Anita’s Theatre Celebrates 100th Anniversary With Live Music & Community Reach-Out

To celebrate its 100th year anniversary this week of its regional venue Anita’s Theatre, Live Nation is highlighting its two strongest keystones – live entertainment and community ties.

The venue is at 264-270 Lawrence Hargrave Drive in the coastal town of Thirroul/Dharawal, NSW, famed for its beaches and café culture. 

The most historic and largest performing arts venue of the Illawarra region, with a seating capacity of 820 and general admission capacity of 1,200, it doesn’t just cater for locals. 

Today, as in 100 years ago, its location of 73 km south of Sydney and as a northern Wollongong suburb is a drawcard. Aside from local residents, it also attracts weekend visitors from these cities as well as Canberra and Southern Highlands.

“They come and do their fill of the beaches, and stay for the shows,” says Venue Manager Bob Mangan.

The theatre has undergone transformations and ownership, as a cinema, skating rink, and now a live music and entertainment space. It was mooted to become a police station, shops and flats but lobbied against by cultural groups.

“One thing a venue does when it has such longevity is the strong connection to the community and the way it reflects community values as support, resilience and pride,” Mangan explains.

“It’s also the history of what it’s done and the way it brought people together. And now with the investment from Live Nation we can enjoy that history and promote it going further.”

Mangan joined in 2022, the same year that Live Nation took ownership. “In the three years since, we’ve welcomed 165,000 fans and hosted almost 300 shows – 82% of which was homegrown Aussie talent.”

Music acts who treaded the boards under different owners have been Cold Chisel, Midnight Oil, Hoodoo Gurus, The Wiggles, James Reyne, Kasey Chambers, Macy Gray, Missy Higgins, Sarah Blasko, and Paul Kelly. 

The list of comedians includes Kitty Flanagan, Arj Barker, Tommy Little, Ross Noble, Ben Elton, and Urzila Carlson.

Anita’s Theatre also screened films as The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Dirty Dancing, hosted weddings, festivals, functions and film shoots. Local act Shining Bird shot a video here.

Notes Mangan, “It’s all about investing in the community. It’s a very special place –  special because of its people, and special because of Anita’s Theatre.

“They’d have to go and see these acts in Sydney instead. It’s remarkable how the venue is attracting big names as they go around the country. 

“We support live music, and my team and myself really work hard to facilitate the crews and their acts, and make sure they are welcome. We are also able to leverage the global reach of Live Nation and the local reach of myself and the team.” He stresses: “It’s a really strong team.”

As part of the celebrations, mountain sports films from around the world Radical Reels, UK comedian Rob Beckett and Pub Choir were showcased last week. This week it’s Lime Cordiale (October 22nd) and Hindley Street Country Club (October 24th) with another round rumoured.

Cinema

On October 22nd, 1925, Anita’s Theatre began life as a cinema called King’s Theatre. 

Part of Henry Boland’s entertainment empire, it had seating for 1,560 patrons – 1,200 in the stalls, 248 in the circle – and screened double features four times a week. 

It had a splendid art deco style that was the hallmark of Sydney architecture firm Kaberry and Chard, who designed 57 theatres, cinemas and town halls between 1920 and 1939.

Among those were Enmore Theatre, Empire Theatre and Valhalla Cinema in Sydney; Thebarton Theatre and Odeon Theatre Norwood in Adelaide; Montreal Community Theatre in Tumut, NSW; and Crown Theatre, Wollongong.

Folks in the Wollongong/Illawarra region had a reputation for attending cinemas, theatres and live performances, and King’s Theatre thrived as a social hub. 

It also helped that Boland bought out rival theatres as The Arcadia in Thirroul and The Princess in Woonona, and turned them dance halls so as not to compete with his venues.

But by the 1960s, entertainment preferences changed, and ticket sales plummeted. 

On December 18th, 1965, after the screening of the Stephen Boyd-starring Genghis Khan and Carl Gonzales’ The Little Ones, all the seats were ripped up, and a flat concrete floor laid in the stalls area.

In April 1968, it opened as a roller skating rink, Skateland, with some live music. For three decades it was a family favourite.

But by the mid-’90s, leisure tastes changed, and the building became run-down and empty.

