Adelaide Repertory Theatre

Adelaide Repertory Theatre
NicknameThe Rep
Adelaide Rep
Formation1908 (1908)
FounderBryceson Treharne
Founded atAdelaide,
South Australia
TypeNonprofit Theatre company
Registration no.28 301 492 216
Legal statusCharity (Advancing Culture)
Headquarters53 Angas Street,
Adelaide SA 5000
Location
Coordinates34°55′48″S 138°36′11″E / 34.93008418990483°S 138.60304485057193°E / -34.93008418990483; 138.60304485057193
Chair
David Sinclair
Vice-Chair
Gary Anderson
Secretary
Di Thompson
Revenue$460,355.00 (2025)
Expenses$517,538.00 (2025)
FundingDonations, sales, grants
Websiteadelaiderep.com
Formerly called
Adelaide Literary Theatre

The Adelaide Repertory Theatre, (often called Adelaide Rep or The Rep), is an amateur repertory theatre company in Adelaide, South Australia, founded in 1908, originally as the Adelaide Literary Theatre, changing its name in 1910.[1][2] The Adelaide Rep is the oldest surviving amateur theatre company in the Southern Hemisphere.[3] It usually presents its productions at The Arts Theatre.[4][5]

History

The Adelaide Literary Theatre was established in 1908, by students of the Elder Conservatorium and Welsh composer, teacher and the Conservatorium's Professor of Piano forte, Bryceson Treharne.[1][3][6][7] Treharne was the theatre's first Director and Manager from 1908 until his return to the United Kingdom in 1911.[7] In 1910, to better reflect the repertory nature of the theatre's productions, and to avoid confusion with similarly named theatre's around Australia, the theatre company changed its name to the Adelaide Repertory Theatre (or the Adelaide Rep).[1][2] As of 2026, the Adelaide Rep remains the longest surviving amateur theatre company in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere.[3][8][9][10][11]

Performance venues

On its establishment in 1908, the theatre's original performance space was in a room lent to the theatre by the Conservatorium at the University of Adelaide, with the stage reportedly made of wood planks and forms.[1] Over the year's since 1908, the venues the company has performed at many of Adelaide's local theatres, including:[12][13]

The Arts Theatre

In 1963, plans for a new purpose-built theatre for the Adelaide Rep were designed by Adelaide architectural firl Russel and Yelland after many years of fundraising by the theatre.[19] The theatre was completed in 1963, with the new theatre names The Arts Theatre, located on Angas Street in the Adelaide city centre.[20][21] The 500-seat theatre was built for £45,000, on land bought 15 years prior by the company. It has since become a major venue for other amateur companies as well as Adelaide Fringe and other performances.[19][12] The first production there was the Peter Ustinov comedy, Romanoff and Juliet.[22][12]

Management

Since the establishment of the theatre in 1908, the company has been run by a board of directors.[1] The board was originally led by Treharne along with "a small board of men from Adelaide business" with an interest in theatre, which then grew to include board members with expertise and occupations in fine arts.[1][11] The board was originally charged with the management of the theatre, which included:

  • Selection of Plays
  • Theatre Finances
  • Advertising
  • Deciding the scheme of performances

Board Chairs

The Adelaide Rep's first Director and Manager, Bryceson Treharne.

As of 2026, the theatre's board is chaired by professional theatre state manager, David Sinclair.[23][24] Past board chairs have included:

Notable people

Former Adelaide Rep member, Thelma Afford (1938).

Notable associates of the Theatre since 1908 include:

Awards

Footnotes

  1. ↑ "The Art Deco facade was created in 1935 when it became the Embassy Ballroom."[15] It was later the Plaza Theatre, then the Paris Cinema.[16] "...now is the site of the southern entrance to Regent Arcade".[17]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "The Adelaide Repertory Theatre - Its History, Its Ideas, Its Intentions". The Mail. 21 February 1914. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Adelaide Literary Theatre". The Sunday Sun (Sydney). 27 November 1910. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 Affort, T (1997). Parsons, Philip; Change, Victoria (eds.). Concise companion to theatre in Australia. Sydney: Currency Press. ISBN 0868194999. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
  4. ↑ "The Adelaide Rep Theatre". The Adelaide Repertory Theatre. 18 November 2025. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
  5. ↑ "Adelaide Repertory Theatre Company – South Australian History Network". History Trust of South Australia. Government of South Australia. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
  6. ↑ "Bryceson Treharne". Adelaide University Connect. Adelaide University. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  7. 1 2 Schirmer, G (1919). G. Schirmer's Course in Contemporary Musical Biography. New York: G. Schirmer. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
  8. ↑ Comans, Christine (2006). "La Boite's History as Doctoral Study: A Research Methodology Story" (PDF). NJ: Drama Australia Journal. 30 (2): 73–82. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
  9. ↑ Milne, Geoffrey (2004). Theatre Australia (un)limited : Australian theatre since the 1950s. Amsterdam: Rodopi. p. 75. ISBN 978-90-420-0930-1. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
  10. 1 2 Brissenden, Alan (25 September 2008). "Stirring the intellectual pot". The Adelaide Review. Retrieved 16 October 2008.
  11. 1 2 3 "A Proud History". The Adelaide Repertory Theatre. 18 November 2025. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
  12. 1 2 3 "Arts Theatre a home at last in 1963 for Adelaide Repertory; used by other music/theatre groups, Fringe shows". AdelaideAZ. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  13. ↑ "Adelaide Repertory Theatre". AusStage. 2 September 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  14. ↑ "S.A. Allgemeiner Deutscher Verein". Evening Journal (Adelaide). Vol. XXVI, no. 7381. South Australia. 15 June 1894. p. 3 (SECOND EDITION). Retrieved 10 January 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  15. ↑ "Queen's Hall in Grenfell Street (1933)" (photo + caption). State Library of South Australia. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  16. ↑ "Theatres/Venues 4a: Adelaide". Australian Variety Theatre Archive. 18 April 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  17. ↑ "The Embassy Ballroom, Grenfell Street, 1935" (photo + caption). Flickr. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  18. ↑ "Carrington Street, Adelaide (1928)" (photo + caption). State Library of South Australia. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  19. 1 2 "New Theatre for Repertory". The Standard (Port Adelaide). 10 October 1962. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
  20. ↑ "Adelaide's Premiere venue for award winning amateur theatre". The Arts Theatre. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  21. ↑ The Modern Encyclopedia of Australia and New Zealand. Australia: Horwitz Publications Inc. and The Grahame Book Company. 1964. p. 85. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
  22. ↑ "Romanoff and Juliet". AusStage. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  23. ↑ "David Sinclair". The Adelaide Repertory Theatre. 7 July 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
  24. ↑ "Board Members". The Adelaide Repertory Theatre. 18 November 2025. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
  25. ↑ "Death of Mr C. H. Stacey". Northern Suburbs Weekly. 21 August 1958. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
  26. ↑ Who's Who 1926. Australia: Whos Who. 1926. p. 2803. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
  27. ↑ "Adelaide Repertory Theatre". The Register (Adelaide). 22 February 1915. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
  28. ↑ Venn, John (1954). Alumni cantabrigienses; a biographical list of all known students, graduates and holders of office at the University of Cambridge, from the earliest times to 1900;. Cambridge: University Press. p. 570. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
  29. ↑ Roxy Byrne at The Australian Women's Register]
  30. ↑ "Byrne, Roxy". Australian Womens' Register. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
  31. ↑ Edgar, Suzanne (2000). "Alexander Melrose (1865–1944)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 15. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  32. ↑ Howell, P. A. (2002). "Sydney Talbot Smith (1861–1948)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 16. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  33. ↑ City Messenger Theatre Awards
  34. ↑ The Awards Archived 4 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine, Adelaide Critics Circle. Retrieved 2007-05-19
  35. ↑ Amateur Theatre I Hate Hamlet, Messenger Newspapers, 2006
  36. ↑ Adelaide Repertory Theatre, Sustained contribution (organisations) 2008 Winner, Ruby Awards, ARTS SA
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.