This is a list of theatres in Melbourne in Victoria, Australia.
The Melbourne City Centre has two distinct areas with concentrations of theatres: the East End,[1] situated in the Hoddle Grid, which contains many of Melbourne's historic theatres; and Southbank, which is home to the more contemporary venues of the Melbourne Arts Precinct.
| Name | Address | Opened | Seats | Use | Notes | Image | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | 880 | theatre, comedy | Former hall remodelled as theatre in 1927[2] | ||||
| 113 Swanston Street | 1924 | 600 | films, comedy, talks, theatre | Cinema purchased by RMIT in 1999[3] | |||
| 1928 | 997 | theatre, comedy | Replaced one of Melbourne's earliest theatres, the Olympic Theatre[4] | ||||
| Deakin Edge | Federation Square | 2003 | 269–450 | live music, events, talks | |||
| 1929 | 1,320 | live music, comedy | Downstairs Auditorium seats 800, Upstairs Auditorium seats 520[5] | ||||
| 219 Exhibition Street | 1886 | 1,700 | theatre, opera | Opened as the Alexandra Theatre[6] | |||
| 1887 | 1,990 | theatre, live music | Main Auditorium was rebuilt and enlarged in 1925[7] | ||||
| 1857 | 1,488 | theatre, comedy | Opened as Astley's Amphitheatre in 1854, renovated as the Princess Theatre in 1857[8] | ||||
| 191 Collins Street | 1929 | 2,143 | theatre, opera | Former cinema reopened as a theatre in 1996[9] |
| Name | Address | Opened | Seats | Use | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 113 Sturt Street | 1990 | 198 | theatre | Converted from a brewery built in 1892[10] | ||
| Chunky Move Studio | 111 Sturt Street | 2002 | 144 | dance | Part of the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art[11] | |
| Fairfax Studio | 1984 | 376 | theatre | Part of the Theatres Building of the Arts Centre Melbourne[12] | ||
| 100 St Kilda Road | 1982 | 2,466 | live music, comedy, theatre | Part of Arts Centre Melbourne.[13] | ||
| Hanson Dyer Hall | 43 Sturt Street | 2019 | 400 | live music | Ian Potter Southbank Centre, Melbourne Conservatorium of Music | |
| Iwaki Auditorium | 120–130 Southbank Boulevard | 1994 | 350 | live music, events | Part of the ABC's Southbank Centre[14] | |
| 140 Southbank Boulevard | 2009 | 150 | theatre | Home of the Melbourne Theatre Company[15] | ||
| 31 Sturt Street (cnr Southbank Boulevard) | 2009 | 1,000 | live music | Melbourne Recital Centre[16] | ||
| 113 Sturt Street | 1990 | 512 | theatre | Converted from a brewery built in 1892 | ||
| 8 Whiteman Street, Southbank | 1997 | 800 | live music, comedy, theatre | Casino showroom[17] | ||
| Primrose Potter Salon | 31 Sturt Street (cnr Southbank Boulevard) | 2009 | 136 | live music | Melbourne Recital Centre | |
| Federation Hall | 234 St Kilda Road | 221 | live music, cinema | Part of the Victorian College of the Arts[18] | ||
| Playhouse | 100 St Kilda Road | 1984 | 884 | theatre | Part of the Theatres Building of the Arts Centre Melbourne[19] | |
| Kings Domain, St Kilda Road | 1959 | 2,030 | live music | Lawned area can hold an additional 10,000 patrons[20] | ||
| 100 St Kilda Road | 1984 | 2,085 | theatre, opera, live music | Part of the Theatres Building of the Arts Centre Melbourne[21] | ||
| 140 Southbank Boulevard | 2009 | 550 | theatre | Home of the Melbourne Theatre Company[22] | ||
| 113 Sturt Street | 2005 | 99 | theatre | Converted from a brewery built in 1892 | ||
| 1 Convention Centre Place, South Wharf | 2009 | 5541 | theatre, live music | Can be divided into three smaller theatres[23] |
Notable venues for independent or fringe theatre in the Melbourne City Centre.
