St James' Hall (1963-1989)

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St James' Hall (1963-1989)

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Venue	St James' Hall (1963-1989)
Address	169-171 Phillip Street Sydney NSW 2000 Australia
First Date	November 1963
Last Date	1989
Notes	In 1961, the Church (which still owned the old building) had it demolished to make way for a 13-storey office block. It included a small theatre with more modern and comfortable facilities with the same name. Renovations in 1990 removed the Hall/Theatre.
Related Venues	Also known as Phillip Street Theatre (1979-1989) Also known as St James Playhouse (1964-1978) Is on the site of Phillip Street Theatre (1954-1961) Is on the site of St James' Hall (1887-1961)
Map
Latitude \| Longitude	-33.868808 \| 151.210882
Events	Date Contributor Organisation
	Goldilocks and the Three Bears, 25 August 1979 Hansel and Gretel, 5 May 1979 The Birthday Party, April 1979 A Pinter Festival, April 1979 The Homecoming, April 1979 Old Times, April 1979 By Royal Command, 3 September 1964 Overruled, 24 June 1964 By Royal Command, 1 June 1964 The Pea Pickers, 7 May 1964 Lunch Time Revue, 18 November 1963 A Victorian Marriage, July 1951
	The Rocks Players The Birthday Party, April 1979 A Pinter Festival, April 1979 The Homecoming, April 1979 Old Times, April 1979 Peter Williams Productions Pty Ltd Goldilocks and the Three Bears, 25 August 1979 Hansel and Gretel, 5 May 1979 Theatres Associated By Royal Command, 3 September 1964 By Royal Command, 1 June 1964 John Alden Company A Victorian Marriage, July 1951 The Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust Overruled, 24 June 1964 The Theatre Players The Pea Pickers, 7 May 1964
	Harold Pinter - Playwright A Pinter Festival, April 1979 The Homecoming, April 1979 The Birthday Party, April 1979 Old Times, April 1979 Oliver Hume - Actor, Lighting Designer The Birthday Party, April 1979 The Homecoming, April 1979 Old Times, April 1979 Anthony Barclay - Artistic Director, Director A Pinter Festival, April 1979 The Homecoming, April 1979 John Bell - Actor and Singer By Royal Command, 3 September 1964 By Royal Command, 1 June 1964 Justin Byrne - Actor, Production Manager A Pinter Festival, April 1979 The Birthday Party, April 1979 Tina Date - Musician: Pianist By Royal Command, 3 September 1964 By Royal Command, 1 June 1964 Arthur Dignam - Actor and Singer By Royal Command, 3 September 1964 By Royal Command, 1 June 1964 Edward Lansdowne - Actor Goldilocks and the Three Bears, 25 August 1979 Hansel and Gretel, 5 May 1979 John Llewellyn - Actor and Singer By Royal Command, 3 September 1964 By Royal Command, 1 June 1964 Ida Marchant - Stage Director Goldilocks and the Three Bears, 25 August 1979 Hansel and Gretel, 5 May 1979 Debra May - Stage Manager The Birthday Party, April 1979 A Pinter Festival, April 1979 Brett Nevill - Actor The Birthday Party, April 1979 The Homecoming, April 1979 Peter Pitcher - Actor, Assistant Stage Manager The Homecoming, April 1979 Old Times, April 1979 Anna Volska - Actor and Singer By Royal Command, 3 September 1964 By Royal Command, 1 June 1964 Doreen Warburton - Actor and Singer By Royal Command, 3 September 1964 By Royal Command, 1 June 1964 Peter Williams - Producer Goldilocks and the Three Bears, 25 August 1979 Hansel and Gretel, 5 May 1979 John Alden - Actor, Director A Victorian Marriage, July 1951 Queenie Ashton - Actor A Victorian Marriage, July 1951 Susan Asquith - Actor Hansel and Gretel, 5 May 1979 Najwa Basheer - Actor The Birthday Party, April 1979 John Bradshaw - Actor The Birthday Party, April 1979 Michele Chapple - Actor Goldilocks and the Three Bears, 25 August 1979 Neil Churches - Stage Manager The Homecoming, April 1979 Peter Cudlipp - Actor The Homecoming, April 1979 Beth Dickson - Stage Manager A Victorian Marriage, July 1951 Faye Donaldson - Actor Goldilocks and the Three Bears, 25 August 1979 Warwick Fairfax - Writer A Victorian Marriage, July 1951 Judi Farr - Actor Overruled, 24 June 1964 Malcolm Frawley - Director, Writer Hansel and Gretel, 5 May 1979 Joyce Goodes - Adaptor The Pea Pickers, 7 May 1964 Sandra Grose - Actor The Homecoming, April 1979 Barry Hayes - Director The Birthday Party, April 1979 Patricia Heally - Assistant Stage