Holden Street Theatres
All Saints' Anglican Church
The Studio as seen from the road at Holden Street Theatres.
Address34 Holden Street
Hindmarsh
Australia
TypeTheatre
Construction
Broke ground1849
Built1850
ArchitectHenry Stuckey
Website
www.holdenstreettheatres.com

Holden Street Theatres (HST) is a South Australian performing arts theatre complex in Hindmarsh, an inner-western suburb of Adelaide. It is housed in the heritage-listed All Saints' Anglican Church (also known as All Saints' Church) complex. The complex includes three performance spaces: The Studio, The Arch and The Bar, and is home to the Holden Street Theatre Company.

Holden Street Theatres hosts performances at the Adelaide Fringe, the Feast Festival, and the Guitars in Bars festival, as well as year-round productions by local, national and international artists. It is home to resident theatre companies Holden Street Theatre Company and Red Phoenix Theatre.

The headquarters are at Thebarton Theatre, with which HST is in partnership.

Location and description

The complex is located at 34 Holden Street, Hindmarsh, next to Coopers Stadium.[1]

There are three performance spaces within the complex: The Studio (up to 150 seats), The Arch (125 seats, named for its proscenium arch ceiling), and The Bar (capacity 60–100 people). An extra performance space and two galleries are provided during the Adelaide Fringe. The head office is at the Thebarton Theatre, which is in partnership with Holden Street Theatres.[2]

History (building)

Holden Street Theatres is situated in what was originally the All Saints' Anglican Church. Built in the Norman style the limestone and brick church was designed by Henry Stuckey. Bishop Augustus Short laid the foundation stone in 1849,[3] and the church that was opened on 23 June 1850. During this time a rectory was also built near by to house the clergy for the church. In 1955 a gallery was built with a chancel and vestry being added in 1872.[4] Due to lack of funds the church had to rely on donations from the community to add the chancel and vestry, with local Thebarton resident, John Taylor, donating a majority of the £272 needed.[5] Several years later the All Saints Church Hall was built nearby. Designed in a similar style to the church, it was opened on 28 March 1883.[4]

The buildings were listed on the former Register of the National Estate on 28 September 1982 and on the South Australian Heritage Register on 23 November 1989.[6][7] During the later part of the 20th century the church, hall and rectory became disused, until the site was taken on by the City of Charles Sturt and became a space for lease.[8]

In 2002 the church and hall were leased by Weslo Holdings under guidance of artistic director Martha Lott to be used as a theatre venue, while the Nature Foundation SA took over the rectory as its head offices.[8] Lott, who is Adelaide-born, had studied acting for three years at Drama Centre London. She then moved to Sydney and started working in retail and business management for nearly five years before returning to Adelaide.[9]

The original church was renovated in 2004 to become The Arch.[10]

In December 2020 the Nature Foundation of South Australia moved out of the rectory and it was incorporated into Holden Street Theatres to create the Holden Street Theatres' Arts Park. It offers several more rooms and a garden to be used as rehearsal or performance spaces.[11]

Associated companies and events

Holden Street Theatres is the home of Red Phoenix Theatre Company,[1] a local South Australian community theatre company that is dedicated to producing only plays which have not been performed in Adelaide before.[12]

Holden Street Theatre Company is also resident at the complex,[1] presenting its debut show, Looped, in May 2023, and thereafter planning to present three shows a year.[13]

Holden Street Theatres outside seating set up for Fringe season.

The venue also hosts many events as part of the Adelaide Fringe, the annual open-access arts festival; Feast Festival, an annual festival celebrating the LGBT community; and the Guitars in Bars festival, an annual festival aimed at getting more local music into small venues.[14]

As of April 2023 founder Martha Lott is still artistic director of the theatre.[13]

Notable shows

The Holden Street Theatre Company presents its debut show, Looped, on 2 May 2023. It is a Broadway play by New York writer Matthew Lombardo inspired by an incident which occurred during mid-20th century American stage and film actress Tallulah Bankhead's last movie role, playing a religious fanatic in the 1965 horror film Die! Die! My Darling!. Bankhead was known for her unpredictable and sometimes outrageous behaviour. The play is directed by Peter Goers, who in 2004 co-directed the first show at the theatre, California Suite by Neil Simon.[13]

Holden Street Theatres Awards

Holden Street Theatres also gives out two annual awards, one at the Adelaide Fringe and one at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

The Holden Street Theatres' Edinburgh Fringe Award gives support to the winning company to tour its show at the following Adelaide Fringe. The award is open to theatre shows performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe who have not previously performed the show in Australia.[15]

Holden Street Theatres' Edinburgh Fringe Award winners:

  • 2008: Dogstar Theatre - The Tailor of Inverness[16]
  • 2009: King Brilliant Theatre and Richard Jordan Productions - Heroin(e) for Breakfast[17]
  • 2010: Beartrap Theatre - Bound[18]
  • 2011: Les Enfants Terribles Theatre Co. - The Terrible Infants[19]
  • 2012: Second Shot Productions - Glory Dazed[20]
  • 2013: Snuff Box Theatre and Richard Jordan Productions - Bitch Boxer[21]
  • 2014: Lip Sink & Francesca Clark Productions - Mush & Me[22]
  • 2014: Penn State Center Stage - Blood at the Root[23]
  • 2015: Joe Sellman-Leava - Lables[24]
  • 2015: Gary McNair - A Gambler's Guide to Dying[25]
  • 2016: Prime Cut Productions - Scorch[26]
  • 2016: Red Beard Productions and Gilded Balloon - Angel by Henry Naylor[27]
  • 2017: Unpolished Theatre and Pleasance Theatre Trust - Flesh & Bone[28]
  • 2018: Molly Taylor - Extinguished Things[29]
  • 2018: Stephen Joseph Theatre and Tara Finney Productions - Build a Rocket[30]
  • 2019: Sh!t Theater - Sh!t Theatre Drink Rum with Expats[31]

The Holden Street Theatres' Adelaide Fringe Award is awarded to a local producer during the Adelaide Fringe and gives support in the form of venue and rehearsal spaces for a new production from the company.

