Nostalgic Queen's Theatre facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nostalgic Queen's Theatre
Nostalgic Queen's Theatre, 2008
Location	George Street, Wallumbilla, Maranoa Region, Queensland, Australia
Design period	1919 - 1930s (interwar period)
Built	1939
Queensland Heritage Register
Official name: Nostalgic Queen's Theatre, Queen's Theatre
Type	state heritage (built)
Designated	25 October 2002
Reference no.	602378
Significant period	1939 (fabric) 1939-1975, 1981, 1988, 1993, 1994- ongoing ( social)
Significant components	auditorium
Builders	F & P Giles
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The Nostalgic Queen's Theatre is a special old cinema located on George Street in Wallumbilla, Australia. It was built way back in 1939 by two builders named F & P Giles. This theatre is also known as the Queen's Theatre. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on October 25, 2002, because of its important history.

A Look Back: History of the Theatre

The Nostalgic Queen's Theatre is a simple but important cinema. It was built in 1939 in the town of Wallumbilla. Wallumbilla is about 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of Roma.

Wallumbilla: A Small Town's Story

Wallumbilla is one of the main towns in the Maranoa Region. The area's economy relies on farming, like raising cattle and growing grain. The timber and natural gas industries are also important. European settlers first came to this area in 1854. The town grew bigger when the Western railway arrived in 1880.

Early Days of Movies in Wallumbilla

In the early 1900s, movies came to Wallumbilla thanks to a traveling projectionist. He showed films in a place called Bishop's Hall. He used a hand-cranked projector, which means he had to turn a handle to make the film move!

Later, a local shop owner named Eddie Murphy bought the hall. He moved it to where the news agency is today. He renamed it Murphy's Hall. This hall became a cinema that showed silent films. A piano player would play music to go along with the movie.

How Movies Became Popular

The first moving films were made in Paris in 1895 by the Lumiere Brothers. Soon after, Edison Studios in America also started making films in 1896. These early films were very short. They just showed simple events without a story.

The first long movie with a story, called "The Story of the Kelly Gang", was made in Australia in 1906. People loved that films could tell stories. At first, movies were shown in theatres as part of live shows. Or they were screened in town halls.

By the 1900s, special buildings just for showing movies were built. These "picture theatres" showed films with music. Some in big cities were huge and fancy. But most were much smaller and simpler.

Why Country Cinemas Were Important

Showing films was cheaper than putting on live plays. The movie equipment was also easy to move around. This made movies perfect entertainment for country areas. Some films were even shown by "picture show men" who traveled from town to town.

Because movies were so popular, many outdoor theatres or simple shed-like buildings were built. These became permanent places to watch films. Big city cinemas were often owned by large theatre companies. But most small cinemas in Queensland were owned by local people. Queensland ended up having more independent cinemas than any other state in Australia.

These small, often family-owned, cinemas didn't have a lot of money. They also didn't have many customers in country areas. So, they might only show films once or twice a week. The Queen's Theatre in Wallumbilla is a great example of this kind of local cinema.

Changes and Challenges for the Theatre

In 1930, a baker named Les Cadsow bought the Wallumbilla hall. He kept using it as a cinema and called it the De Luxe. It was later renamed the Liberty Theatre, probably when Second World War started. Sadly, it burned down in 1939.

Cadsow bought new projectors, hoping to start again. But he couldn't afford to rebuild the theatre. So, he sold the projectors to the Giles brothers from Miles. Frank and Paddy Giles were sawmillers and builders. They also ran a traveling movie business called Rex Touring Pictures.

The Giles brothers showed films in Miles, Dulacca, Jackson, Yuleba, and Wallumbilla. They had a weekly route. Wallumbilla had the Saturday night screening because it had the biggest audience. The Giles brothers built the new purpose-built Queen's Theatre in 1939.

Building the Queen's Theatre

The Wallumbilla theatre was built simply. It had a timber frame covered with fibrous cement sheets. These sheets were held in place by timber strips called battens. The roof was supported by curved arches made of cypress pine. These arches helped people see the screen clearly.

The floor and walls were also made of timber. The walls were lined with special Swedish hardboard for good sound. The roof, however, was not lined. Even though it was simple, the theatre tried to have a bit of Hollywood style. It had Chinese lanterns over the lights. Pictures of stars from Warner Brothers and MGM studios decorated the walls.

