Twelfth Night Theatre
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250px, Twelfth Night Theatre The Twelfth Night Theatre is an established Australian entertainment venue located in
Bowen Hills Bowen Hills is an inner north-eastern suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the Bowen Hills had a population of 3,226 people. Geography Bowen Hills is by road from the Brisbane CBD. Mayne is a neighbourhood within the s ...
, in
Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
,
Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...
. Many notable actors, both international and Australian, have performed there. The Twelfth Night Complex includes the main theatre and a smaller basement area which in recent years has been used as a dinner theatre.


History


Founding in the 1970s

Originally located on
Wickham Terrace Wickham Terrace is one of the historic streets of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is known as the street of private medical specialists. Geography Wickham Terrace commences at the western corner of the intersection of Ann Street and Whar ...
, Twelfth Night Theatre was relocated to its present location following the demolition of its former building due to the construction of the
Turbot Street Turbot Street runs parallel to Ann Street and is on the northern side of the Brisbane central business district, Brisbane CBD in Queensland, Australia. It is a major thoroughfare, linking as a three-to-five lane one-way street with the Riversid ...
Bypass in 1971.
Joan Whalley Joan Agnes Whalley, OAM, (December 1927 – 27 August 2021) was an actress, teacher and artistic director of Twelfth Night Theatre in Bowen Hills, Brisbane, Australia from 1962 to 1976. Early years Whalley was born in December 1927 and went ...
was the artistic director of Twelfth Night Theatre from 1962 - 1976. The land was sold in 1966 by Brian Johnstone and Marjorie Johnstone, who also owned the adjacent
Johnstone Gallery The Johnstone Gallery was a private gallery located in the suburb of Bowen Hills in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia co-owned by Brian Johnstone and his wife, Marjorie Johnstone (née Mant). It was the leading Brisbane commercial gallery exhibitin ...
. Funds for the purchase were raised by the theatre, the Johnstones and the Myer family. The location of the new theatre designed by Vitaly Gzell, next door to the Johnstone Gallery in Cintra Road, Bowen Hills, was part of the Johnstones' attempt to create a cultural enclave embracing both performing and visual arts for Brisbane. Notable production staged in the gardens of the Johnstone Gallery by Twelfth Night Theatre of productions included
Aristophanes Aristophanes (; grc, Ἀριστοφάνης, ; c. 446 – c. 386 BC), son of Philippus, of the deme In Ancient Greece, a deme or ( grc, δῆμος, plural: demoi, δημοι) was a suburb or a subdivision of Athens and other city-states ...
' ''
Lysistrata ''Lysistrata'' ( or ; Attic Greek: , ''Lysistrátē'', "Army Disbander") is an ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes, originally performed in classical Athens in 411 BC. It is a comic account of a woman's extraordinary mission to end the Peloponne ...
'', held between 24 April and 27 April 1962, with the set and costumes designed by Quentin Hole. The 1967 program for the
Johnstone Gallery The Johnstone Gallery was a private gallery located in the suburb of Bowen Hills in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia co-owned by Brian Johnstone and his wife, Marjorie Johnstone (née Mant). It was the leading Brisbane commercial gallery exhibitin ...
included plans for a modern theatre at Cintra Road, Bowen Hills, which was to be linked to the gallery by gardens. The Johnstones anticipated a joint audience, and encouraged gallery clients to also become members of the theatre. Prior to the commencement of the building of the theatre, a production of ''
Under Milk Wood ''Under Milk Wood'' is a 1954 radio drama by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, commissioned by the BBC and later adapted for the stage. A film version, ''Under Milk Wood'' directed by Andrew Sinclair, was released in 1972, and another adaptation of ...
'' by
Dylan Thomas Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer whose works include the poems "Do not go gentle into that good night" and "And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Under ...
was staged in a tent on the site of the future theatre. Twelfth Night Theatre operated its offices for a time in a house in Abbotsford Road which backed on to the future Theatre land. Construction work commenced at the new site on 14 November 1969. In 1970, Johnstone Gallery openings were changed from the traditional Sundays to Friday evenings, due to the unexpectedly prompt completion of the theatre. Nonetheless, the theatre did not open until February 1971. The Johnstones were delighted, as Brian wrote to
Sidney Nolan Sir Sidney Robert Nolan (22 April 191728 November 1992) was one of Australia's leading artists of the 20th century. Working in a wide variety of mediums, his oeuvre is among the most diverse and prolific in all of modern art. He is best known ...
: "...with the new half-million dollar theatre next door, the establishment is now nicely rounded off, so perhaps one of these days Marjorie and I will be able to play ladies and gentlemen of the art world!" The Twelfth Night Theatre Club made headlines when it opened just before the theatre on 12 February 1971. The theatre club's "12 to 12 license was the first granted under provisions written into the liquor acts in a review last March". There was also significant for women in these new provisions, as suggested in "Sylvia's Woman to Woman" column: "The official opening of the Twelfth Night Theatre Club on Tuesday night was the most exciting event of the week. It's cozy and intimate and snugly positioned in the basement of the soon-to-be-completed Twelfth Night Theatre complex at Bowen Hills... It's a club where women share equal status with men (at least we've made it in one field, girls) and it's the first place I've been in where I've been able to front up to the bar, order a drink from Barman Eddy, pay for it myself and still feel feminine..." The Johnstones had loaned "magnificent pictures and sculptures" to the Club premises as an indication of their support. Twelfth Night Theatre opened with two productions: ''
