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The Empire Theatre is a heritage-listed theatre at 56 & 56A Neil Street, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 31 May 1994. The design of the building is art deco in style, reminiscent of the "glory days" of Hollywood with palm trees framing the exterior and two plinth-mounted fish tanks in the metallic gold and bronze of the entry foyer. One of the Empire Theatre's most striking features is the grand proscenium arch. The stage is over 13 metres wide and 12 metres deep with approximately 20 metres to the grid and more than 15 metres of wing space combined. It has 80 fly lines including 7 overhead lighting bars and an orchestra pit that can be hydraulically raised to audience floor or stage thrust levels. == History == The present Empire Theatre consists of two layers of development, with the bulk of the fabric and design dating to 1933, but incorporating substantial sections of an earlier theatre which was erected on the site in 1911. Essentially, the Empire Theatre is a large, 1933, purpose-designed, Art Deco picture theatre.〔 The first Empire Theatre, a large masonry picture theatre with a seating capacity of 2,200, was opened on 29 June 1911, and proved enormously successful. It was built for an association of six Toowoomba businessmen and Brisbane entertainment promoter EJ Carroll (later one of the principals of Queensland's home-grown Birch, Carroll & Coyle picture theatre chain), who had commenced screening films in Toowoomba's large Austral Hall in Margaret Street in 1909. The screenings were so popular that the erection of a purpose-designed picture theatre was inevitable. Titles to the Neil Street site were transferred to members of the association in 1910, and ultimately to Empire Theatre Ltd in 1911.〔 The 1911 theatre was designed by architect George Lane, formerly employed by Toowoomba architects James Marks and his son Harry James Marks from until 1906, and in partnership with Harry James Marks in 1909-10. The contractor was Henry Andrews. The design incorporated a proscenium stage, and the movies shared early programmes with vaudeville acts. The building was renovated in 1928, and in the following year sound equipment was installed. The first "talkie" seen in Toowoomba - The Jazz Singer (US, 1927) - was screened at the Empire Theatre on 2 September 1929. By 1933, Dan Carroll had replaced EJ Carroll in Empire Theatre Ltd, and it would appear that the Empire was associated with the Birch, Carroll & Coyle theatre chain.〔 The first Empire Theatre, to which the Toowoomba community had developed a strong attachment, was destroyed by fire on 22 February 1933. Almost immediately a design for a new Empire Theatre, to cost approximately £30,000, was commissioned by the owners. In the interim, Empire Theatre Ltd leased the Town Hall for their film screenings.〔 Designs for the new theatre were prepared by the well-known Brisbane architectural firm of TR Hall & LB Phillips (1929-48). Tenders were called in April 1933 and the contract was let Kell & Rigby, of Sydney, Brisbane and Toowoomba, in May. Substantial sections of the 1911 brick walling had survived the fire, and much of this was incorporated into the new building. Accommodating 2,500 patrons, the second Empire Theatre was Queensland's largest provincial theatre, and second only in seating capacity to Brisbane's Regent. Nationally, the Empire was exceeded in size only by the State, Regent, and St Kilda Palais theatres in Melbourne, the State and Capitol theatres in Sydney, and the Brisbane Regent.〔 Of particular note was the use of 70 tons of structural steel to frame the large gallery which spans the width of the theatre. The structural engineer was CW Alexander of Hurren, Alexander and Langman of Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide, and the fabricators were Evans Deakin & Co. Ltd of Brisbane. The steel members were fabricated in sections in Brisbane, transported by Queensland rail to Toowoomba, and assembled (riveted) on site. At the time of construction, it was considered an exceedingly intricate piece of structural engineering, unique in Queensland, and a "triumph" in steel construction.〔 The new theatre blended contemporary art deco style with picture palace ethos, much of the romantic atmosphere being conveyed by European-styled diffused lighting. Of particular note was the fact that not a single column interrupted audience view of stage or screen. The bio box was the largest in Queensland; acoustics were excellent; and the theatre contained one of the largest provincial stages in Australia, attracting all types of performance from vaudeville to opera. To accommodate large stage productions, the new design incorporated a large stage, fly tower and dressing rooms.〔 Edward Gold, the theatre's chief electrician and founder of Radio 4GR at Toowoomba, was responsible for the most striking of the interior features: the illumination of the grand proscenium arch in constantly changing colours. This was achieved by reflecting diffused light from the wall behind the arch, which was constructed of plaster open-work, and changing the colours via a complex dimmer system. As well, a huge central lamp of wrought iron and obscure glass ran much of the length of the main ceiling, distributing a soft even light throughout the auditorium. In 1933, local press claimed the Empire Theatre employed the most extensive use of diffused lighting in any theatre in the British Commonwealth, and was unlike anything else in Australia.〔 Empire Theatre Ltd advertised proudly that most of the contractors and materials were of local (Brisbane and Toowoomba) origin. The decorative fibrous plaster work was carried out by Brisbane's Stucoid Modelling Co., terrazzo work by Melocco Brothers of Brisbane, and cork flooring and tiling supplied by the Decorative Tile Co., Brisbane. Joinery and furnishings were supplied by Toowoomba firms. Cemuro art stucco, a new product to Queensland, was supplied by Dyne & Co. of Brisbane.〔 Billed as the "theatre supreme", the new Empire Theatre opened on 27 November 1933. It was tied into the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer exhibition network in Australia, screening in the 1930s the films of Greta Garbo, Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, Laurel and Hardy, and the Flash Gordon serials.〔 In 1942 during World War II, when the threat of Japanese air raids was a perceived reality, the large central ceiling light (affectionately dubbed the 'bomber' light) was removed as a safety precaution (locals fearing that a bomb would send a shower of glass onto theatre patrons below), and has never been recovered. Similarly, three fittings, in the same design, below the Dress Circle, were removed.〔 The cinema was closed during parts of World War 2. In the 1950s a CinemaScope screen was installed, with no widening of the stage necessary. Audiences declined, however, in the 1960s, mainly due to the impact of television. The last film was screened in the Empire on 1 April 1971. The auditorium seating was removed when the theatre closed, but most of the Dress Circle seats remained.〔 In 1973, Empire Theatre Pty Ltd sold the Empire to two Toowoomba businessmen. The front shop additions were erected in 1973-74, and the building was occupied for about a year by Waltons Pty Ltd, a departmental retailer. In 1975 it was acquired by the Queensland Government for Technical College purposes, and has been used more recently as a TAFE facility.〔 After being purchased by the Toowoomba City Council (now Toowoomba Regional Council), the theatre was restored and returned to its 1933 art deco styling with state-of-the-art technical equipment and patron comforts in June 1997. As a result, in 1998 the Empire Theatre awarded "The Best Theatre in Australia" by the Australian Leisure Management Magazine that placed it amongst the top eight leisure and entertainment projects in Australia. In 2005, a Conference Precinct extension was built to connect the Empire Theatre with the adjacent Church Theatre (circa 1879) incorporating a 5 star restaurant, foyer and storage areas. In 2009, the Empire Theatre established its Projects Company to increase the breadth and depth of the community's connection with the performing arts in the Toowoomba Regional Council area, launching 'Empire Youth Arts' in 2010 with the aim to create opportunities for young people from diverse backgrounds through the region to engage with the performing arts. The Empire Theatre celebrated its centenary year in 2011. The venue has a capacity of 1,567 seats, making it the largest regional theatre in Australia. It is also often referred to as one of the best performing arts venues in Australia by the many visiting artists that perform on its stage. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Empire Theatre, Toowoomba」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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