The Playbox Theatre was a theatre located at 53-55 Exhibition StreetinMelbourne, Australia, from 1927 to 1984. It became the home of the Playbox Theatre Company, previously Hoopla! and later Malthouse Theatre.
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| Address | 53-55 Exhibition Street |
|---|---|
| Location | Melbourne, Victoria |
| Coordinates | 37°48′53″S 144°58′17″E / 37.8147178°S 144.9714239°E / -37.8147178; 144.9714239 |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1927 |
| Opened | 1969 |
| Demolished | 1984 |
The theatre seating around 300 people was established by entrepreneurs Kenn Brodziak and Harry M. Miller, converted from the former Kelvin Hall built in 1927.[1] It opened in June 1969 with the controversial play The Boys in the Band.[2] Plays and musicals at the theatre in the early 1970s included Butterflies Are Free, Juggler's Three and Godspell.[3]
The Australian Film Institute leased the theatre for two years from mid-1974 to mid-1976.[4]
In 1977, the Playbox Theatre became the home of theatre company Hoopla!, which changed its name to the Playbox Theatre Company.[5]
A second smaller 80-seat theatre, the Playbox Upstairs, was established in the building in 1978, with the original theatre called the Playbox Downstairs.[5]
The theatre was destroyed by a fire in February 1984.[6] The building was later rebuilt as offices with the heritage stone facade retained.