84-645: The Sydney Comedy Festival is held annually in Sydney, Australia. Launched in 2005 as The Cracker Sydney Comedy Festival at a number of inner city venues, the Festival has grown quickly and now attracts 111,000 patrons every year at venues all across Sydney. The Sydney Comedy Awards were introduced in 2008, to celebrate excellence in the Sydney Comedy Festival. In 2013, the festival introduced The Sydney Comedy Festival showcase tour, bringing bits of
168-834: A Dollar) was issued to commemorate the coronation of King George VI . This coin proved unpopular in circulation and was discontinued shortly after being reissued in 1938. In 1946, the fineness of Australian silver sixpences, shillings, and florins was reduced to .500, a quarter of a century after the same change had been made in Britain. In New Zealand and the United Kingdom, silver was soon abandoned completely in everyday coinage, but Australian .500 silver coins continued to be minted until after decimalisation. Examples of private issue paper currency in New South Wales, denominated in sterling, exist from 1814 (and may date back to
252-540: A class of cultural or natural places/environments in New South Wales. The State Theatre site has a long history of development related to activities representative of the central business district of Sydney, including several buildings occupied by the Evening News . The building is representative of the adoption of contemporary cinema designs from the United States in the 1920s to capture a local audience for
336-466: A fine and now rare example of Art Deco style of shopfront design, executed at a time when the Shopping Block needed a radical new image to counter flagging consumer support. Unfortunately, the alterations of latter decades have adversely impacted on the quality and integrity of this Art Deco decoration. The ultimate failure of the Shopping Block as a retail venue further reduces the significance of
420-504: A fine record of popular entertainment throughout the 20th century. The emergency diesel generator in the depths of the building is said to have been salvaged from a German submarine. The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. The cultural significance of the State Theatre is enhanced by a number of unique or rare characteristics. The entire State Theatre complex
504-417: A major part of the cinema and theatre going entertainment experience. There is a large collection of photographs of the State Theatre and Shopping Block taken soon after the building was finished. These remain as a unique collection of historical documents of the extraordinary original interiors, including the furniture and decoration. Subsequent photographs and other movie memorabilia, held by Greater Union, are
588-490: A means of returning audiences to the cinema. Such films included blockbusters like The Godfather and Jaws . The State Theatre often held premieres of blockbusters in the 1960s and 1970s, one of the most successful was Count Yorga, Vampire . a low budget horror movie, which was such a hit to the extent that, as one newspaper reported, police had to be brought in to control the crowds in Market Street. In 1974
672-448: A price of $ 116 million. These purchases in addition to the earlier purchase of the adjacent Gowings Building in 2006 for $ 68.6 million have created a consolidated site of around 4700 m² under single ownership increasing options for future improvements and additions to the theatre. The architectural and spatial progression from gothic imagery on the street frontage, through the 14th century Gothic Hall and Robert Adam inspired Empire Room to
756-604: A select committee of the House of Representatives , chaired by George Edwards , had recommended that Australia adopt a decimal currency with the florin (two shillings) as its base. In February 1959 the Commonwealth Government appointed a Decimal Currency Committee to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of a decimal currency, and, if a decimal currency was favoured, the unit of account and denominations of subsidiary currency most appropriate for Australia,
840-551: A series of triumphant live concerts at the theatre. On the screen, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial , came to earth in 1982 and made a home at the State. This decade saw the State Theatre return to its more traditional roots with numerous live acts and musical theatre performances. Like many cities, Sydney has lost many historic live music venues as property developers converted them to commercial and residential uses. However
924-544: A shilling was equal to twelve pence, a new cent was worth slightly more than a penny. In 1855, gold full and half sovereigns (worth, respectively, £1 and 10/– sterling) were first minted by the Sydney Mint. These coins were the only non-Imperial denominations issued by any of the Australian mints until after Federation (the Sydney Mint struck Imperial gold sovereigns and half sovereigns starting in 1871, and
