Independent Theatre, formerly known as The Independent Theatre Ltd., was an Australian dramatic society founded in 1930 by (later Dame) Doris Fitton in Sydney, Australia. It is also the name given to the building it occupied from 1939 (then known as the Coliseum Theatre), now owned by Wenona School, in North Sydney, cited as Sydney's oldest live theatre venue.
History The society was named for London's Independent Theatre Society founded by J. T. Grein and was one of several amateur drama groups of high standard which sprang up in Sydney in the 1930s to fill the gap left by the closure of all but two professional theatres (the last spoken-word theatre to close was The Criterion theatre in 1936, leaving only the Tivoli, which ran vaudeville, and the Theatre Royal, which played musicals and ballets). The range of plays essayed was impressive – from classics to avant-garde pieces, from recent West End and Broadway successes (sometimes the Australian premiere) to offerings from local dramatists. The death of Fitton's co-producer Peter Summerton in 1969 put extra strain on her deteriorating health, and with no-one able or willing to fill her shoes, the Independent closed in 1977.
In the 1990s, in serious disrepair, the theatre, Sydney's oldest, was bought by Rodney Seaborn's Seaborn, Broughton & Walford Foundation, and reopened in 1998. In 2004 it was acquired by the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust.
the Independent Theatre operates in North Sydney, in the building opened as the Coliseum Theatre in 1939, run by Wenona School.
Venues Initially, Fitton's company rehearsed and played in St James' Hall. From 1931, most performances were given in The Savoy, a small single-floor cinema on Bligh Street, chiefly on Wednesday and Saturday, movies being shown on other nights. For some productions, the much larger Sydney Conservatorium of Music was hired. It would have made an ideal home for the club, but was not available for regular hire. In 1937 Fitton came to an arrangement with the Sydney Players' Club that they would share Savoy Saturday nights: five weeks for The Independent and three for the Players. But after the Players' Club had cancelled their lease of St James' Hall, the management of The Savoy evicted them both in order to become purely a cinema."Little Theatres' Plight" Sydney Morning Herald 20 March 1937 p.12
It had been intended to move to the much larger Palace Theatre, 255(?) Pitt Street, at the end of 1932 (it had been used throughout August 1931 for a particularly popular production), but that never eventuated."Music and Drama" Sydney Morning Herald 24 December 1932 p.4 (It became a venue for "minnie" golf instead!West, John Theatre in Australia Cassell 1978 p.89)
The new clubrooms upstairs at 175 Pitt Street served as an occasional performance space from September 1938 to September 1939.
In 1938 the company took a two-year lease over the old Criterion (which was originally a cable winding station for the cable trams),"Sydney's Early Trams" Sydney Morning Herald 26 December 1942 p.5 at 269–271 Miller Street, North Sydney (near Ridge Street), which had been made available by the collapse of the Kursaal Theatre Group."You Can't Take It With You" Sydney Morning Herald 9 January 1939 p.6] For a time they were running two productions in parallel: at Pitt Street and at their new premises, renamed "The Independent"; by September 1939 the move was complete. The building was owned by North Sydney Coliseum Company, who in 1947 made moves to sell the building. Funds were raised for its purchase."Independent Aims To Buy Theatre" Sydney Morning Herald 28 October 1947 p.9 The venue on Miller Street has a seating capacity of 289. by 1977 it had become the 680 Playhouse.
Clubrooms Clubrooms are used for read-throughs of plays, training and rehearsals other than full dress rehearsals to save the expense of theatre hire. Often they would be made available to other groups and community organizations. They may also be used for storage, maintenance and sometimes even preparation of programmes, scenery, props and costumes. Fitton first rented rooms for this purpose in 1933 at 60 King StSydney Morning Herald 30 September 1933 then moved to 112 King St in early 1934.Sydney Morning Herald 14 December 1934 and were still there in 1938Sydney Morning Herald 19 March 1938 when the building was destroyed by fire.Sydney Morning Herald 11 June 1938 They rented the first floor (US second floor) of "Club Chambers" at 175 Pitt St from July 1938Sydney Morning Herald 21 June 1938 to mid-1939 when they took over the ColiseumSydney Morning Herald 2 September 1939 and there was no need for a separate facility.