A Flea In Her Ear ''A Flea in Her Ear'' (french: La Puce à l'oreille) is a play by Georges Feydeau written in 1907, at the height of the Belle Époque. The author called it a vaudeville, but in Anglophone countries, where it is the most popular of Feydeau's play ...
'' by
Georges Feydeau Georges-Léon-Jules-Marie Feydeau (; 8 December 1862 – 5 June 1921) was a French playwright of the era known as the Belle Époque. He is remembered for his farces, written between 1886 and 1914. Feydeau was born in Paris to middle-class parent ...
directed by Joan Whalley and ''
The Rose and the Ring ''The Rose and The Ring'' is a satirical work of fantasy fiction written by William Makepeace Thackeray, originally published at Christmas 1854 (though dated 1855). It criticises, to some extent, the attitudes of the monarchy and those at the to ...
'' based on the work of
William Makepeace Thackeray William Makepeace Thackeray (; 18 July 1811 – 24 December 1863) was a British novelist, author and illustrator. He is known for his satirical works, particularly his 1848 novel '' Vanity Fair'', a panoramic portrait of British society, and t ...
. The latter production was directed by Bill Pepper, former Head of Voice at the National Institute of Dramatic Art,
NIDA Nida or NIDA may refer to: People * Nida Allam (born 1993), American politician * Nida Fazli (1938–2016), Indian Hindi and Urdu poet and lyricist * Nida Eliz Üstündağ (born 1996), Turkish female swimmer * Eugene Nida (1914–2011), American l ...
, Sydney. Noted designer, Gloria Ida Logan worked on the production. Among many other productions, a highlight was ''Guess Who's Coming to Dinner'' starring
Frank Thring Francis William Thring (11 May 1926 – 29 December 1994) was an Australian character actor in radio, stage, television and film; as well as a theatre director. His early career started in London in theatre productions, before he starred in Ho ...
and Joan Whalley supported by a strong local cast. Whalley also directed the production. In June 1972, however, Marjorie's failing health forced her resignation from the Twelfth Night Theatre Committee. Despite this, she continued to support the theatre and its work, as evidenced in the 1994 memorial to her by later owner Gail Wiltshire. For years Twelfth Night Theatre had run a successful Junior Theatre Workshop, a training ground for many later successful actors. Tutors including such talent as
June Finney June is the sixth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is the second of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the third of five months to have a length of less than 31 days. June contains the summer solstice in ...
,
Judith McGrath Judith McGrath (21 April 1947 – 20 October 2017) was an Australian actress. McGrath was known for her television roles, including soap opera's ''Prisoner'' (1979–84), as Deputy Governor/Officer Colleen "Poface" Powell, '' A Country Prac ...
and
Carol Burns Carol Ann Burns (29 October 1947 – 22 December 2015) was an Australian actress, theatre director and patron of the arts, with a career spanning 50 years. She worked extensively in theatre and television serials, as well as telemovies and min ...
. The building of Twelfth Night Theatre at Bowen Hills was a brave and enormous undertaking. Due to the cost of the new building, Twelfth Night Theatre Company, which was initially established as an amateur theatre company under foundation artistic director
Rhoda Felgate Rhoda Mary Felgate (1901 – 1990) was an Australian speech and drama teacher and theatre director. She founded the Twelfth Night Theatre in Brisbane in 1936. Life Felgate was born in Stoke Newington in 1901. Her parents were Alice Maude (born ...
in 1936, was forced to turn professional in a bid to gain financial support from both the Queensland and Australian governments. However, sufficient funding was not forthcoming and as a result, the theatre was sold to the State Government. Rather than seeing the theatre as a considerable cultural asset for the people of Brisbane, the Queensland government simply sold the theatre, in what can only be seen as a very short-sighted policy, to recoup monies spent. Queensland had no professional theatre company until the establishment of the
Queensland Theatre Company Queensland Theatre, formerly the Queensland Theatre Company and Royal Queensland Theatre Company, is a professional theatre company based in Brisbane, Australia. It regularly performs in its own Bille Browne Theatre and the Queensland Performi ...
in 1969. Considerable praise should be given to the role of Twelfth Night Theatre in the theatre history of Brisbane and Queensland. The current owner,
Gail Wiltshire Gail may refer to: People * Gail (given name), list of notable people with the given name Surname * Jean-Baptiste Gail (1755–1829), French Hellenist scholar * Max Gail (born 1943), American actor * Sophie Gail (1775–1819), French singer ...
wrote of the deplorable state of the theatre building: "When I moved into Twelfth Night Theatre in 1977, the challenges were enormous, almost impossible - a debt of $1.3 million, a vandalised theatre. I kept thinking of the women in my past - the long sea journey, the dray, the babies buried in small wooden coffins, the house with a mud floor. Nothing was too difficult. But then I had an immediate source of inspiration - Marjorie Johnstone. How I loved that amazing woman. She gave me courage. She pulled no punches about human nature. There are the good ones and the duds. Sometimes bastards. She was right.'" Picnic At Hanging Rock by Gail Wiltshire at the end of 1976, the original Twelfth Night Theatre Company folded. In 1979, the successor group,
TN! Theatre Company The TN! Theatre Company (1979–1991) was a theatre company in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. History The TN! Theatre Company had its roots in the Twelfth Night Theatre Company which was established in 1936 by Rhoda Mary Felgate. The com ...
was spun-off to operate solely as a performing company that would lease whatever premises as required for performance. In 1986 it took a 10-year lease of the Princess Theatre in Woolloongabba, and its last performance was in 1991 due to financial difficulties.