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#17327875983451008-408: A spatial enclosure of extraordinary fantasy, brilliantly capturing the cinema-going spirit of the times. The architectural interiors that made up this composition remain almost completely intact and in excellent condition. The Theatre achieved a consistency of execution by the use of the gothic motif not only in the main foyers, as the spatial introduction to the auditorium and shopping areas, but across
1092-431: A time when Sydney was renowned for its major ballrooms. The Shopping Block, as first opened, was a popular retail venue until it was overtaken by wider consumer shopping patterns in such places as Department Stores. The Theatre was the scene of one of the great conservation battles in the early 1970s, at a time when much of historic Sydney was being demolished for commercial redevelopment. Its retention and protection under
1176-478: A transitional measure lasting three years, blank note forms of 16 banks were supplied to the government in 1911 to be overprinted as redeemable in gold and issued as the first Commonwealth notes. Some of these banknotes were overprinted by the Treasury, and circulated as Australian banknotes until new designs were ready for Australia's first federal government-issued banknotes, which commenced in 1913. In May 2015,
1260-610: A venue for entertainment during the Great Depression of the 1930s, the next decade saw the events of World War II . Leading up to and during the war, patrons were able to view the latest news through the theatre's regular screenings of the Movietone News . The State played its part by continuing to provide an escape for all those directly and indirectly involved in the conflict, with films starring actors such as Cary Grant , Ronald Colman and Joan Crawford . After
1344-497: Is a large collection of original paintings and statuary in the public foyers which arc of considerable artistic quality. The Wurlitzer Organ, while no longer functional, is a rare example of what used to be a major aspect of the movie-going experience. State Theatre was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999 having satisfied the following criteria. The building
1428-666: Is also comparatively rare on the national and international scene. The Art Deco panelling on Market Street is rare as a shopfront in Sydney, there being only the Zink and Sons shopfront in Oxford Street and the former Sydney Electricity shopfronts from the Queen Victoria Building (now in the Powerhouse Museum ) for comparison. The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of
1512-562: Is essentially the same company. A newsreel theatre , the first in Australia, was opened in the basement of the building in 1932. It later became a screening room. Other attractions included Australian soprano Rene Maxwell and the State Beauty Ballet billed as 'a beauty bevy with amazing ability'. The stage had then been set for many performers and films to transport and entertain future customers. After providing an outlet and
1596-423: Is sustained by such events as the annual Sydney Film Festival and other special screenings. Other aspects of the complex are significant for their original functions including a multi-storey retail arcade, ballroom and theatrette, although none of these activities survived into the late 20th century. The State Theatrette was a popular place for the public screening of newsreels and special movie presentations, while
1680-415: Is unique in Australia, as a major early 20th-century entertainment venue with Gothic and French Empire inspired interiors of the highest quality design and craftsmanship. The gothic detailing on the Market Street shop frontage is unique in Australia as an example of early 20th-century decoration which functioned as an introduction to the dramatic theatrical imagery of the cinema within. The gothic decoration of
1764-494: The British Empire , Australia and the world. In 1929, as an emergency measure during the Great Depression , Australia left the gold standard, resulting in a devaluation relative to sterling. A variety of pegs to sterling applied until December 1931, when the government devalued the local unit by 20%, making one Australian pound equal to 16 shillings sterling and one pound sterling equal to 25 Australian shillings. Coins of
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#17327875983451848-627: The Commonwealth Treasury ". It also prohibited the circulation of state notes and withdrew their status as legal tender. In the same year the Bank Notes Tax Act 1910 was passed imposing a prohibitive tax of 10% per annum on "all bank notes issued or re-issued by any bank in the Commonwealth after the commencement of this Act, and not redeemed", which effectively ended the use of private currency in Australia. As
1932-533: The Empire of Japan produced currency notes denominated in the Australian pound for use in Pacific island countries intended for occupation. Since mainland Australia was never occupied or intended to be occupied , the occupation currency was not used there, but it was used in the captured parts of the then-Australian territories of Papua and New Guinea . In 1949, when the United Kingdom devalued sterling against
