List of theatres in Melbourne facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Melbourne is a big city in Australia, and it's full of amazing places where you can watch shows! These places are called theatres. They host everything from plays and musicals to live music concerts, comedy shows, and dance performances. Melbourne has many different types of theatres, from very old, historic buildings to modern, state-of-the-art venues.

Theatres in Melbourne City Centre
Theatres in Inner-Melbourne Suburbs
Suburban Theatres
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Theatres in Melbourne City Centre

Melbourne's city centre has two main areas where you'll find lots of theatres. The first is the East End, which is part of the original city layout called the Hoddle Grid. This area is home to many of Melbourne's oldest and most famous theatres. The second area is Southbank, which is a more modern part of the city. Here, you'll find newer venues that are part of the Melbourne Arts Precinct.

East End: Historic Theatres

The East End is like a treasure chest of history, with grand old theatres that have been around for a very long time.

Name	Address	Opened	Seats	Use	Notes
Athenaeum Theatre	188 Collins Street	1927	880	theatre, comedy	This building was a hall before it became a theatre in 1927.
Capitol Theatre	113 Swanston Street	1924	600	films, comedy, talks, theatre	It used to be a cinema and was bought by RMIT University in 1999.
Comedy Theatre	240 Exhibition Street	1928	997	theatre, comedy	It replaced an even older theatre called the Olympic Theatre.
Deakin Edge	Federation Square	2003	269–450	live music, events, talks
Forum Theatre	154 Flinders Street	1929	1,320	live music, comedy	It has two main areas: a downstairs auditorium for 800 people and an upstairs one for 520.
Her Majesty's Theatre	219 Exhibition Street	1886	1,700	theatre, opera	It first opened as the Alexandra Theatre.
Melbourne Town Hall	100 Swanston Street	1887	1,990	theatre, live music	The main hall was rebuilt and made bigger in 1925.
Princess Theatre	163 Spring Street	1857	1,488	theatre, comedy	It started as Astley's Amphitheatre in 1854 and became the Princess Theatre in 1857.
Regent Theatre	191 Collins Street	1929	2,143	theatre, opera	This theatre used to be a cinema and reopened as a theatre in 1996.

Arts Precinct, Southbank: Modern Venues

Southbank is where you'll find many of Melbourne's newer and more modern performance spaces, often part of larger arts centres.

Name	Address	Opened	Seats	Use	Notes
Beckett Theatre, Coopers Malthouse	113 Sturt Street	1990	198	theatre	This theatre was created from an old brewery building from 1892.
Chunky Move Studio	111 Sturt Street	2002	144	dance	It's part of the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art.
Fairfax Studio	100 St Kilda Road	1984	376	theatre	This studio is part of the Arts Centre Melbourne's main theatre building.
Hamer Hall	100 St Kilda Road	1982	2,466	live music, comedy, theatre	It's a major part of the Arts Centre Melbourne.
Hanson Dyer Hall	43 Sturt Street	2019	400	live music	Located at the Ian Potter Southbank Centre, Melbourne Conservatorium of Music.
Iwaki Auditorium	120–130 Southbank Boulevard	1994	350	live music, events	Part of the ABC's Southbank Centre.
The Lawler, Southbank Theatre	140 Southbank Boulevard	2009	150	theatre	This is one of the homes for the Melbourne Theatre Company.
Elisabeth Murdoch Hall	31 Sturt Street (cnr Southbank Boulevard)	2009	1,000	live music	This is the main hall at the Melbourne Recital Centre.
Merlyn Theatre, Coopers Malthouse	113 Sturt Street	1990	512	theatre	Also converted from the old brewery building.
The Palms at Crown	8 Whiteman Street, Southbank	1997	800	live music, comedy, theatre	This is a showroom located inside the Crown Casino.
Primrose Potter Salon	31 Sturt Street (cnr Southbank Boulevard)	2009	136	live music	Another part of the Melbourne Recital Centre.
Federation Hall	234 St Kilda Road		221	live music, cinema	Part of the Victorian College of the Arts.
Playhouse	100 St Kilda Road	1984	884	theatre	Also part of the Arts Centre Melbourne's theatre building.
Sidney Myer Music Bowl	Kings Domain, St Kilda Road	1959	2,030	live music	This outdoor venue can hold many more people on its lawn area.
State Theatre	100 St Kilda Road	1984	2,085	theatre, opera, live music	The largest theatre in the Arts Centre Melbourne building.
The Sumner, Southbank Theatre	140 Southbank Boulevard	2009	550	theatre	Another home for the Melbourne Theatre Company.
Tower Theatre, Coopers Malthouse	113 Sturt Street	2005	99	theatre	The smallest theatre in the converted brewery building.
Plenary Hall, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre	1 Convention Centre Place, South Wharf	2009	5541	theatre, live music	This huge hall can be split into three smaller theatres.

Independent and Fringe Theatres

Besides the big, well-known theatres, Melbourne also has smaller, independent venues. These are often called "fringe" theatres and are great places to see new and experimental shows.