Later years

Twelfth Night Theatre is the only privately owned theatre in Australia, owned by Ken and Gail Wiltshire. It is not controlled by any commercially funded or government organisation and receives no public grants from either the Queensland State or Australian federal governments. The Twelfth Night Theatre continues as a contemporary theatre and has attracted over a number of years various
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
comedies starring such well-known actors as
John Inman Frederick John Inman (28 June 1935 – 8 March 2007) was an English actor and singer best known for his role as Mr. Humphries in '' Are You Being Served?'', a British sitcom between 1972 and 1985, and was the only actor from that series to featu ...
from the long-running television series, ''
Are You Being Served ''Are You Being Served?'' is a British sitcom created and written by executive producer David Croft (Croft also directed some episodes) and Jeremy Lloyd, with contributions from Michael Knowles and John Chapman, for the BBC. Set in London ...
'',
Gorden Kaye Gordon Irving Kaye(7 April 194123 January 2017), known professionally as Gorden Kaye, was an English actor, best known for playing womanising café owner René Artois in the television comedy series Allo 'Allo!''. Early life Kaye was born o ...
and
Sue Hodge Sue Hodge (born 4 June 1957 in Orsett, Essex) is an English actress, best known for her role as the waitress Mimi Labonq in the BBC sitcom '' 'Allo 'Allo!''. Trained as a dancer and theatre performer at Bird College, she has performed extensive ...
from ''
Allo Allo ''Allo 'Allo!'' is a British sitcom television series, created by David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd, starring Gorden Kaye, Carmen Silvera, Guy Siner and Richard Gibson. Originally broadcast on BBC1, the series focuses on the life of a French ca ...
''. Other commercial productions have included '' Blithe Spirit'' by
Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...
starring
Rowena Wallace Rowena Wallace (born 23 August 1947) is an English-born Australian stage and screen actress, most especially in the genre of television soap opera. She is best known for her Gold Logie-winning role as conniving Patricia "Pat the Rat" Hamilton/M ...
and
June Salter June Marie Salter AM (22 June 193215 September 2001) was an Australian actress and author prominent in theatre and television, best known for her character roles. Biography June Salter was born in Bexley, New South Wales, the youngest of six ...
. In 2007, an Australian season of ''
Allo Allo ''Allo 'Allo!'' is a British sitcom television series, created by David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd, starring Gorden Kaye, Carmen Silvera, Guy Siner and Richard Gibson. Originally broadcast on BBC1, the series focuses on the life of a French ca ...
'' was staged starring actors from the original British television series,
Gorden Kaye Gordon Irving Kaye(7 April 194123 January 2017), known professionally as Gorden Kaye, was an English actor, best known for playing womanising café owner René Artois in the television comedy series Allo 'Allo!''. Early life Kaye was born o ...
,
Guy Siner Guy Domville Siner (born 16 October 1947) is an American-born English actor best known for his role as Oberleutnant Hubert Gruber in the British television series Allo 'Allo!'' and Dr. Mittenhand in '' Leprechaun 4: In Space''. Early life ...
and
Sue Hodge Sue Hodge (born 4 June 1957 in Orsett, Essex) is an English actress, best known for her role as the waitress Mimi Labonq in the BBC sitcom '' 'Allo 'Allo!''. Trained as a dancer and theatre performer at Bird College, she has performed extensive ...
.
Stagedoor Dinner Theatre StageDoor Dinner Theatre was officially opened on 17 July 2002 by Judy Cornwell (Daisy from ''Keeping Up Appearances''). StageDoor Dinner Theatre is Brisbane's first permanent dinner theatre, with more than 54 productions to date. The dinner th ...
has run dinner theatre shows in the basement theatre for seven years.


