Astor Theatre, Surat facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Astor Theatre, Surat
Astor Theatre, 2012
Location	77 Burrowes Street, Surat, Maranoa Region, Queensland, Australia
Design period	1919 - 1930s (interwar period)
Built	1925 - 1960s
Queensland Heritage Register
Official name: Astor Theatre
Type	state heritage (built)
Designated	27 September 2002
Reference no.	602352
Significant period	1925, 1950s, 1960s (fabric) 1925-ongoing (social)
Significant components	auditorium, projection booth/bio box, shed/s, foyer - entrance
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The Astor Theatre is a special old cinema in Surat, Australia. It's located at 77 Burrowes Street. This theatre was built in stages from 1925 to the 1960s. Because of its history and unique features, it was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 27 September 2002.

A Look Back at the Astor Theatre's History

The Astor Picture Theatre first opened in 1925. Back then, it was an open-air cinema in Surat. Surat is a town on the Balonne River, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) south of Roma. It used to be an important centre for the Warroo Shire area.

How Surat Town Began

The area where Surat is located was first mapped in 1846. A surveyor named James Burrowes chose this spot in 1849 for a new town. He named it Surat after his old home in Madras (now Chennai), India. The main street, where the theatre stands, is named after him. Surat grew slowly, getting a police station, post office, and hotel. Even though another town, St George, became the main centre later, Surat kept serving its local area. It got a school in 1874 and a church in the late 1870s.

The Start of the Astor Theatre

In 1925, a company called Surat Pictures Limited was formed. They got permission to build a picture theatre. At first, it was a simple open-air cinema. It had an earth floor, a canvas screen, and a small building at the front. This front building held the foyer and a projection booth above it. This kind of open-air theatre was common in warm parts of Australia. It was a cheap way to show movies. Many of these open-air cinemas were later covered with roofs.

The Rise of Movies

Movies first appeared in Paris in 1895, thanks to the Lumiere Brothers. Soon after, Edison Studios in America also started making films. Early movies were very short. They just showed simple events without a story. But then, in 1906, Australia made the first feature film called "The Story of the Kelly Gang." This showed that movies could tell amazing stories, and people loved it!

At first, movies were shown in theatres as part of variety shows. Or they were screened in town halls. But by the 1900s, special buildings just for movies started to appear. These "picture theatres" showed films with music. Some big city theatres were huge and fancy. But most, especially in country towns, were much simpler.

Movies in Country Towns

Movies were cheaper to show than live plays. The equipment was also easy to move around. This made them perfect entertainment for country areas. Sometimes, travelling "picture show men" would bring films to different towns. As movies became more popular, many open-air or simple shed-like buildings were built. These became permanent places to watch films.

Most small picture theatres in Queensland were owned by local families. They didn't have a lot of money to build grand buildings. Also, they didn't have as many customers as city cinemas. They might only show movies once or twice a week. When they invested in expensive projectors, especially after "talkies" (movies with sound) came out, they often added improvements bit by bit. The Astor Theatre is a great example of this step-by-step growth.

The Astor Through the Years

The first movies at Surat were silent films. A piano player would provide music. A generator supplied power for the projector. Bill McKay Senior ran the Astor until the 1930s. Then, Geoff Armstrong took over. The Aldridge family bought it in 1945 and ran it as a family business. Their son even worked as the projectionist.

Country picture theatres were very important. They offered fun for families and a place for young people to meet. They showed feature films, newsreels, and cartoons. They were also used for live shows. These theatres helped people feel less isolated, especially during tough times like the Depression and World War II. They connected people to the wider world and popular American culture from Hollywood. Going to the pictures was very popular in rural Queensland from the 1920s to the 1950s.

Modern Changes and Continued Use

Surat got running water in 1952 and electricity in 1953. Around this time, the Aldridge family sold the theatre to S Barry. In the 1950s, Barry made big changes. He converted the open-air theatre into an indoor one by adding a roof. This helped protect people from the weather and made the sound better. Even after the roof, it still had an earth floor for a while.

In the 1960s, the Astor was made even bigger. Toilets were added, and a sloped wooden floor was put in. This sloped floor helps everyone see the screen better. Gas heating was also installed because it could get very cold in winter. The inside walls were probably covered with special sheets during this time too.

When television came to Surat in the 1970s, fewer people went to the cinema. Barry sold the theatre to Lawrence Cherry. Later, Len and Doreen Waud bought it. Mr. Waud had been a projectionist in Sydney, and his wife was an usherette (someone who shows you to your seat) in Toowoomba. They put in a new sound system.

Like many country towns, Surat's population dropped in the 1980s and 1990s. But the town has been working hard to improve. The old Cobb and Co staging station is now a museum. The Astor Theatre is still used today! It even hosted a film festival called the Movie Muster in 2001. Even though it has changed over the years, these changes helped it work better as a cinema. It's a great example of its type, and it even still has its old carbon arc projectors.

What the Astor Theatre Looks Like

The Astor Theatre is in the middle of Surat's main shopping area. It's a simple, rectangular building made of timber. It sits on low stumps. The roof is sloped (called a gable roof) and covered with corrugated iron. From the front, you can't see the roof because of a tall, stepped wall called a parapet. There are openings in the top of this wall and a roof-like structure (an awning) sticking out over the entrance. There are exit doors on the sides and back, as well as the front entrance.

Inside the Theatre

The front part of the building has three sections. There's a central foyer (entrance area). To the left is a candy bar where you can buy snacks. To the right are the ladies' toilets. Above the foyer is the projection box, also called a bio box. This is where the movie projector is. You reach it by narrow wooden stairs on the left.

The main movie watching area, called the auditorium, is a simple rectangular room. The walls are covered with timber and fibrous plaster sheets. The ceiling is open, and you can see the wooden beams that support the walls. The floor slopes downwards towards the screen. There are several windows with adjustable slats (called louvred windows) along the walls for fresh air. Near the back, there used to be decorative latticework under the roof edges for ventilation, but now the wall lining covers it.

Behind the screen is an area for the speakers. The men's toilets are also at this end of the building. People sit on canvas stretcher chairs to watch the movies.

There's a small shed behind the theatre. A new brick footpath has been built outside the front entrance.

Why the Astor Theatre is Special

The Astor Theatre was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 27 September 2002. This means it's considered an important part of Queensland's history and culture. Here's why:

Shows How History Changed

The Astor Picture Theatre shows how cinemas developed in Queensland. It also shows how important going to the movies was in Australia during the 20th century, before TV became popular. Cinemas were very popular, especially in country areas. They offered fun entertainment, a place to meet friends, and a way to feel connected to the wider world. The Astor Theatre proves how popular movies were in rural Queensland from the 1920s to the 1950s.

A Rare Example

The Astor is special because it's one of the very few old picture theatres left in Queensland that are still used as cinemas. Many others have been changed for different uses. The changes made to the Astor over the years were to make it a better cinema, not to turn it into something else. It even still has its two old projectors in the projection box!

A Good Example of Its Kind

The Astor Theatre is a great example of a small country cinema. It shows how many of these theatres started simply and grew over time. It still has important features like long viewing lines, a sloped floor, a foyer, a projection box, and a candy counter.

Looks Good in the Town

The Astor Theatre is right in the centre of Surat. It adds a lot to the look and feel of the town.

Important to the Community

The theatre has a strong connection with the people of Surat and the surrounding area. It has been a place for social gatherings and fun entertainment for many years. For many people, it holds special memories.

See Also

• List of cinemas in Queensland