2016-485: The National Library of Australia announced that it had discovered the first £A 1 banknote printed by the Commonwealth of Australia, among a collection of specimen banknotes . This uncirculated Australian pound note, with the serial number (red-ink) P000001, was the first piece of currency to carry the coat of arms of Australia . The Australian currency was fixed in value to sterling. As such Australia
2100-474: The New South Wales State Heritage Register published by the State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) 2018 under CC-BY 4.0 licence , accessed on 13 October 2018. Australian pound The pound ( sign : £ , £A for distinction) was the currency of Australia from 1910 until 14 February 1966, when it was replaced by the Australian dollar . Like other £sd currencies, it
2184-826: The Treasurer the power to issue silver, bronze and nickel coins, with the dimensions, size, denominations, weight and fineness to be determined by proclamation of the Governor-General . The first coins were issued in 1910, produced by the Royal Mint in London. The Fisher Government 's Australian Notes Act 1910 gave the Governor-General the power to authorise the Treasurer to issue "Australian notes" as legal tender, "payable in gold coin on demand at
2268-459: The US dollar , Australian Prime Minister and Treasurer Ben Chifley followed suit so the Australian pound would not become over-valued in sterling zone countries with which Australia did most of its external trade at the time. As one pound sterling went from US$ 4.03 to US$ 2.80, the Australian pound went from US$ 3.224 to US$ 2.24. Decimalisation had been proposed for Australian currency since 1902, when
2352-498: The 1790s). Denominated in sterling (and in some cases Spanish dollars ), these private banker and merchant scrip notes were used in Sydney and Hobart through 1829. Private issue banknotes were issued between 1817 and 1910 in denominations ranging from £1 to £100. In 1910, superscribed banknotes were used as the Commonwealth's first national paper currency until the Treasury began issuing Commonwealth banknotes in 1913. The Commonwealth Bank Act of 1920 gave note-issuing authority to
2436-495: The 20th century, but most notably its founder Stuart Doyle. When erected in 1929 the flamboyantly decorated State Theatre was the ultimate public entertainment venue in New South Wales at a time when movie-going audiences were being thrilled by the increasing exuberance of each new cinema. It remained a popular movie venue for tens of thousands of people over many decades and was the scene of many movie premieres being celebrated with major public events. A high level of public interest
2520-575: The Art Deco decoration. The Theatre was the premier venue of the former Union Theatre company's Sydney chain, part of the organisation's ambitious national expansion programme in the 1920s, called the "Million Dollar Theatres" plan. It remains as the flagship of the Greater Union organisation and is associated with the many people who have worked in the organisation and the Theatre over much of
2604-487: The Auditorium and Proscenium Arch and of other items such as light fittings, is of the highest standard of 1920s design and craftsmanship. The Chandelier in the main Auditorium is one of the largest in the nation. There is a large collection of original paintings and statuary in the public foyers which axe of considerable artistic quality. The Wurlitzer Organ, while no longer functional, is a rare example of what used to be
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2688-535: The Australian pound also circulated freely in New Zealand, although they were never legal tender. By 1931, Australian coins made up approximately 30% of the total circulation in New Zealand. The devaluation of Australian and New Zealand exchange rates relative to the pound sterling led to New Zealand's Coinage Act 1933 and the issuing of the first coinage of the New Zealand pound . During World War II,
2772-533: The Baroque drama of the Rotunda and French Empire decorated foyers into the splendour of the main auditorium is an experience unparalleled in any 19th- or 20th-century building in New South Wales. Conservation works in the 1980s have recaptured and refreshed the incredible nature of this composition. The adoption of individual historical themes and architectural imagery for each of the spacious anterooms and lobbies to
2856-598: The Chicago–based American theatre architect John Eberson in co-operation with local architect Henry White. After visiting the US to see Eberson's work, White was able to eliminate all columns supporting the upper balconies and the interior also reflecting the American's influence. The Union Theatres company purchased the site in 1926, the location of the former offices of The Evening News newspaper. Construction of
2940-455: The Gothic style of the street lobby. These floors were later converted to offices. As at 1 June 2006, the physical condition is excellent. As at 30 May 2006, the State Theatre, Sydney is of national heritage significance at an exceptional level, as a major milestone in the development of the cinema building in Australia, being a departure from the then-popular "atmospheric cinemas" and one of
