The National Theatre is a 783-seat Australian theatre and theatrical arts school located in the

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 ...

bayside suburb of St Kilda, on the corner of Barkly and Carlisle Streets. The building was constructed in 1921 as The Victory Theatre (3000 seat cinema), rebuilt as 2550 seat cinema in 1928, finally converted to a live venue in 1972/4 with 783 seats. The stalls seating was converted to studios and rehearsal rooms for the schools.

National Theatre Movement

The National Theatre Movement (NTM) was established in 1935 by

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

Gertrude Johnson. After returning from an overseas career that included performing at

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...

, Johnson was dismayed at the lack of training and performing opportunities for Australian artists in their own country. To that end the National Theatre was founded along with a network of companies throughout Australia. The Ballarat National Theatre was founded in 1938 along with other branches in Heidelberg, Yallourn and Swan Hill. Included in the network were an opera school (1935), drama school (1936) and ballet school (1939). Production companies (three arts festivals) ran through the 1940s and 1950s. The National Theatre Movement previously occupied the Village Theatre in Toorak (destroyed by fire in April 1962) and then purchased (but not occupied) the Empress Theatre in Prahran, which was destroyed by fire in June 1971.

Theatre building

The building now occupied by the National Theatre was built in the Beaux Arts style as a 3000-seat cinema and opened in 1921 as the Victory Theatre. In 1928 it was rebuilt in a more luxurious manner, with fewer seats, a larger balcony, and a much grander foyer. In 1971 Hoyts (a company that operates movie theaters) offered the company the Victory Theatre for conversion to a live theatre and rehearsal spaces. The current theatre consists of the original Victory dress circle extended with the addition of a sizeable stage and a fly tower. The original stalls were converted into five studios for

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

and

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

. One of the studios is itself a theatrette. The theatre opened in its current guise in August 1974, while the schools and administration moved there in September 1972.

Drama school

The National Drama School dates from 1936 and is the oldest in Australia. Drama school alumni include Bella Heathcote, Kat Stewart, Richard Cawthorne, Brett Tucker, Janet Andrewartha, Jackie Woodburne, Ngaire Dawn Fair, Lawrence Mooney, Geraldine Quinn, and Esther Hannaford. The current director of drama for the National Drama School is Dr Jo Loth. Past directors have included Trent Baker, Ken Boucher, Dr Kim Durban, Babs MacMillan and the late Joan Harris (AM).

Ballet school

The National Ballet school dates from 1939 and is the oldest in Australia. Alumni include Amber Scott, Jarryd Madden. The ballet school currently conducts Royal Academy of Dance examinations and has ballet performances in the middle of the year and in December. The current artistic director of The National Ballet School is Damian Smith. Past dance artistic directors have included Kathleen Gorham, Gailene Stock, Marilyn Jones and Beverly Jane Fry.

Opera school

The opera school merged with the

Victorian College of the Arts The Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) is the arts school at the University of Melbourne in Australia. It is part of the university's Faculty of Fine Arts and Music (FFAM). It is located near the Melbourne city centre on the Southbank campus ...

in 1980. It was closed by the VCA in 2006 but the National Theatre now supports the new Opera School (Melbourne) established independently in 2008.

References

External links

* {{authority control Music schools in Australia Dance education in Australia Classical music in Australia Theatres in Melbourne Performing arts in Melbourne St Kilda, Victoria Buildings and structures in the City of Port Phillip Art Nouveau architecture in Melbourne Art Deco architecture in Melbourne