Performances Fitton was usually producer and director, and frequently leading lady, and in each of these roles won praise from the critics. Dame Sybil Thorndike is recorded as saying of The Independent "It is too good to be judged by the standards of the amateur stage.""Drama Week" Sydney Morning Herald 5 December 1935 p.10 The list below exemplifies the range and standard of plays performed.
In 1942 The Independent embarked on a joint management arrangement with Alec Coppel's Whitehall Productions which entailed nightly professional presentations, alternating seasons with the Minerva Theatre across the other side of the city."Theatre Merger" Sydney Morning Herald 25 April 1942 p.11 The scheme was abandoned after one month due to poor weekday attendances.
In 1944 they played at the newly opened American Red Cross Club at Kensington."To Entertain U.S. Troops" Sydney Morning Herald 29 May 1944
On 19 September 1944, the building narrowly escaped destruction when the adjacent building, previously the De Luxe Theatre but then used by the Army as a store, caught fire. Newspaper reports of hand grenades and bombs being hastily removed were denied by officials."Bombs rushed from big fire at North Sydney" Sydney Morning Herald 19 September 1944
Initially amateur, "The Indi" started paying award rates to a nucleus of leading players from May 1955. Those selected included Marie Rosenfeld, Ethel Gabriel, Jessica Noad, Molly Brown, Haydee Seldon, Leonard Bullen, John Carlson and Grenville Spencer."Independent Theatre to turn professional" Sydney Morning Herald 7 April 1945 p.9 Fitton's intended six shows a week was soon cut to three in the face of inadequate rehearsal time.
In 1948 John Alden used "The Independent" as home for his fledgling Shakespeare Company.Sydney Morning Herald 2 November 1951 Other groups to use "The Independent" at various times were the Independent Theatre School of Stagecraft, Heather Gell Productions,"Heather Gell's Pageant Play" Sydney Morning Herald 18 December 1944 p.4 Lesley Bowker's Reiby Players"Boom Month for Australiana" Sydney Morning Herald 26 May 1945 p.7 and the Liberal Youth Club's Dramatic Group.Sydney Morning Herald 16 February 1952
Selected productions Note: This list is incomplete and only dramatic productions by The Independent Theatre are listed. Most are opening nights with no indication of successive performances if any. It includes very few of the many evenings of one-act plays (including finalists of their annual play-writing contests) and matinees. Where no producer is credited, it may be assumed to have been Doris Fitton.
At St James' Hall, Phillip Street 6 Aug 1930 – By Candlelight (dir. Harry Tighe)Sydney Morning Herald 2 August 1930 8 Oct 1930 – The Marquise 12 Nov 1930 – The Queen Was in Her Parlour At Savoy Theatre, Bligh Street (unless otherwise indicated) 7 Jan 1931 – Michael and Mary 21 Feb 1931 – The Silver Cord 21 Mar 1931 – And So To Bed by J. B. Fagan 2 May 1931 – Hindle Wakes 23 May 1931 – By Candlelight 27 Jun 1931 – The Constant Nymph (from 8 Aug at Palace Theatre) 12 Sep 1931 – The Second Man 21 Nov 1931 – Street Scene 5 Dec 1931 – The Shadow of the Glen & A Kiss for Cinderella 6 Feb 1932 – The Middle Watch by Ian Hay 16 Apr 1932 – At Mrs Beam's by "C. K. Munro" 23 Apr 1932 – Othello 21 May 1932 – A Circle of Chalk 4 Jun 1932 – The Constant Nymph 2 Jul 1932 – The Young Idea 6 Aug 1932 – The Great Broxopp by A. A. Milne 17 Sep 1932 – Disraeli 15 Oct 1932 – The Merchant of Venice 5 Nov 1932 – Mrs. Moonlight 10 Dec 1932 – Take Two from One by G and M Martinez Sierra 13 Jan 1933 – Peter Pan 14 Jan 1933 – The School