3024-479: The Melbourne Mint starting in 1872). In 1910, .925 fineness sterling silver coins were minted in denominations of 3d, 6d, 1/– and 2/– (known as a Trey, Zac, Deena, and Florin respectively). Unusually no half crown (worth 2/6) was ever issued. Bronze ½d and 1d coins followed in 1911. Production of half sovereigns ceased in 1916, followed by that of sovereigns in 1931. In 1937 a crown (5/– piece, known as
3108-545: The Mezzanine Lounge and 780 seats in the Dress Circle (upper most level). The theatre was designed by the eminent Sydney based, New Zealand born theatre architect Henry White , the designer of some 120 theatres in Australia and New Zealand. It remains as a rare and pre-eminent example of his firm's work. The design of the State Theatre, with its fly-tower stages, was based on original design ideas produced by
3192-478: The NSW Heritage Act reflect the widespread community esteem. The State Theatre, with its central city location and strong history, is a widely known and popular entertainment facility in Sydney society. The small café has been a popular meeting place for many decades and serves to enliven the streetscape in the immediate vicinity. The State Theatre contains a 21 Rank Wurlitzer organ, one of three, with
3276-528: The State Ballroom remained a popular entertainment venue for many decades. The majority of the original interior decoration of these spaces has long since been removed. The State Theatre Building is significant as one of only two surviving theatre buildings in Sydney to have been designed by the well known theatre architect Henry E. White. The other is the Capital Theatre. The interiors of
3360-437: The State Theatre commenced the following year in 1927 with an estimated construction budget of £ 400,000. The project proposed a grand new theatre with 12 floors of retail above and included two basements on what was then described as a 'valuable city site'. The site area of 2516m² (27092 square feet) was excavated to a depth of 14.6m (47 feet) below footpath level, and 2300m³ (2988 cubic yards) of stone and soil removed to create
3444-502: The State Theatre has continued to be among the premier venues, a position reinforced with additional renovations undertaken in the early 1990s. Full theatrical runs were undertaken with stage musicals such as Evita , Jesus Christ Superstar , The Secret Garden and Anything Goes . Live performance returned from the 1990s, with acts such as Rudolph Nureyev , Shirley MacLaine , Shirley Bassey , Whoopi Goldberg , and Harry Connick Jr. Other major musical artists to have played at
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3528-418: The State Theatre include; Prince , Bob Dylan , Morrissey , Nick Cave , Norah Jones , Sufjan Stevens , k.d. lang , Elvis Costello , Jimmy Barnes and Chris Isaak . In 2012 plans were revealed for a $ 32 million renovation of the theatre to create an orchestra pit and increase the backstage area to improve the theatre's capability for live performances as a lyric theatre. The plan failed to proceed after
3612-498: The State first hosted the Sydney Film Festival , where it has remained ever since, using the theatre in cinema mode for two to three weeks every June. The 1980s were a time of significant change for the State Theatre. After a noteworthy restoration of its facilities, the State reopened in 1980 with Bette Midler starring in the concert film Divine Madness . Two years earlier the 'Divine Ms M' had in person, enjoyed
3696-528: The State to watch live and filmed entertainment. A new generation of Hollywood and local actors appeared on screens during this decade which maintained interest in cinema. Film attractions included James Stewart in Bend of the River in 1952 and Virginia McKenna starring in an adaptation of Neville Shute classic book A Town Like Alice in 1956. The 1960s saw Australia in a period of radical change reflected in
3780-518: The State, Union Theatres was feeling the financial impacts of the Depression across its cinema chain and was liquidated in November 1931 for accumulated debts and interest, and purchased soon after by Greater Union Theatres Limited who have remained continuous owners of the State Theatre property. Greater Union was later known as Amalgamated Holdings Limited (AHL), Event and now EVT Limited but
3864-593: The additional entertainment provided including Will Prior’s State Band, 'The Radio Idea' featuring Marino and Mona, John Warren and the State Beauty Ballet, and Price Dunlavy known as the 'Wurlitzer Wizard'. Cheaper early morning sessions were offered and special State Concession weeknight prices were listed for different seating areas; Back Dress Circle 3s/3d ($ 15.30), Unreserved Circle 4s/4d ($ 20.35), Reserved Circle 5s/5d ($ 25.45), Royal Mezzanine Lounge Unreserved 4s/4d ($ 20.35) and Reserved 5s/5d ($ 25.45), [2023 equivalent prices shown in brackets]. Only two years after opening
3948-399: The annual Sydney Film Festival and other special screenings. The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. The interiors of the main public areas contain one of the largest applications of scagliola or reproduction of marble finishes in Australia. The quality of the plaster who particularly in
