The Regal Theatre, formerly known as the Chelsea Cinema, the Princess Theatre and the Ozone Marryatville or Marryatville Ozone Theatre, is a single-screen
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
Kensington Park, 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 ...
. Originally built in 1925, it retains the features of a major renovation in
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, and was
heritage-listed on the state register in 1983. It is the oldest continuously running purpose-built cinema in Adelaide, and the only remaining
silent cinema
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, whe ...
still operating.
the cinema is closed for refurbishment, although restrictions on cinemas due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
The COVID-19 pandemic in Australia is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The first confirmed case in Australia was identified on 25 Januar ...
have lifted.
History
The cinema's location at no. 275 Kensington Road forms part of a ribbon development of businesses along the arterial road, usually referred to as the
Marryatville
Marryatville is a small suburb about east of Adelaide's central business district, in the local council area of City of Norwood Payneham St Peters. Comprising low- to medium-density housing, two large schools, a church and several shops, it ...
shops, although the businesses span four suburbs. The Marryatville Hotel is in
Kensington, and the cinema was built in proximity to the post office and former primary school, police station and bowling club sites.
Coopers Brewery
Coopers Brewery Limited, the largest Australian-owned brewery, is based in the Adelaide suburb of Regency Park. Coopers is known for making a variety of beers, the most famous of which are its Pale Ale and Sparkling Ale. In the twelve month ...
was nearby in
Leabrook, and many of its employees lived in the area at the time.
The cinema was opened on 24 November 1925 by National Pictures Ltd as the Princess Theatre, cited as located in Marryatville.
at that time in a
late Edwardian style[ designed for National Pictures (who also owned cinemas at Prospect, ]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 ...
, Norwood and Victor Harbor[) by South Australian theatre 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 ...
. (Smith (1892–1952) had no formal architectural training, but is recognised as one of the leading South Australian exponents of the Art Deco style for his later works.) It was designed for silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...
s, and in the early days, presented pantomime
Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...
s accompanied by the Princess Theatre Orchestra.[ The film shown at the opening night was '']Little Annie Rooney
''Little Annie Rooney'' is a comic strip about a young orphaned girl who traveled about with her dog, Zero.
King Features Syndicate launched the strip on January 10, 1927, not long after it was apparent that the Chicago Tribune Syndicate had ...
'', starring Mary Pickford
Gladys Marie Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American stage and screen actress and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the US film industry, she co-founde ...
. The initial seating capacity was 1500. The original configuration allowed for an orchestra pit
An orchestra pit is the area in a theater (usually located in a lowered area in front of the stage) in which musicians perform. Orchestral pits are utilized in forms of theatre that require music (such as opera and ballet) or in cases when incide ...
around the screen area.[
The Waterman family, who owned ]Ozone Theatres Ltd
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 ...
, purchased National Pictures Ltd in 1928. The cinema was adapted for "talkies
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...
" when they became available in 1929, and in 1940–41 a substantial upgrade to an 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 ...
was undertaken by Frank Kenneth Milne
Frank or Franks may refer to:
People
* Frank (given name)
* Frank (surname)
* Franks (surname)
* Franks, a medieval Germanic people
* Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang
Cur ...
Architect[ (1885–1980]) under the direction of the Waterman family. It reopened as the Ozone Marryatville on 30 May 1941,[ with a reduced seating capacity of 1145,] or up to 1490, according to '' The News'', which also reports that it only shut completely for a period of one week. The 1941 refurbishment included new facilities and internal structures, including a function room, parents' room and facilities for the hearing-impaired
Hearing loss is a partial or total inability to hear. Hearing loss may be present at birth or acquired at any time afterwards. Hearing loss may occur in one or both ears. In children, hearing problems can affect the ability to acquire spoken l ...
. The foyer
A lobby is a room in a building used for entry from the outside. Sometimes referred to as a foyer, reception area or an entrance hall, it is often a large room or complex of rooms (in a theatre, opera house, concert hall, showroom, cinema, etc. ...
included a fireplace, and upholstered seating was provided. The plaster mouldings adorning the roof and walls of the cinema were added at this time.
The cinema was sold to the Hoyts
The Hoyts Group of companies in Australia and New Zealand includes Hoyts Cinemas and Val Morgan. Hoyts operates more than 450 cinema screens and 55,000 seats, making it Australia's second largest movie exhibitor after Event Hospita ...
Group in 1951 (after a merger with Ozone Pictures). A cinemascope screen replaced the smaller traditional screen in 1955, allowing for a wider range of films to be shown.[ In 1963 the building was up for sale and ]Amoco
Amoco () is a brand of filling station, fuel stations operating in the United States, and owned by BP since 1998. The Amoco Corporation was an American chemical and petroleum, oil company, founded by Standard Oil Company in 1889 around a oil re ...
Petrol Company was interested in buying the Cinema and building a petrol station
A filling station, also known as a gas station () or petrol station (), is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold in the 2010s were gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel.
Gaso ...
on the site. However, Burnside Council purchased it and leased it back to Hoyts.[
From 1 January 1971,][ ]Wallis Cinemas
Wallis Cinemas, formerly Wallis Theatres, is a family-owned South Australian company that operates cinema complexes, cinemas and drive-in theatres in greater Adelaide and regional South Australia.