Name	Address	Opened	Seats	Use	Notes
Athenaeum Theatre 2	188 Collins Street	1979		comedy, theatre	This is a smaller studio theatre located upstairs at the Melbourne Athenaeum.
The Butterfly Club	5 Carson Place	1999	76	cabaret, theatre, comedy	A cozy spot for unique performances.
fortyfivedownstairs	45 Flinders Lane	2002	120	theatre, live music	A creative space for theatre and music.

Theatres in Inner-Melbourne Suburbs

Beyond the city centre, many inner suburbs of Melbourne also have their own fantastic theatres and performance spaces.

Name	Address	Opened	Seats	Use	Notes
Alex Theatre St Kilda	Level 1, 135 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda	2015	499	theatre, comedy	It has two theatres, one with 499 seats and another with 291 seats.
Brunswick Mechanics Institute	270 Sydney Road, Brunswick	1999	112	theatre	A community space for performances.
Chapel Off Chapel	12 Little Chapel Street, Prahran	1995	255	theatre	A popular venue in Prahran.
Dancehouse	150 Princes St, Carlton North	1992	104	dance	A dedicated space for dance performances.
Festival Hall	300 Dudley Street	1919	1,741	live music	This venue can hold up to 5,445 people standing for concerts.
Footscray Community Arts Centre	45 Moreland Street, Footscray		174	theatre, music, events	A hub for arts in the western suburbs.
Gasworks Arts Park	21 Graham Street, Albert Park	1992	192	theatre	Located in a park, offering various arts programs.
La Mama Theatre	205 Faraday Street, Carlton	1967	40	theatre	A very small and important theatre known for new Australian plays.
La Mama Courthouse	349 Drummond Street, Carlton	1987	90	theatre	This theatre is in a building that used to be the Carlton Courthouse, built in 1887.
Meat Market	5 Blackwood Street, North Melbourne	1880		theatre, dance, live art	Part of Arts House, a centre for contemporary art.
Melba Hall	Royal Parade, Parkville	1913	340	Music	A music performance hall at the University of Melbourne.
Melba Spiegeltent	35 Johnston Street, Collingwood			circus, cabaret	A unique tent venue for circus and cabaret shows.
National Theatre	cnr Barkly & Carlisle Streets, St Kilda	1972	783	theatre, dance	It first opened as the Victory Cinema in 1921.
Northcote Town Hall	189 High Street, Northcote		350	theatre	A local community theatre space.
North Melbourne Town Hall	521 Queensberry Street, North Melbourne			theatre, dance, live art	Also part of Arts House.
Palais Theatre	Lower Esplanade, St Kilda	1927	2,896	theatre, comedy, live music	This is the largest seated theatre in all of Australia!
The Plenary, MCEC	South Wharf	2009	5,540	live music, dance, events	This huge hall can be set up in different ways for various events.
Red Stitch Actors Theatre	Rear, 2 Chapel Street, St Kilda East		80	theatre	A small theatre known for its acting company.
Richmond Theatrette	415 Church Street, Richmond		80–120	theatre	A local theatre space in Richmond.
Theatre Works	14 Acland Street, St Kilda	1985	144	theatre	A key venue for independent theatre.
Thornbury Theatre	859 High Street, Thornbury			theatre	A popular venue for various performances.
Trades Hall	54 Victoria Street, Carlton		340		A historic building used for events and performances.

Suburban Theatres

Many suburbs further out from the city centre also have their own fantastic arts centres and theatres, providing entertainment for local communities.

Name	Address	Seats	Use	Notes
Frankston Arts Centre	27-37 Davey Street, Frankston	800	theatre, events, live music	It has Victoria's second largest proscenium arch (the arch over the stage).
The Bowery Theatre at St Albans Community Centre	Princess Street, St Albans	202	theatre, dance, live music, events	A community theatre space.
Clocktower Centre	750 Mt Alexander Road, Moonee Ponds	503-545	theatre, conferences, events
Whitehorse Centre	Rear of, 379-397 Whitehorse Road, Nunawading	408	theatre, live music
Karralyka Theatre	Mines Road, Ringwood	430	theatre, live music
Darebin Arts and Entertainment Centre	Cnr Bell Street & St Georges Road, Preston	385	theatre, events
Wydnham Cultural Centre	177 Watton Street, Werribee	477	theatre, dance, live music
Drum Theatre	Lonsdale Street & Walker Street, Dandenong	521	theatre, dance, live music
Plenty Ranges Arts and Convention Centre	35 Ferres Boulevard, South Morang	497	theatre, events
Robert Blackwood Hall	49 Scenic Boulevard, Clayton	1598	live music, events	Part of Monash University's Clayton campus.
Alexander Theatre	49 Scenic Boulevard, Clayton	586	theatre, live music, dance
George Wood Performing Arts Centre	Yarra Valley Grammar School, Kalinda Road, Ringwood	895	live music, events, dance
George Jenkins Theatre	McMahons Road, Frankston	426	theatre, dance, conferences	Part of Monash University's Peninsula campus.
Bunjil Place Theatre	2 Patrick Northeast Drive, Narre Warren	846	theatre, events, live music
Bunjil Place Studio	2 Patrick Northeast Drive, Narre Warren	200	theatre, events