Manager The Birthday Party, April 1979 Alyssa Hittman - Actor Old Times, April 1979 Arthur Hynes - Director Lunch Time Revue, 18 November 1963 Nellie Lamport - Actor A Victorian Marriage, July 1951 Genevieve Lemon - Stage Manager Old Times, April 1979 Jill Lewis - Actor Old Times, April 1979 Robin Lovejoy - Director Overruled, 24 June 1964 Mungo B MacCallum - Writer Lunch Time Revue, 18 November 1963 Berys Marsh - Actor Hansel and Gretel, 5 May 1979 Ian McLeod - Stage Manager The Birthday Party, April 1979 Richard Meikle - Actor Overruled, 24 June 1964 Annette Moody - Lighting Designer The Homecoming, April 1979 Genevieve Mooy - Actor The Birthday Party, April 1979 Huia Munro - Actor A Victorian Marriage, July 1951 Bill Pepper - Director Old Times, April 1979 Virginia Portingale - Actor Goldilocks and the Three Bears, 25 August 1979 Malcolm Robertson - Actor, Stage Manager A Victorian Marriage, July 1951 Steven Sacks - Actor Hansel and Gretel, 5 May 1979 George Bernard Shaw - Playwright Overruled, 24 June 1964 Jeff Truman - Actor Old Times, April 1979 John Unicomb - Actor Overruled, 24 June 1964 Lindy Ward - Costume Designer The Birthday Party, April 1979 Jack Webster - Actor Goldilocks and the Three Bears, 25 August 1979 David Whitney - Actor The Homecoming, April 1979 Barbara Wyndon - Actor Overruled, 24 June 1964
Resources	Article: Church hall in this office building, Architecture Today, 6, 2-3, December 1963 Article: K J Kable, St James Hall, Journal of the Church of England Historical Society, 8, 2, June 1963 Ross Thorne, Phillip Street Theatre, Companion To Theatre In Australia, 1995, 441 Theatre in Phillip Street, Sydney, opened as St James Hall seating 650, 17 December 1903. Architect: Burcham Clamp. Seating reduced to 447 by new stage and proscenium 1916. Called Mercury Theatre 28 February 1952 to 19 December 1953. Redecorated and reopened 7 May 1954 as Phillip Street Theatre, seating 368. Closed 14 January 1961. Demolished and replaced in late 1963 by 15-storey building, including new 300-seat St James Hall, sometimes known as Phillip Street Theatre. Architects: Peddle Thorp and Walker. Closed for renovation of building, 7 October 1989. The theatre where William Orr presented the acclaimed Phillip Street Revues for nearly seven years was originally the St James Hall, built by Church of England on a site it has owned since the nearby St James Church was built in 1820-24. The three-storey brick building was erected in 1903. Above a semi-basement for church offices were a concert hall and, on the third level, a school. The church hoped to repay large borrowings for the building by frequent letting of the hall, which was praised for good acoustics, harmonious proportion, central location and lack of noise from trams. The gallery, which had an intricate cast-iron balustrade, extended along the side walls. The original bare platform was replaced with a miniature stage in 1912, when the Sydney Stage Society produced Prunella. In 1916 the stage was rebuilt and enlarged, though a new proscenium reduced the seating capacity. The hall then became a popular venue for amateur, semiprofessional and professional theatrical groups, including the Modern Theatre Players and the New Sydney Repertory Society. On 25 August 1950 the John Alden Company began a professional season of The Merchant of Venice and Measure for Measure. Mercury Theatre opened its first repertory season of plays in early 1952 and despite financial difficulties continued to the end of 1953. Then the hall was redecorated, reseated and renamed for the Phillip Street Theatre Company. Its fast, saucy, topical intimate revues won a great reputation and 14 were presented in the theatre until the building was closed in 1961. The new building contained a one-level raked hall which lacked the atmosphere of the old St James Hall, with its deep horseshoe balcony crowding the audience around the stage. It seated only 300, yet for seven years during the 1980s Peter Williams conducted a commercial enterprise there, including performances for schoolchildren and an acting school. Article: Ross Thorne, Phillip Street Theatre, Companion To Theatre In Australia, 1995, 441
Data Set	AusStage
Venue Identifier	17864

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