The Haymarket Theatre, or Royal Haymarket Theatre was a live theatre built by

George Coppin George Selth Coppin (8 April 1819 – 14 March 1906) was a comic actor, a theatrical entrepreneur, a politician and a philanthropist, active in Australia.Sally O'Neill,Coppin, George Selth (1819–1906), ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', ...

in the Haymarket district of

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, Australia in 1862 and was destroyed by fire in 1871.

History

The theatre was built on on the south side of

Bourke Street Bourke Street is one of the main streets in the Melbourne central business district and a core feature of the Hoddle Grid. It was traditionally the entertainment hub of inner-city Melbourne, and is now also a popular tourist destination and tr ...

, extending through to

Little Collins Street Little Collins Street is a minor road, street in the Melbourne central business district, Victoria, Australia. The street runs parallel to and to the north of Collins Street, Melbourne, Collins Street and as a narrow one way lane takes on the ...

, and opened in 1862. Conlan was the architect and Cornwall the builder. The building incorporated the Apollo Music Hall, which opened on 5 July 1862 with a programme that featured Madame Carandini. The theatre proper was opened on 15 September 1862 with the play ''

Our American Cousin ''Our American Cousin'' is a three-act play by English playwright Tom Taylor. It is a farce featuring awkward, boorish American Asa Trenchard, who is introduced to his aristocratic English relatives when he goes to England to claim the family e ...

''. It was renamed the Duke of Edinburgh Theatre in January 1868 in honour of the visit of

Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh Alfred (Alfred Ernest Albert; 6 August 184430 July 1900) was sovereign Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha from 22 August 1893 until his death in 1900. He was the second son and fourth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. He was known as the Du ...

, but remained the "Haymarket", informally at least. It was destroyed by fire on the evening of 22 September 1871. The building had been closed for some months owing to a dispute between the leaseholders and the trustees.

Managers

(as Haymarket Theatre) *James Simmonds: 1862–April 1864 (also lessee/manager of Royal Princess's Theatre) relinquished due to insolvency. * William Hoskins: 1864–1866. He went on to manage the Theatre Royal *Foley: 1866 The nadir of his brief incumbency appears to have been the night of a "conundrum quest", "pig fight" and "kangaroo hunt". *George Coppin: 1866–April 1867 (as Duke of Edinburgh Theatre) *Spiller and Marsh: 1867–1868. Insolvent, "to nobody's surprise" *Gilbert Roberts: September 1868 – January 1869, also insolvent. It was during this period that

Charles Summers Charles Summers (27 July 1825 – 24 October 1878) was an English sculptor active in London, Melbourne and Rome. He was an important figure in the Australian art world of the 1850s and 60s, and is particularly remembered as the creator of th ...

' bust of

G. V. Brooke Gustavus Vaughan Brooke (25 April 1818 – 11 January 1866), commonly referred to as G. V. Brooke, was an Irish stage actor who enjoyed success in Ireland, England, and Australia. Early life Brooke was born in Dublin, Ireland, the eldest son o ...

was controversially unveiled at the theatre, before its removal to the Public Library.

References

{{coord missing, Victoria (state) 1862 establishments in Australia 1871 disestablishments in Australia History of Melbourne Buildings and structures demolished in 1871 Former theatres in Melbourne