West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), Friday 30 June 1911, page 9


.:THREE NEW THEATRES. PERTH. FREMANTLE, AND SUBIACO. FOR' WEST'S PICTURES LTD. Rather more than three years ago the manageme'nt of West's-Pictures 'in Australia decided to. experinient2'with their show' in this State,o and after exliibiting fdr a while in. His Majesty's Theatre, tool a. lease of Queen's Hall from the trustees of the'Welsley Church. A few weeks only. served to show the profitableness of the venture, and quite recently the company--for into' such Mrr. West has now formqd his undertakingcompleted ;:heir three years; tenure' of that building. During last summer the Melrose Gardens'were biilt by'the+c0mpaly, but:still unsatisfied with their growth. the .management hav?. decided upon; and are 'already .taking steps to' brine about the erection, of an; absolutely ,modern 'picture .?theatro in Perth, of a replica in" Fremantle to take the place .oftho.premises now being leased, and. of a'smaller editioh'in the growing suburb of fubiaco,, the whole set, including freehlold land. 'and buildings, to' cost. 'not .less 'thli. £?5.000.' -Thatl such an 'important step has been takedi by .busiinessmen.shows at; once keen enterprise and a sublime faith' in-the future 'of the capital of the.State.l In cosisidering what kind of buildings 'oiuld no mbost suitable, for' Idal, climatic con'ditions, those. responsible have instruicted their areistects to pay speci'al attentioni to the mnatter of ventilation, and the plans have been so drawn that.the theatres when inished will be easily .onvertible at will into either summeri or winter premises It' is 'aelt, that'a vitiated atmosphere 'invariably iproduces deleteiions effects upon the lpeople compelled to inhale it.:' It may be' granted that the ;average' person .knows. a' great deal more about ventilation toe-dy'than was foiin.:)y generally known,, and however good a show 'may be people will not continue.to attond any place in which they think, rightly or wrongly, that they are bding .subjected to a process of slow mutder. As a'rule, other things being, equal, the best vdntilated building will attract most, and hence the desire to ensure as great comforttin this respect as possible. To 'this end it has been' arranged that each building shall be provided with a deep double roof, and'that the solid walls shall' cease all round wheid.ivithii 6it.'of the uided-roof. "The' gap batwcgn the walls and the roof'.will then be fitted with broad louvre, shutterd, which ii' summer time will be thrown wide open and admit a steady current of fair, 'and in winter will' be' closed down so as to completely' shut out the damp and cold. A special feature of the theatres will be the seating .accommodation, which will practically all be on the ground floor, except that' towards 'the back it : will rise gradually .in tiers, and permit those seated there to have [ti unihterrupted view of the screen. Every' seat ,will:, it is claimed, pro. vido the occupier witk -a perfect sight of what is going on, and'thire'-will be no of those pillars or posts" 'bund which people have so often to criief.'their necks. The lighting will in every case be unusually brilliant, and be' carried osit by separate plants, which, will be installed at each building by' the company. A point that is of importance to, local manufacturers )s that wit~i but few' exceptions, the whole of 'the material required for construction is being supplied locally, and in cases where outside couintries have to be given the business, a local firm is being made the intermediary. The build. ings will be of brick, equipped with every modern convenience, to say nothing of wmnter gardens and refreshment rooms, and should prove ornaments in the three places in' which they are to be erected. The Perth building, which has already been commenced, and will be known as the Melrose Theatre, has its site in Murraystreet adjoining the corner of William-street. It is stated that when finished it will the most gorgeous and comfortalile picture palace in Australasia, and be capable of accommodating with ease 3,000 people. The tipnp chairs in the circle.will be upholstered in red leather, and the seats at the back will also be well furnished. From the roof to the floor the distance will be 52ft. The main entrance will be from Murray-street, and it is expected that the building will be completed by the end of October next. The architect is Mr. Anthoness, and the contractor, Mr. Guthrie. The building at Fremantle will be called the Princess Theatre, and will be situated in Market-street, at the corner of Leaks-street, between the Post Office and High-street, and will accomnmodat 1,800 people. It will be erected on much the same plan as the Perth Theatre, and be equally well equipped. A special feature of this place will be that with the use of the side street it will be possible to empty it in three minutes in case of fire. Adjoining it will be erected a hall. which will be utilised for general entertainment purposes. Mr. McNeece is the architect, and it is expected that the contract will be let at an early date. The Palace Theatre at Subiaco will be erected in Hay-street, near the corner of Rokeby-road. Adjoining and having communication with the theatre will be open-air gardens. and it is :ntended to work the two together according to the weather or Ithe desire of patrons. It may be stated that each of the theatres will be equipped with stages in the event of its being found necessary to provide achange for patrons in the way of valicty entertainment. Special attention will also be paid, to the musical portion of the programme, and in all probability Mr. Louis De Green, musical director in Australia for West's Pictures, will visit the State with his viceregal band. So far as possible the management intend to make iuse of exclusive films at their shows, and to present such pictures as "Henry VIII." and "Our Navy," which will shortly be produced. The management announce that before the formal .onening of their new premises there will be a performanlco in aid of charity, and have already arranged with Ladv Parker to give a performance in thie Mielrose Theatre on behalf of the Waifs' Home at Parkerville. The company have already built three theatres in Sydney and one in Melbourne, and are building also one in Adelaide.