Bruce (1274−1329), it has been ...

Tristan Zara Tristan (Latin/Brythonic: ''Drustanus''; cy, Trystan), also known as Tristram or Tristain and similar names, is the hero of the legend of Tristan and Iseult. In the legend, he is tasked with escorting the Irish princess Iseult to wed T ...

and in 1991 a production of

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

's ''

A Doll's House ''A Doll's House'' ( Danish and nb, Et dukkehjem; also translated as ''A Doll House'') is a three-act play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premiered at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 December 1879, having be ...

'' starred

Greta Scacchi Greta Scacchi, OMRI (; born 18 February 1960) is an Italian-Australian actress. She holds dual Italian and Australian citizenship. She is best known for her roles in the films '' White Mischief'' (1987), '' Presumed Innocent'' (1990), '' The Pl ...

as Nora, Michael Loney as Torvald Helmer, Andrew Warwick as Dr Rank and Anni Murtagh-Monks as Kristine Linde.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hole in the Wall Theatre, The Theatres in Perth, Western Australia Subiaco, Western Australia State Register of Heritage Places in the City of Subiaco