East End Theatre District
The East End Theatre District is a precinct within the Melbourne city centre, and is bounded by Spring Street, Flinders Street, Swanston Street, and Lonsdale Street. The district is home to six of Melbourne's major theatres, including the Princess Theatre, Her Majesty's Theatre, and the Regent Theatre. These theatres mostly house commercial productions of musicals, plays and other events, in contrast with the Southbank Arts Precinct over the Yarra River which focuses on publicly funded companies.
History
The East End of Melbourne was effectively formed by the Hoddle Grid, with Elizabeth Street the dividing line between east and west. The Hoddle Grid was laid out in 1837, following the founding of the Melbourne settlement in 1835.Melbourne's first theatre, the Pavilion, was constructed adjacent to the Eagle Tavern on Bourke Street in 1842. The second theatre, the Queen's, was also constructed as part of a pub, however it was, and remains, the only major theatre in Melbourne's CBD built west of Elizabeth Street.
East End theatres
Six surviving theatres exist within the East End:- Princess Theatre
- Her Majesty's Theatre
- Regent Theatre
- Athenaeum Theatre
- Comedy Theatre
- Forum Melbourne
Current and upcoming productions
- If no show is currently running, the play listed is the next show planned.
- If the next show planned is not announced, the applicable columns are left blank.
Theatre | Owner | Address | Capacity | Production | Type | Opened | Closing |
Athenaeum Theatre | AT Management | 188 Collins Street | 880 | Comedy and theatre venue | Various | – | – |
Comedy Theatre | Marriner Group | Cnr Exhibition & Lonsdale Streets | 1003 | Come From Away | Musical | 20 July 2019 | 21 March 2020 |
Forum Melbourne | Marriner Group | Cnr Flinders & Russell Streets | 2000 | Concert and comedy venue | Various | – | – |
Her Majesty's Theatre | Hayden Attractions | 219 Exhibition Street | 1700 | Shrek The Musical | Musical | February 2020 | - |
Princess Theatre | Marriner Group | 163 Spring Street | 1452 | Harry Potter and the Cursed Child | Play | 18 January 2019 | Open-ended |
Regent Theatre | Marriner Group | 191 Collins Street | 2141 | Billy Elliot | Musical | 20 February 2020 | 19 April 2020 |
Historic theatres
The East End has been home to over 25 different theatres since 1841. Some of the major theatres are listed below.Theatre | Address | Year Opened | Year Closed | Year Rebuilt | Year Closed |
Pavilion | Cnr Swanston St and Bourke St | 1841 | 1845 | - | - |
Queen's* | Cnr Queen St and Little Bourke St | 1845 | 1856 | - | - |
Theatre Royal | 232 Bourke St | 1855 | 1872 | 1872 | 1933 |
Olympic | Cnr Exhibition St and Lonsdale St | 1855 | 1860 | - | - |
Haymarket | 133 Bourke St | 1862 | 1871 | - | - |
Prince of Wales Opera House | 249 Bourke St | 1872 | 1898 | - | - |
Bijou | 225 Bourke St | 1876 | 1889 | 1890 | 1934 |
Tivoli | 249 Bourke St | 1901 | 1966 | - | - |
King's | 131 Russell St | 1908 | 1976 | - | - |
Palace | 20 Bourke St | 1912 | Currently closed | - | - |
Auditorium | 171 Collins St | 1913 | 1934 | - | - |
Playbox | 55 Exhibition St | 1969 | 1984 | - | - |
Russell Street | 19-25 Russell St | 1955 | 1994 |
- The Queen's Theatre is the only theatre to be built in Melbourne's CBD outside of the East End.
Economic impact