When Wollongong property developer John Comelli sold his beloved Anita’s Theatre in 2011 to pay off debts, he told the media he had spent $6 million on the fit-out.<\/p>\n
With its ornate light fittings, detailed wall and ceiling paintings, plush furnishings and bespoke mosaic tiling on the foyer’s pillars, the expense shows.<\/p>\n
“It’s just absolutely incredible detail that you can’t replicate \u2014 he was obviously quite a visionary to be able to do that and pull it all together to deliver this magnificent theatre for the people of the Illawarra,” venue manager Bob Mangan said.<\/p>\n
“Every fixture, every fitting that was selected was chosen for a reason, and it was high-end as well \u2014 the taps and the mirrors in the bathrooms make it one of the most Instagrammable toilets in Australia.<\/p>\n
“We pinch ourselves that we get to work here.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The theatre sits in the heart of Thirroul in Wollongong and has retail shops beneath it. (ABC Illawarra: Justin Huntsdale)<\/p>\n
Cinema to skating rink to bold vision<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, the theatre celebrates 100 years, and while it has lived three lives \u2014 as a movie cinema, roller-skating rink and live music theatre \u2014 it has always been an entertainment space.<\/p>\n
When it operated as a skating rink, the concrete floor sat 2 metres below the wooden floorboards of today’s auditorium.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Patrons skate inside the Kings Theatre after it was converted into an indoor roller rink. (Facebook: Anita’s Theatre)<\/p>\n
Mr Comelli bought the venue, then known as the Kings Theatre, in 2003 and renamed it in honour of his wife, Anita, who died during the refurbishment in 2005.<\/p>\n
It was taken over by receivers and sold in 2011, then sold again in 2013, before being bought by entertainment giant Live Nation in 2022.<\/p>\n
“In the last three years, we’ve welcomed over 160,000 fans, hosted nearly 300 shows, and showcased 82 per cent Australian homegrown talent,” Mr Mangan said.<\/p>\n
The venue holds 800 people but can accommodate more when the floor seating is removed. (ABC Illawarra: Justin Huntsdale)<\/p>\n
‘When you’re on stage, you can feel the history of the place’<\/p>\n
Wollongong musician Darren Coggan has played Anita’s Theatre four times.<\/p>\n
One more show and he will be added to a new “Encore Club” \u2014 a group of performers who have played the venue at least five times.<\/p>\n
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“As soon as you walk in there, you’re immersed in this very theatrical world,” he said.<\/p>\n
“A lot of the modern theatres that are built these days are amazing, but sometimes they can seem a little generic \u2014 Anita’s undisputedly has its own character.<\/p>\n
“You can feel the history of the place, and I think of the thousands of performers that have trod those same boards when I stand on that stage.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Kings Theatre in Thirroul as it appeared in 1956. (Supplied: Wollongong City Libraries and the Illawarra Historical Society)<\/p>\n
Australian cover band Hindley Street Country Club will be the first inductees into the Encore Club and will perform during the theatre’s week of birthday celebrations.<\/p>\n
“The sense of history in the room is undeniable,” band member Constantine Delo said.<\/p>\n
“It’s one of those venues that reminds you why you fell in love with live music, and being recognised as part of its 100-year history is a real honour.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The theatre has hosted some of the biggest names in Australian music, including Midnight Oil and Cold Chisel. (ABC Illawarra: Justin Huntsdale)<\/p>\n
Venue for local and international acts alike<\/p>\n
Coggan said the theatre struck a balance between providing a supportive and unique venue for local musicians as well as an attractive stop-off for bigger acts in a regional area.<\/p>\n
Many international bands that tour Australia’s capital cities now add a show at Anita’s Theatre.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The theatre’s foyer contains a showcase of ornate light fittings, mosaic tiles and plush furniture. (ABC Illawarra: Justin Huntsdale)<\/p>\n
“You don’t have to go to Sydney or Melbourne with flights, accommodation, and all that kind of stuff \u2014 you can literally go around the corner and you’re seeing the same shows that you see in the capital cities,” he said.<\/p>\n
“I know my daughter is embarking on a career in the arts as a singer songwriter, and to have venues like that at your doorstep that are well facilitated and have a great team behind them \u2026 we’re very blessed and I hope it continues for another 100 years.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Wollongong property developer John Comelli sold his beloved Anita’s Theatre in 2011 to pay off debts, he…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":231264,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[139397,39629,449,64,63,139398,139399,134,139400,4154,34045],"class_list":{"0":"post-231263","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-anitas-theatre","9":"tag-artists","10":"tag-arts","11":"tag-au","12":"tag-australia","13":"tag-bob-mangan","14":"tag-darren-coggan","15":"tag-entertainment","16":"tag-john-comelli","17":"tag-live-music","18":"tag-live-nation"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=231263"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231263\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/231264"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=231263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=231263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=231263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}