In 2003, Illawarra property developer John Comelli bought it through his company Lyncove Pty Ltd and undertook a lengthy and extensive $6 million worth of renovations. 

He oversaw every tiny detail, including the exquisite plaster ornaments, shades of reds, purples and gold, European chandeliers, theatrical displays and framed artwork.

It reopened in 2007 as a music, performance, retail and social space. He renamed it after his wife Anita who died of cancer at 64 two years before.

“She was a remarkable person, a strong advocate of the arts, and an artist herself,” according to Mangan. “We display her artwork, paintings and drawings around the building. There’s a large portrait of her as you walk in.

“There’s been discussion if she’d have wanted the building named after her if she’d lived. That wouldn’t have been her choice. 

“But when you look at it, there are a number of King’s Theatres around but only one Anita’s Theatre in the world.”

It became a stand-out regional venue. Midnight Oil kicked off a national tour there, and shows by The Wiggles and Bernard Fanning brought the crowds in. It served as a social hub with weddings, festivals and community affairs.

But Comelli had seriously under-estimated how much the theatre would cost to run. 

At the same time a global depression diminished his fortune, a fate which hit other property developers too. His debts rose to $16 million to $17 million, and receivers were called in.

He sold his other property – including the family home and long time business headquarters – to keep Anita’s Theatre going. 

In mid-2008, he offered it for the half price of $4 million to Wollongong City Council and the University of Wollongong on the condition it be retained as a theatre. 

But it went on the market for $2.5 million, and it sold to a rival businessman for  $1.05 million.

Comelli lamented at the time to a local newspaper, “The shops in the theatre were sold for less than $500,000. They cost over a million apiece to build.” He died in 2017, aged 61.

Live Nation

In October 2022 the theatre became Live Nation’s first regional venue, joining a portfolio including The Palais Theatre in Melbourne, The Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane, and Hindley Street Music Hall in Adelaide.

No financial terms were revealed. But a statement from the mega-company confirmed it would “assist the venue in attracting a high calibre of performers,” ensuring music fans in Illawarra “can access the best live entertainment from both domestic and international acts. 

It stressed the importance of keeping culturally significant buildings alive, and encouraging  local talent.

Under Wollongong company Pro Sound and Lighting, the PA system was replaced, to handle the wide range of entertainment to be provided, and to make it more speech sensitive for comedy routines. Allen & Heath D-Live consoles were also brought in.

Upgrades to lighting included an entire rig of Chauvet Professional fixtures.

Mangan points out, “The local community is certainly enthusiastic about these shows. We in turn have a close relationship with them. We communicate and we listen to their advice.

“People don't just come for the shows. They come to experience the local restaurants and bars. So it’s important to work together, as a strong entertainment precinct. 

“We want to maintain strong relationships and make them positive. We take our responsibility in the community really seriously.”

As part of the 100th celebrations, the locals were invited to submit their memories of the fun times. They included tickets and posters. A menu advertised admission at 5 pence. 

The items will be sealed in a community time-capsule to be opened in 2125. It will include keepsakes, snapshots of the theatre today, and predictions and notes from current performers. 

More details on this will be unveiled shortly.

Alongside the 100th anniversary celebrations, Anita’s Theatre has also detailed its Encore Club. The new announcements seeks to provide a “heartfelt tribute” to its frequent flyers – acts who have made the venue their second home and graced the stage five or more times.

The induction sees The Wiggles recognised for their eight appearances, James Reyne for his seven shows, with Paul Kelly, The Bootleg Beatles, Bjorn Again, and comedian Arj Barker making up the ‘Six Club'.’

Meanwhile, Kasey Chambers, Jon Stevens, John Williamson, and The Whitlams are honoured for five appearances, with Hindley Street Country Club inducted ahead of their fifth show as part of the anniversary program.

“The Encore Club celebrates the artists who have helped shape Anita’s story and keep its spirit alive,” Mangan said in a statement. “For a century, Anita’s Theatre has been a cherished cornerstone of entertainment, acultural beacon that has brought local talent to the stage and connected our community with artists from around the world.

“Through laughter, music and performance, it has continued to celebrate the power of shared experience. The spirit of Anita’s is something truly special, and we’re proud to celebrate their role in the life of this theatre as part of our centenary celebrations.”