| Name | Address | Opened | Seats | Use | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athenaeum Theatre 2 | 188 Collins Street | 1979 | comedy, theatre | Upstairs studio theatre at the Melbourne Athenaeum | ||
| 5 Carson Place | 1999 | 76 | cabaret, theatre, comedy | |||
| 2002 | 120 | theatre, live music |
| Name | Address | Opened | Seats | Use | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Theatre St Kilda | 2015 | 499 | theatre, comedy | Theatre 1 with 499 seats and Theatre 2 with 291 seats[24] | ||
| Brunswick Mechanics Institute | 1999 | 112 | theatre | |||
| 1995 | 255 | theatre | ||||
| 150 Princes St, Carlton North | 1992 | 104 | dance | |||
| 300 Dudley Street | 1919 | 1,741 | live music | Up to 5,445 capacity standing | ||
| Footscray Community Arts Centre | 174 | theatre, music, events | ||||
| Gasworks Arts Park | 1992 | 192 | theatre | |||
| 1967 | 40 | theatre | [25] | |||
| La Mama Courthouse | 349 Drummond Street, Carlton | 1987 | 90 | theatre | Former Carlton Courthouse built in 1887 | |
| Meat Market | 5 Blackwood Street, North Melbourne | 1880 | theatre, dance, live art | Part of Arts House | ||
| 1913 | 340 | Music | ||||
| circus, cabaret | ||||||
| cnr Barkly & Carlisle Streets, St Kilda | 1972 | 783 | theatre, dance | Originally opened as the Victory Cinema in 1921[26] | ||
| 350 | theatre | [27] | ||||
| 521 Queensberry Street, North Melbourne | theatre, dance, live art | Part of Arts House | ||||
| Lower Esplanade, St Kilda | 1927 | 2,896 | theatre, comedy, live music | Largest seated theatre in Australia[28] | ||
| South Wharf | 2009 | 5,540 | live music, dance, events | Also configurations seating 1,482, 1,484 and 2,468 | ||
| 80 | theatre | |||||
| Richmond Theatrette | 80–120 | theatre | ||||
| 14 Acland Street, St Kilda | 1985 | 144 | theatre | [29] | ||
| 859 High Street, Thornbury | theatre | |||||
| 54 Victoria Street, Carlton | 340 |
| Name | Address | Seats | Use | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frankston Arts Centre | 27-37 Davey Street, Frankston | 800 | theatre, events, live music | Houses Victoria's second largest proscenium arch | |
| The Bowery Theatre at St Albans Community Centre | Princess Street, St Albans | 202 | theatre, dance, live music, events | ||
| Clocktower Centre | 750 Mt Alexander Road, Moonee Ponds | 503-545 | theatre, conferences, events | [30] | |
| Whitehorse Centre | Rear of, 379-397 Whitehorse Road, Nunawading | 408 | theatre, live music | [31] | |
| Karralyka Theatre | Mines Road, Ringwood | 430 | theatre, live music | [32] | |
| Darebin Arts and Entertainment Centre | Cnr Bell Street & St Georges Road, Preston | 385 | theatre, events | [33] | |
| Wydnham Cultural Centre | 177 Watton Street, Werribee | 477 | theatre, dance, live music | [34] | |
| Drum Theatre | Lonsdale Street & Walker Street, Dandenong | 521 | theatre, dance, live music | [35] | |
| Plenty Ranges Arts and Convention Centre | 35 Ferres Boulevard, South Morang | 497 | theatre, events | [36] | |
| Robert Blackwood Hall | 49 Scenic Boulevard, Clayton | 1598 | live music, events | Part of Monash University's Clayton campus [37] | |
| Alexander Theatre | 49 Scenic Boulevard, Clayton | 586 | theatre, live music, dance | [38] | |
| George Wood Performing Arts Centre | Yarra Valley Grammar School, Kalinda Road, Ringwood | 895 | live music, events, dance | [39] | |
| George Jenkins Theatre | McMahons Road, Frankston | 426 | theatre, dance, conferences | Part of Monash University's Peninsula campus [40] | |
| Bunjil Place Theatre | 2 Patrick Northeast Drive, Narre Warren | 846 | theatre, events, live music | [41] | |
| Bunjil Place Studio | 2 Patrick Northeast Drive, Narre Warren | 200 | theatre, events | [42] |