for Scandal 18 Feb 1933 – Caprice 18 Mar 1933 – Precious Bane by Mary Webb 13 May 1933 – Petticoat Influence by Neil F. Grant 3 Jun 1933 – London Wall by John Van Druten 8 Jul 1933 – Once in a Lifetime 2 Sep 1933 – Musical Chairs by Ronald Mackenzie 7 Oct 1933 – The Ship of Heaven by Hugh McCrae and Alfred Hill (Australian premiere) 11 Nov 1933 – When Half-Gods Go by Charles Edgbaston and R. J. Fletcher (winner of Independent Theatre play writing contest)Sydney Morning Herald 4 November 1933 18 Nov 1933 – Strange Orchestra Peter Pan 3 Feb 1934 – Children in Uniform 14 Feb 1934 – Hoboes All, The Four Poster, The Missing Jewels, The Fatal Year (by C. Hansby Read, Dora Wilcox, W. H. Moroney and C. Hansby Read, resp., winners of The Independent's 1933 one-act playwriting contest) 17 Mar 1934 – Springtime for Henry 14 Feb 1934 – Dangerous Corner 26 May 1934 – The Marquise (prod. George Blackwood) 7 Jul 1934 – The Fugitive 5 Aug 1934 – The Plough and the Stars 31 Aug 1934 – The Rose Without a Thorn 18 Sep 1934 – Children in Uniform 20 Oct 1934 – Alice Sit-by-the-Fire 24 Nov 1934 – Counsellor at Law 5 Dec 1934 – Cherrie Acres by Dorothea Tobin 12 Dec 1934 – Outward Bound 19 Jan 1935 – And So To Bed 16 Feb 1935 – The Witch (prod. Betty Ward) 16 Mar 1935 – Dulcy 24 Apr 1935 – Anniversary (by Dymphna Cusack) at Sydney Conservatorium of Music 27 Apr 1935 – The Distaff Side 25 May 1935 – False Colours by Frank Harvey) (prod. William Rees) 22 Jun 1935 – The Apple Cart 20 Jul 1935 – Squaring the Circle 10 Aug 1935 – Richard of Bordeaux 28 Sep 1935 – The Improper Duchess 26 Oct 1935 – The Late Christopher Bean 11 Jan 1936 – Lady Precious Stream 18 Jan 1936 – Street Scene 29 Feb 1936 – Touch Wood 4 Apr 1936 – The Enchanted Cottage 25 Apr 1936 – The Dybbuk 13 May 1936 – The Man with a Load of Mischief 30 May 1936 – Payment Deferred 20 Jun 1936 – The Black Eye 25 Jul 1936 – The Importance of Being Earnest 5 Aug 1936 – The Witch 28 Aug 1936 – Companionate Divorce by Mrs Peter Bousfield 5 Sep 1936 – The Three Sisters 3 Oct 1936 – The Royal Family of Broadway (with Jean Innes) 31 Oct 1936 – Accent on Youth 21 Nov 1936 – Awake and Sing 12 Dec 1936 – Peter Pan (matinee) 23 Jan 1937 – Indoor Fireworks by Arthur McCrae 13 Mar 1937 – Hassan
Homeless! (various venues) 1 May 1937 – Hide-out by Rex Rienits and Stewart Howard (prod. John Alden and Lyn Foster) at King Street 8 May 1937 – One-act plays by George Cassidy, Sumner Locke Elliott, John Alden, Trafford Whitelock at clubrooms, King Street 15 May 1937 – The Sybarites by H. Dennis Bradley at clubrooms, King Street 11 Jun 1937 – Noah at Sydney Conservatorium of Music 24 Jul 1937 – Pride and Prejudice adapted by Helen Jerome at Sydney Conservatorium of Music 14 Aug 1937 – Much Ado About Nothing at clubrooms, King Street 11 Sep 1937 Candida at Sydney Conservatorium of Music 30 Sep 1937 – There's Always Juliet (prod. Brian Wright) at clubrooms, King Street 2 Oct 1937 – Le Malade Imaginaire at clubrooms, King Street 30 Oct 1937 – The Cow Jumped Over the Moon (Sumner Locke Elliott writer and producer) at clubrooms, King Street 13 Nov 1937 – Boy Meets Girl at Sydney Conservatorium of Music 24 Nov 1937 – No Incense Rising & Remains to Be Proved (winners of Independent play-writing competition) at Sydney Conservatorium of Music 8 Dec 1937 – The Play's the Thing at clubrooms, King Street 1 Jan 1937 – Peter Pan at Majestic Theatre, Newtown 8 Jan 1938 – Mirage by Kenneth Wilkinson at clubrooms, King Street 21 Feb 1838 – 1066 and All That at Sydney Conservatorium of Music 12 Mar 1938 – Six Characters in Search of an Author at clubrooms, King Street