4032-506: The building, when used as the State Ballroom and State Theatrette, were the venue for particular styles of public entertainment that flourished in the mid 20th century. The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales. It is an architectural composition that was unique in the late 1920s, of the highest quality of design and execution, and of national if not international importance for its creation of
4116-470: The change. On 7 April 1963 the Commonwealth Government announced that a system of decimal currency was to be introduced into Australia at the earliest practicable date, and gave February 1966, as the tentative change-over date. On 14 February 1966, a decimal currency, the dollar of one hundred cents , was introduced. Under the implementation conversion rate, £A1 was set as the equivalent of $ 2. Thus, ten shillings became $ 1 and one shilling became 10¢. As
4200-587: The emerging international popularity of the movies. The building is now both rare and representative of the great movie houses built in the major cities around Australia during the years before the Great Depression. The vertical Shopping Block was representative of that particular style of inner-city retailing, introduced in the 1920s but not successful in the face of competition from the large department stores. [REDACTED] This Misplaced Pages article contains material from State Theatre , entry number 446 in
4284-446: The end of the war in 1945, the State once again became the place where Sydneysiders were entertained. The 1950s saw the beginning of Australian multiculturalism with the first waves of post-war immigration . Increasing affluence and economic stability fuelled rapid expansion of new outer lying suburbs and helped to create the so-called ' baby boom ' generation. As television was far from an everyday household item, audiences still visited
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#17327875983454368-585: The festival held events at the Enmore Theatre , Sydney Opera House , The State Theatre , The Metro , The Factory Theatre, the Seymour Centre, Parade Theatres, The Hayden Orpheum, Riverside Theatre and many more between 11 April and 8 May. The inaugural Sydney Comedy Festival Showcase brought the laughs to all corners of regional NSW and QLD leaving an audience of over 10 000 in stitches. Touring over 11 weeks (July – September 2013) with 33 shows,
4452-443: The festival to towns all over Australia. 2020 saw the festival go on hiatus. In 2021, it was held 19 April to 16 May. Venues have included State Theatre , Enmore Theatre , The Concourse , and Riverside Theatres . Performers have included Ronny Chieng , Matt Okine , Rhys Nicholson , and Corey White . The Sydney Comedy Festival produces the following current special events: Special events in past years include: No festival
4536-434: The flagship of the Greater Union organisation and is associated with the many people who have worked in the organisation and the Theatre over much of the 20th century, but most notably its founder Stuart Doyle. The original multi-storey shopping arcade configuration reflected contemporary retail planning for the city, as an eventually unsuccessful variation to the multi-storey department store configuration. The basement areas of
4620-431: The gothic ceilings and mosaic floor tiling of the original decoration. The State Theatrette was a popular place for the public screening of newsreels and special film features before the time of television. Many thousands of people were thrilled, entertained, informed or shocked by world and national news items that were first seen at such newsreel screenings. The State Ballroom was a popular venue for many decades, at
4704-420: The gothic detailing are unique, of the highest quality craftsmanship and of exceptional significance. The State Theatre achieved a consistency of execution by the use of the gothic motif not only in the main street level foyers, as the spatial introduction to the Theatre and shopping areas, but across the whole street frontage, over the full extent of the multi-storey Market and George Streets facades and throughout
4788-418: The ground floor lift foyer to the former Shopping Block is unique for such as space in New South Wales and possibly Australia. The 1920s gothic detailing and composition of the main building facades to Market and George Streets is rare in Sydney for a commercial or public building. Only Scots Church and the former Grace Building can match it for such detailing and overall architectural composition. This language
4872-400: The ground floor lift lobby, with its glazed display cabinets. The 1937 Market Street shop front alterations were, at the time of their installation, a fine example of the Art Deco style of decoration, executed at a time when the Shopping Block was thought to need a radical new image to counter flagging consumer support. Unfortunately the alterations of latter decades have adversely impacted on
4956-650: The growth of pop culture and increasing opposition to the Vietnam War, which mirrored social upheaval worldwide. In times of change, people often look to entertainment as a release and again the State Theatre provided the outlet. The changing times are reflected in the films on offer which in 1960 included Yul Bryner in Once More, with Feeling! while by 1969 the sexual farce Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness?
