The Empire Theatre is located in Toowoomba, Queensland

Toowoomba, Queensland

Toowoomba is a city in Southern Queensland, Australia. It is located west of Queensland's capital city, Brisbane. With an estimated district population of 128,600, Toowoomba is Australia's second largest inland city and its largest non-capital inland city...

, and is a fine example of art deco architecture. It is a heritage site listed by the National Trust of Queensland.

The venue has a capacity of 1,567 seats, making it the largest regional theatre in Australia.

The Empire Theatre is both an architectural showpiece and a vibrant home to the performing arts. With main stage seating as well as several smaller venues available for more intimate performances the Empire Theatre is a state-of-the-art facility with plays, concerts and ballets making up a broad programme of entertainment.

It is also often referred to as one of the best performing arts venues in Australia by the many visiting artists that perform on its stage.

The design of the building is art deco in style, reminiscent of the glory days of Hollywood even to the palm trees framing the exterior and in the metallic gold and bronze of the entry foyer, two plinth-mounted fish tanks.

The stage is over 13 metres wide and 12 metres deep with approximately 20 metres to the grid and more than 15 metres of wing space combined. It has 80 fly lines including 7 overhead lighting bars and an orchestra pit that can be hydraulically raised to audience floor or stage thrust levels.

One of the Empire Theatre's most striking features is the grand proscenium arch. The decorative plaster work, its size, its structure, and its tasteful appointments give theatre patrons a sense of occasion. Some of this Theatre's most well known productions are:
Singing In The Rain 2009
LES MISERABLES 2009
CATS 2009
THE BOY FROM OZ 2011

History

• 29 June 1911: first opened to the public of Toowoomba.
• February 1933: fire broke out, almost completely destroying the Empire Theatre.
• October 1933: the world's largest cinema house light was installed. Affectionately dubbed the 'bomber' light, it was taken down during the war
  World War II
  World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
  
   years when locals feared that a bomb may be dropped, sending a shower of glass onto theatre patrons below.
• November 1933: reopened and rebuilt in the architectural styling of art deco
  Art Deco
  Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
  
  .
• September 1939: closed down when World War II broke out and reopened after the war
• 1971 - the new technology "television" reduced audiences at the movies and it closed down
• Used as a department store, gym and TAFE College before being taken over by pigeons
• Purchased by Toowoomba City Council (now Toowoomba Regional Council)
• June 1997: Restored and returned to its 1933 art deco styling with state-of-the-art technical equipment and patron comforts
• 1998: Empire Theatre awarded "The Best Theatre in Australia" by the Australian Leisure Management Magazine that placed it amongst the top eight leisure and entertainment projects in Australia.
• 2005: the Conference Precinct extension joins the Empire Theatre with the adjacent Church Theatre (circa 1879) incorporating a 5 star restaurant, foyer and storage areas.
• 2009: The Empire Theatre establishes its Projects Company to increase the breadth and depth of the community's connection with the performing arts in the Toowoomba Regional Council area
• 2010: The Empire Theatre launches 'Empire Youth Arts', with the aim to create opportunities for young people from diverse backgrounds through the region to engage with the performing arts
• 2011: The Empire Theatre celebrates its centenary year