Notable performers

Australian actors, who have appeared at the theatre, include: *
Tony Bonner Anthony Frederick Bonner (born 23 November 1943) is an Australian television, film and stage actor and singer. Bonner became famous in the 1960s children's television series '' Skippy the Bush Kangaroo'', later moving on to lead roles in the ...
*
Carol Burns Carol Ann Burns (29 October 1947 – 22 December 2015) was an Australian actress, theatre director and patron of the arts, with a career spanning 50 years. She worked extensively in theatre and television serials, as well as telemovies and min ...
*
Claire Crowther Claire Crowther is a British poet and author of five full-length poetry collections, ''Stretch of Closures'', ''The Clockwork Gift'', ''On Narrowness'', ''Solar Cruise'' and ''A Pair of Three'' and six pamphlets, ''Knithoard'', ''Bare George'', ...
*
Penny Downie A penny is a coin ( pennies) or a unit of currency (pl. pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. Presently, it is th ...
*
Jon English Jonathan James English (26 March 1949 – 9 March 2016) was an English-born Australian singer, songwriter, musician and actor. He emigrated from England to Australia with his parents in 1961. He was an early vocalist and rhythm guitarist for ...
* Beverly Langford *
Judith McGrath Judith McGrath (21 April 1947 – 20 October 2017) was an Australian actress. McGrath was known for her television roles, including soap opera's ''Prisoner'' (1979–84), as Deputy Governor/Officer Colleen "Poface" Powell, '' A Country Prac ...
*
June Salter June Marie Salter AM (22 June 193215 September 2001) was an Australian actress and author prominent in theatre and television, best known for her character roles. Biography June Salter was born in Bexley, New South Wales, the youngest of six ...
*
Sigrid Thornton Sigrid Madeline Thornton (born 12 February 1959) is an Australian film and television actress. Her television work includes '' Prisoner'' (1979–80), '' All the Rivers Run'' (1983), '' SeaChange'' (1998–2019) and '' Wentworth'' (2016–2018 ...
*
Frank Thring Francis William Thring (11 May 1926 – 29 December 1994) was an Australian character actor in radio, stage, television and film; as well as a theatre director. His early career started in London in theatre productions, before he starred in Ho ...
*
Rowena Wallace Rowena Wallace (born 23 August 1947) is an English-born Australian stage and screen actress, most especially in the genre of television soap opera. She is best known for her Gold Logie-winning role as conniving Patricia "Pat the Rat" Hamilton/M ...
* Kate Wilson


Selected recent productions


References


Books and Archival Information

* * * *


External links


Twelfth Night Theatre website
Official theatre website.

Provides a comprehensive history of the theatre using primary sources from the time. {{coord, 27, 26, 50.24, S, 153, 2, 18.06, E, display=title Theatres in Brisbane Bowen Hills, Queensland