Wallis Theatres works in conjunction with Big S ...
took over the lease,[ as part of their expansion across Adelaide, saving the cinema from demolition and renaming it as the Chelsea Cinema.][ Business was slow at the time, and the equipment outdated; the projection equipment dated back to 1937! The screen was small, seats damaged, the curtains and carpet worn out. The cinema's future was discussed at a council meeting in 1977, due to the ongoing need for restoration of the cinema. Wallis replaced the screen and reduced the ]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 ...
, with some of the sections of the building found to be infested with white ant
''White Ant'' ( Chinese: 白蟻─慾望謎網) is a 2016 Taiwanese drama film and the narrative feature film debut of Chu Hsien-che, who worked as a documentarian for more than 20 years prior to ''White Ant''. The film stars Wu Kang-jen, Aviis Z ...
s.
Another major renovation took place in 1983–1984, after the building was listed
Listed may refer to:
* Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm
* Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic
* Endangered species in biology
* Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...
on the state's heritage register
This list is of heritage registers, inventories of cultural properties, natural and man-made, tangible and intangible, movable and immovable, that are deemed to be of sufficient heritage value to be separately identified and recorded. In many ...
,[ 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
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. ...
, as "the oldest purpose-built cinema in Adelaide, the only remaining silent cinema still operating, and as a building of architectural & cultural significance to Burnside",[ and the Council secured a grant under the Community Employment Program. The number of seats was reduced from 1145 to 586, a new floor, screen, acoustic equipment and carpet were installed, and the cinema was repainted for the first time since 1955.][ The cinema began to show first-release films at this time, increasing its attractiveness to audiences.][
In 2008, the City of Burnside was approached about selling the Chelsea Cinema and the adjacent May Street property. After an ]Expression of Interest
An invitation to tender (ITT, otherwise known as a call for bids or a request for tenders) is a formal, structured procedure for generating competing offers from different potential suppliers or contractors looking to obtain an award of business ...
process for the sale of the site was run, there was strong community activism campaigning for the building to remain in public ownership as a cinema in perpetuity. As a result of this, the council implemented a conservation management plan for the Chelsea Cinema in 2009,[ and the Chelsea Cinema Strategic Plan in 2011, to guide the development, conservation and ongoing maintenance of the buildings.][ It then leased the cinema to a private operator, awarding the lease to Republic Theatres in 2012, at which time the cinema was renamed the Regal Theatre][ on 1 February 2012.][
In 2017, Council took over management of the cinema. The conservation management plan was updated in 2020 to guide the development, conservation and maintenance of the buildings, and refurbishment commenced in 2020.][
Consultation with the community on a new precinct master plan took place in 2020; 1,334 responses to the survey were received, and in March 2021 two community forums were held. consultation had finished and the master plan is being developed.
]
Heritage listing
On 24 March 1983, the cinema was listed 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
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. ...
, owing to its significance "both as a rare example of an Art Deco cinema and for being a notable example of an intact cinema interior representing an era when cinema-going was a major recreational activity and impressive cinema interiors were part of making a night at the pictures a memorable experience".
Features
The cinema has the following features:
* Single-screen venue
* Red brick
A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...
external walls as part of the rear of the cinema complex
* Replica 1941 Art Deco fireplace and mirror in the upstairs foyer
* Lounge seats and column decorations within the main foyer area
* Carved emblems in the foyer area as well as a wooden and chrome ticket box
* A Dolby Digital "surround sound
Surround sound is a technique for enriching the fidelity and depth of sound reproduction by using multiple audio channels from speakers that surround the listener (surround channels). Its first application was in movie theaters. Prior to s ...
" system
* Capable of projecting 70mm film
70 mm film (or 65 mm film) is a wide high-resolution film gauge for motion picture photography, with a negative area nearly 3.5 times as large as the standard 35 mm motion picture film format. As used in cameras, the film is wid ...
s
* A soundproofed "crying room" for parents of infants
* Restaurants located on either side of the cinema entrance, and a public garden to the east
*Cinema carpark accessible via Uxbridge Street and May Terrace.
As part of a 2020 refurbishment, more than 500 new seats were installed, new carpets laid, and the paintwork refreshed.
Operation and programming
Historically, the cinema is well known for its Rocky Horror Picture Show screenings (two sessions – late and midnight) during the 1980s.
, Steve Virgo manages the cinema as an employee of Burnside Council, since being appointed in December 2016. The cinema shows first-release films and in recent years has featured live performances,[ including ]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, ...
shows.
Footnotes
References
External links
*
* Chris Smith's scrapbook
Scrapbook may refer to:
* Scrapbooking, the process of making a scrapbook
Software
* Scrapbook, an early (1970s) information storage and retrieval system
* Scrapbook (Mac OS), a Mac OS application
* ScrapBook, a Firefox extension
Film and TV ...
, containing a variety of photographs, articles and miscellaneous items – see pp. 53–55 for photos and article about the original theatre.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Regal Theatre, The
Cinemas in Adelaide
Buildings and structures in Adelaide
Tourist attractions in Adelaide
Culture of Adelaide
Art Deco architecture in South Australia
South Australian Heritage Register