The Theatre's Role in the Community

A country cinema like the Queen's Theatre was very important for people in the area. Coming to town for a night at the movies was great family entertainment. It was also a place for young people to meet. And it gave everyone a chance to socialize.

Picture theatres showed feature films, news reports, and cartoons. They were often used for live shows and special events too. They helped people imagine new things and feel less isolated. This was especially true during the difficult years of World War II. They connected people to the wider world in Australia and to American culture from Hollywood.

Because of all these reasons, going to the pictures was very popular in rural Queensland. This lasted from the 1920s until television became common.

New Owners and Challenges

In 1954, the Giles brothers sold the theatre to Hendrickas Johannes Payne and his wife Violet. They also ran the Queen's Cafe across the road. This is how the theatre became known as the Queen's Theatre. They improved the equipment. They showed movies every Wednesday and Saturday night, plus a Saturday afternoon show, until 1962.

In August 1962, Rodney and Shirley Houston leased the theatre from Payne. They updated the sound system and showed new release movies. To use the theatre more often, they started roller-skating sessions. These became very popular!

In 1967, the Houstons bought the cinema. They kept showing films even in the early 1970s. This was when television started to become more popular than going to the movies. The Queen's Theatre closed in 1975. It reopened for six months in the summer of 1981. However, home videos then became a big competitor. The Queen's Theatre closed again for seven years.

Reopening as Nostalgic Queen's Theatre

Even though it was closed, the theatre was kept in good condition. In 1988, it was able to show the movie "The Man from Snowy River". This was part of Australia's Bicentennial celebrations. Films were shown again in 1993 for the Wallumbilla School Centenary. Double features were shown to full houses on two nights in a row.

This success encouraged the owners to reopen the theatre. They renamed it the Nostalgic Queen's Theatre. The equipment was updated, and a new wide screen was installed. The theatre was also connected to the main electricity supply. Before, it had used a generator for power.

The theatre reopened in January 1994. It showed films one Saturday night a month during the summer. The Nostalgic Queen's Theatre is still used sometimes to screen films. It even hosted the Movie Muster, a festival of Australian films, in 2001.

Theatre Updates

The outside covering on the front of the building was replaced in the 1980s. At that time, the candy counter that opened onto the street was covered up. The bottom parts of the fibrous cement sheets on the side and back walls have been replaced with similar modern sheets. However, the inside of the building is still mostly the same as it was.

What the Theatre Looks Like

The Nostalgic Queen's Theatre is located on the main highway that goes through Wallumbilla.

Building Structure

It is a rectangular building with a timber frame. The roof has a gable shape, which means it slopes down on two sides. The front of the building has a simple rectangular facade. It is covered in metal sheeting. There is a main doorway in the center, with a small window above it. The sides and back of the building are covered with fibrous cement panels. These panels are held in place by timber strips.

Inside the Theatre

The inside of the building is a large rectangular room called an auditorium. There is a ticket office to the right of the entrance. Curved timber arches support the roof. The floor is flat and made of timber. The walls are lined with vertical timber boards and hardboard sheets.

There are canvas seats that lean back at the rear of the theatre. Canvas armchairs are at the front. Together, they can seat about 200 people. The building does not currently have toilets.

Why It's a Heritage Site

The Nostalgic Queen's Theatre was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on October 25, 2002. It met several important requirements.

Showing Queensland's History

The Nostalgic Queen's Theatre in Wallumbilla helps us understand how cinemas developed in Queensland. It also shows how important going to the movies was in Australia in the early and mid-20th century. This was before television became popular. Cinemas were very popular, especially in country areas. They offered entertainment, a place to meet friends, and a way to feel connected to the wider world. The Queen's Theatre proves how popular movie-going was across rural Queensland in the mid-20th century.

A Rare and Special Place

The Queen's Theatre was built specifically as a cinema. It is still used for that original purpose today. It is now one of only a few old theatres left in Queensland that haven't been changed for other uses.

A Great Example of a Country Cinema

This theatre is a good example of the simple cinemas that used to be common in country towns. It has a very basic layout. The arches that support the roof help everyone get a good view of the screen.

Important to the Community

The Queen's Theatre has a strong connection with the people of Wallumbilla and the surrounding area. It was a place for social gatherings and popular entertainment. For many people, it holds special memories.