5040-561: The home of the annual Sydney Film Festival . It is also known as State Building and Wurlitzer Organ . The property is privately owned. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. The State Theatre is a tiered and raked theatre with a proscenium arch and a maximum seating capacity of 2034 seats. The seating is arranged with 828 seats in the Stalls at stage level, 426 in
5124-545: The introductory gothic imagery on the street frontage, through the 14th century Gothic Hall and Robert Adam inspired Empire Room to the Baroque drama of the Rotunda and French Empire decorated foyers into the splendour of the main auditorium is an experience unparalleled in any 19th or 20th century building in New South Wales. The interiors that make up this composition are of the highest of quality design in terms of theatricality and execution, they remain almost completely intact and in excellent condition. The surviving sections of
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#17327875983455208-456: The last of the great flamboyant cinemas erected in the late 1920s, just prior to the Great Depression. It achieved a spatial enclosure of extraordinary fantasy, brilliantly capturing the cinema-going spirit of the times. In the State Theatre nothing was real, everything was fantasy, there to stimulate the imagination of the visitor and movie patron. Its architectural composition is unique in Australia. The architectural and spatial progression from
5292-444: The main auditorium is a richly detailed Baroque styled space with three tiers of seating and a coffered domed ceiling. The first sound film screened was Paramount's A Dangerous Woman on 29 June 1929. The last all silent film screened (before later revivals) was United Artists' Evangeline on 6 December 1929. A 1929 Union Theatres advertisement for the 'all talking' Woman Trap and silent film Evangeline also promoted
5376-404: The main public areas contain one of the largest applications of scagliola or reproduction of marble finishes in Australia. The quality of the plaster work, particularly in the Auditorium and Proscenium Arch and of other decorative items such as light fittings, is of the highest standard of 1920s design and craftsmanship. The Chandelier in the main Auditorium is one of the largest in the nation. There
5460-511: The method of introduction and the cost involved. The committee presented its report in August 1960. It recommended the introduction of the new system on the second Monday in February 1963. In July 1961 the Commonwealth Government confirmed its support of a decimal currency system, but considered it undesirable to make final decisions on the detailed arrangement that would be necessary to effect
5544-566: The other two residing at the (now demolished) Regent Theatre nearby and the State Theatre in Melbourne, and a Koh-i-Noor cut crystal chandelier which is the second largest on earth, weighing over four tonnes . The interior also included paintings by William Dobell and Julian Ashton . The 11 storeys above the theatre were constructed as the State Shopping Block, a vertical shopping arcade, 150 shops served by 8 lifts, all in
5628-436: The public toilets is an unusual and highly attractive device. The gothic interior design themes and detailing of the Shopping Block, carried from the ground floor lift foyer into the adjacent retail display areas and upper level spaces was of the highest quality and unique as a treatment for a retailing precinct in Sydney. Extensive evidence of this detailing survives in certain areas of the Shopping Block building, particularly
5712-421: The quality and integrity of this decoration. The lavish shopfront decoration, extensive illumination and extravagant event promotion signage all contribute greatly to the richness of the Market Street streetscape in the immediate vicinity. The interior fitout of the small café, most of which dates from the mid-1990s, is a good example of contemporary Art Deco revival but retains important elements, particularly
5796-671: The show visited the following towns and cities: Comedians who have appeared at The Sydney Comedy Festival include: State Theatre (Sydney) The State Theatre is a 2034 seat heritage listed theatre located at 47–51 Market Street, in the Sydney central business district in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales , Australia. The theatre was designed by Henry Eli White with assistance from John Eberson and built between 1926 and 1929. It hosts film screenings, live theatre and musical performances, and since 1974 it has been
5880-399: The street frontage, the full extent of the multi-storey Market and George Streets facades and the upper interior levels of the Shopping Block. The gothic detailing on the street frontage remains almost intact and in good condition, except for about one-third of the frontage, where Art Deco decoration was substituted in 1937. The success of the architectural and spatial composition was ensured by
5964-487: The theatre owners did not acquire the retail building located adjacent the stage that would have allowed expansion to the west. The theatre owners later purchased the adjoining property 'Dudley House' a seven-storey building at 468−472 George Street and the neighbouring three-storey building at 458−466 George Street, formerly the Globe Theatre, built in 1915. The buildings were acquired by Event (now EVT) in 2017 for