Holden Street Theatres' Adelaide Fringe Award winners:

  • 2016: Gobsmacked Theatre - Dropped
  • 2017: Joanne Hartstone - The Girl Who Jumped Off the Hollywood Sign[32]
  • 2018: CCtheatreCo. - Abandon Ship[33]
  • 2019: Under the Microscope Productions - 30,000 Notes[34]
  • 2020: starheART Theatre - Dirty People
  • 2020: Millicent Sarre - Friendly Feminism for the Mild Mannered[35]
  • 2021: Taylor Nobes - Does It Please You?[36]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Frequently Asked Questions". Holden Street Theatres. Archived from the original on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  2. ↑ "Venue Hire". Holden Street Theatres. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  3. ↑ "All Saint's Church, Hindmarsh". State Library of South Australia. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  4. 1 2 aquilareen (18 September 2012), Hindmarsh All Saints Anglican church, retrieved 9 August 2019
  5. ↑ "All Saints Church, Hindmarsh". South Australian Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1858 - 1889). 15 January 1873. p. 2. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  6. ↑ "All Saints Anglican Church (former), Hindmarsh Pl (sic), Hindmarsh, SA, Australia - listing on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate (Place ID 6265)". Australian Heritage Database. Australian Government. 28 September 1982. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  7. ↑ "The South Australia Heritage Places database". maps.sa.gov.au. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  8. 1 2 Awde, Nick (2 August 2017). "From Edinburgh to Adelaide: Holden Street Theatres' award that takes fringe shows to Australia". The Stage. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  9. ↑ Keen, Suzie (21 August 2020). "Martha Lott: 'It was really in my teenage years that I found theatre was a place just for me'". SA Life. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  10. ↑ "Our Past". Holden Street Theatres. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  11. ↑ "Introducing The Holden Street Theatres' Arts Park". InDaily. 17 December 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  12. ↑ "Red Phoenix Theatre 2019 [home]". Red Phoenix Theatre. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  13. 1 2 3 Keen, Suzie (14 April 2023). "Holden Street turns to Tallulah as it enters a new era". InDaily. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  14. ↑ "Home". Guitars In Bars. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  15. ↑ Street, 180 High; Edinburgh; Eh1 1qs; Kingdom +44131 226 0026, United. "Theatre awards". Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Retrieved 23 August 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  16. ↑ "The Tailor of Inverness". Dogstar Theatre Company. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  17. ↑ "Adelaide Theatre Guide: South Australia's Comprehensive Internet Guide to Local Arts". www.theatreguide.com.au. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  18. ↑ "Fringe Vault". fringevault.com.au. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  19. ↑ "Fringe Vault". fringevault.com.au. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  20. ↑ "Glory Dazed". Australian Arts Review. 22 July 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  21. ↑ "Bitch Boxer". Oberon Books. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  22. ↑ Street, 180 High; Edinburgh; Eh1 1qs; Kingdom +44131 226 0026, United. "The curtain falls on world's greatest arts festival for 2014". Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Retrieved 23 August 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  23. ↑ "'Blood at the Root' honored at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, headed to Australia | Penn State University". news.psu.edu. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  24. ↑ Harris, Samela. "Labels by Joe Sellman-Leava". www.thebarefootreview.com.au. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  25. ↑ "Holden Street Theatres' Edinburgh Award Winners | Adelaide Fringe - 14 February - 15 March 2020". adelaidefringe.com.au. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  26. ↑ Crawley, Peter. "Stacey Gregg's play Scorch wins a Fringe First in Edinburgh". The Irish Times. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  27. ↑ BWW News Desk. "Award-Winning ANGEL Will Return to Holden Street Theatres". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  28. ↑ "Award-winning Flesh & Bone". Global Media Post. 19 January 2018.
  29. ↑ "Molly Taylor on legacy, Edinburgh and Extinguished Things". The Adelaide Review. 27 February 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  30. ↑ BWW News Desk. "The Stephen Joseph Theatre's BUILD A ROCKET Heads Down Under". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  31. ↑ "News: All The Winners Of Edinburgh Fringe Awards". Beyond The Joke. 27 August 2019. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  32. ↑ Awde, Nick (2 August 2017). "From Edinburgh to Adelaide: Holden Street Theatres' award that takes fringe shows to Australia". The Stage. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  33. ↑ "OUR AMAZING 2018 BANKSA FRINGE AWARD WINNERS | Adelaide Fringe - 14 February - 15 March 2020". adelaidefringe.com.au. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  34. ↑ "2019 BankSA Fringe Award Winners | Adelaide Fringe - 14 February - 15 March 2020". adelaidefringe.com.au. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  35. ↑ "2020 BankSA Award Winners | Adelaide Fringe - 19 February - 21 March 2021". adelaidefringe.com.au. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  36. ↑ "2021 Adelaide Fringe Awards | Adelaide Fringe - 19 February - 21 March 2021". adelaidefringe.com.au. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
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