La Mama Theatre (Melbourne) facts for kids
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| Address | 205 Faraday St, Carlton, Victoria Australia |
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| Opened | 1967 |
The La Mama Theatre is a special place for plays in Carlton, Victoria, Australia. It's a "not-for-profit" theatre, which means it uses any money it makes to keep putting on shows, not to make a profit for owners. Since 1967, La Mama has been a home for new and exciting plays. It welcomes theatre artists from all different backgrounds.
Contents
History of La Mama Theatre
How La Mama Began
The idea for La Mama Theatre came from its founder, Betty Burstall. She was inspired by the "off-off-Broadway" theatre scene in New York City. Betty and her husband, filmmaker Tim Burstall, had just visited New York. They loved the lively, small theatres there and wanted to create something similar in Melbourne. La Mama was even named after a theatre in New York called La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club.
Betty Burstall explained her idea: "I got the idea for La Mama when we went to New York in the sixties. We were poor. It was impossible to go to the theatre... but there were these places where you paid fifty cents for a cup of coffee and you saw a performance... It was very immediate and exciting. When I came back to Melbourne, I wanted to keep going, but there didn't exist such a place. I decided on Carlton because in 1967 it was a lively, tatty area with an Italian atmosphere and plenty of students..."
A Home for New Australian Plays
Back then, it was very rare to see Australian plays performed. It was also risky financially. La Mama, as a not-for-profit group, offered a place for new Australian theatre works. This helped many new writers and actors.
The very first play at La Mama was `Three Old Friends` in 1967. It was written by a new Australian writer named Jack Hibberd. His most famous play, `Dimboola`, also opened there in 1969. Soon, putting on Australian plays became a key part of La Mama. In its first two years, twenty-five new Australian plays had their first performances there.
Famous Artists from La Mama
La Mama also supported new works by musicians, poets, and filmmakers. It became a home for many important people in theatre and film. These included Jack Hibberd and Alex Buzo. Many famous Australian theatre artists started or worked at La Mama. Some of these include David Williamson, Cate Blanchett, Graeme Blundell, Judith Lucy, and Julia Zemiro.
La Mama Today
Today, La Mama Theatre is led by Liz Jones. She became its artistic director in 1976.
La Mama has a special way of supporting artists. It gives artists money upfront to put on their shows. They don't have to pay rent for the venue. Plus, they get 80% of the money from ticket sales. This way, artists can try out new and risky ideas without worrying too much about money. It also means many shows can be put on. Artists also get help with rehearsal space, marketing, and ticketing. This makes it easier for them to create and share their work.
In recent years, artists from La Mama have performed at big events. These include the Melbourne International Festival. They have also performed at the Melbourne Theatre Company's NEON Festival.
La Mama's Buildings
La Mama operates from two buildings. The first is the original La Mama Theatre on Faraday Street. The second is the La Mama Courthouse, which is a block away on Drummond Street.
The original La Mama Theatre building is a simple two-storey brick building. It was built in 1883 as a printing works. After being used for different industrial jobs, it was rented in 1967. It became a small theatre to help new Australian plays. The land in front of the theatre is now a public space for the community.
Fire and Rebuilding
On May 19, 2018, a fire badly damaged La Mama Theatre. But it was rebuilt! The theatre reopened to the public on December 9, 2021. The old theatre building was restored. A new structure was also added to the front. The performance space is still the same size. It also kept its original features, like the internal staircase, the trapdoor, and the fireplace. The team that runs the theatre now has a separate office space.