6048-474: The theatre volume and basement spaces. The building reached a height of 56.8m (186½ feet). The construction used almost one million bricks, 60 tons of lime mortar, 2300 tons of Portland cement, 2500 tons of construction steel, and 35,000 pieces of oregon timber. By the time construction was completed the building costs had increased by two and half times reaching almost £ 1,000,000 or $ 94 million in 2023 terms. The State Theatre opened on 7 June 1929. The theatre
6132-406: The unique combination of primarily Gothic and French Empire historical styles, rich interior detailing and the evocation of a rich palette of materials achieved largely by imitation. The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group in New South Wales for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. When erected in 1929 the flamboyantly decorated State Theatre
6216-401: The upper interior levels of the Shopping Block. The original gothic imagery of the street level facade and on the soffit of the awning, reflected and set the scene for the lavish interiors. The detailing remains almost intact and in good condition, except where Art Deco decoration was substituted in 1937. The 1937 Market Street shopfront alterations have a high level of cultural significance as
6300-429: Was a major milestone in the development of the cinema building in Australia, being a departure from the then-popular "atmospheric cinemas" and one of the last of the great flamboyant cinemas erected prior to the Depression. The subsequent use and development of the building have mirrored the development of the cinema and theatre as a popular entertainment medium throughout the later decades of the 20th century. It remains as
6384-457: Was being shown. The growing of permissiveness in 1970s Australian society and the rejection of more 'traditional values' is seen in the anti-censorship demonstrations surrounding the film Medium Cool . In terms of film entertainment, the increasing penetration of television into Australian homes during the late 1960s and early 1970s saw filmmakers turn towards the Hollywood 'blockbuster' as
6468-624: Was described in the program as a conductor capable of lifting 'jazz to perfection in a sublime miscellany of melodious rhythm'. The theatre opened with the Ernst Lubitsch film The Patriot on 7 June 1929, accompanied by Price Dunlavy billed as a 'debonair genius' playing on the Wurlitzer organ. Originally seating approximately 2,572 patrons, it was never as large as its namesake, the 3,371 seat State Theatre that opened four months earlier on 23 February 1929 in Melbourne. However, it
6552-418: Was envisioned by Stuart Doyle, owner of Union Theatres and the architect Henry White. It was to be seen as 'The Empire's Greatest Theatre' and was designed as a picture palace when such monuments to movies were seen at their grandest and most spectacular. During its first week patrons were offered 'entertainment of unparalleled magnificence'. The opening night's performance featured noted bandleader Will Prior who
6636-413: Was held upon cancellation. The 2014 Festival was held from 22 April to 17 May. Awards were presented at the closing party of the festival as follows: The 2013 Festival was held from 22 April – 11 May Awards were presented at the closing party of the festival as follows: The 2012 Festival was held from 24 April to 12 May. Awards were presented on the final day of the festival as follows: In 2011,
6720-474: Was listed on the (now defunct) Register of the National Estate . The place is important in demonstrating the course, or pattern, of cultural or natural history in New South Wales. The State Theatre, as the premier venue of the former Union Theatre company's Sydney chain, was part of the organisation's ambitious national expansion programme in the 1920s called the "Million Dollar Theatres" plan. It
6804-435: Was much more ornate, having been elaborately designed by Sydney architect Henry Eli White, who based his work on that of American theatre architect John Eberson , and was invited to work with him on this theatre in Australia. The theatre building has Gothic -style street facades and an elaborate late Gothic street lobby complete with fan vaulting, a Neoclassical domed stairhall, elaborately detailed foyers and lobbies, while
6888-458: Was on the gold standard so long as Britain was. In 1914, the British government removed sterling from the gold standard. When it was returned to the gold standard in 1925, the sudden increase in its value (imposed by the nominal gold price) unleashed crushing deflationary pressures. Both the initial 1914 inflation and the subsequent 1926 deflation had far-reaching economic effects throughout
6972-593: Was subdivided into 20 shillings (denoted by the symbol s or /– ), each of 12 pence (denoted by the symbol d ). The establishment of a separate Australian currency was contemplated by section 51(xii) of the Constitution of Australia , which gave Federal Parliament the right to legislate with respect to "currency, coinage, and legal tender". The Deakin government 's Coinage Act 1909 distinguished between "British coin" and "Australian coin", giving both status as legal tender of equal value. The Act gave
7056-409: Was the ultimate public entertainment venue in New South Wales at a time when movie-going audiences were being thrilled with the increasing exuberance of each new cinema. It remained a popular movie venue for thousands of members of the public over many decades and was the place where many movie premieres were celebrated with major public events. This level of public interest is sustained by such events as
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