Founding

Malthouse Theatre had its beginnings as ‘Hoopla!’ in 1976 when Carrillo Gantner AC, Graeme Blundell and Garrie Hutchinson formed the Hoopla Theatre Foundation. In 1980 the name was changed to Playbox Theatre Company after moving to the Playbox Theatre at 55 Exhibition Street, before it was destroyed by fire in 1984. In 2004, Michael Kantor reimagined Playbox as Malthouse Theatre after the historic venue that has been the company's home since 1990.^[2]

Original uses

The Malthouse was built in 1882 by the Castlemaine Brewery, then one of the largest in Australia, to supply its brewery on nearby Queensbridge Street. The building was constructed by Nicholas and Edward Fitzgerald, with their managing director J.B. Perrins to establish the South Melbourne Branch of the Castlemaine Brewery. It was built in the Victorian Industrial era and style.^[3]

The three storey malthouse building was converted into a theatre in the 1980s. On the front facing façade, blind arcading were modified to create window openings on the second floor level. A steel roof with unique ventilation monitors tops the building.^[3]

Other important features include unpainted decorative bricks with contrasting colours for pilasters and horizontal banding at first and second floor levels, which create a visual separation between floors. However, on the side elevation, the brickwork is uniform across all pilasters and banding.^[4]

It was later leased to Barrett Bros & Burston & Co. who also operated the large malting works on the Yarra River in Richmond, known for the large silos and Nylex sign. By the 1970s it had ceased operating and had been painted white and lost much of its architectural detail.

As theatre

The building from The Malthouse's Courtyard

The then owners Carlton & United Breweries in 1986 donated the building to Playbox Theatre Company to refurbish as their permanent home. After years of fundraising and construction, The CUB Malthouse theatre complex opened officially on 25 August 1990. The Beckett Theatre had opened 16 March 1990 with The Forty Lounge Cafe by Tes Lyssiotis and The Merlyn Theatre 28 May 1990 with Cafe Fledermaus by Robyn Archer. The ribbon was cut by a representative group of 12 people. These included John Beckett (designer), Hannie Rayson (playwright), Julia Blake (actress), Robert Taylor (production manager), Ailsa Piper (Board Member), Serena Burchell (Box Office), David Roberts (actor), Richard Jeziorny (designer), Ross Murray (stage manager), Stuart Greenbaum (composer), Jill Smith (CEO), and Carrillo Gantner (Artistic Director & Co-Founder). Campbell mcComas as "The Spirit of the Theatre" was MC. In 2014 the building was renamed The Coopers Malthouse, and then again to The Malthouse in 2020.

The Malthouse is a heritage listed building and contains several unique indoor and outdoor spaces. This includes three theatres—the 500-seat Merlyn Theatre (named after philanthropist Merlyn Myer), the 175-seat Beckett Theatre (named after designer John Beckett) and the 100-seat flexible space The Tower. Inside, the building also houses a café and bar, the Bagging Room, Hoopla! Room, Shell Room and administrative offices.

Directly outside is The Malthouse's Courtyard, and a Forecourt which is shared with the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA), Chunky Move and the Victorian College of the Arts. Malthouse Theatre's scenic workshop is located in the neighbouring ACCA building, completed in 2002, which also includes rehearsal spaces for Chunky Move, a Melbourne-based contemporary dance company.

The Malthouse venue hosts over 100 external hirer events annually ranging from festivals, performances, conferences, rehearsals and workshops. This includes large-scale festivals such as Melbourne International Arts Festival, Asia TOPA and Sugar Mountain Festival. Since 2016, The Malthouse has been a part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, programming over 20 diverse comedic acts each year.

Malthouse Theatre’s Artistic Directors

• 2015 – present Matthew Lutton
• 2010 – 2015 Marion Potts
• 2004 – 2010 Michael Kantor
• 1993 – 2004 Aubrey Mellor OAM
• 1988 – 1993 Carrillo Gantner AC

Season 2020

The Importance of Being Earnest, Grey Arias*, Macbeth (This Ignorant Present)*, K-BOX*, Is This A Room: Reality Winner Verbatim Transcription*, Do not go gentle…*, The Return*, Prima Facie*, Go To Hell*, Loaded ^[5] ( *Season 2020 productions cancelled as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic.)

Season 2019

Underground Railroad Game, Barbara and the Camp Dogs, The Temple, Cloudstreet, Wake in Fright, Solaris, My Dearworthy Darling, Australian Realness, Apocalypse Meow: Crisis is Born ^[6]

Season 2018

Picnic at Hanging Rock, Good Muslim Boy, A Pacifist’s Guide to the War on Cancer, Bliss, Going Down, Brothers Wreck, Blackie Blackie Brown: The Traditional Owner of Death, Melancholia, Blasted, Ich Nibber Dibber, Trustees^[7]

Season 2017

The Encounter, Little Emperors, The Homosexuals or ‘Faggots’, Piece for Person and Ghetto Blaster, Away, Wild Bore, Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again., Heart is a Wasteland, You're Not Alone, The Real and Imagined History of the Elephant Man, Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets, The Testament of Mary^[8]

Season 2016

Meow Meow's Little Mermaid, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Every Brilliant Thing, The Glass Menagerie, The Events, Come Away with Me to the End of the World, Edward II, The Fiery Maze, Gonzo, War and Peace (Around a Kitchen Table), Blaque Showgirls^[9]

Season 2015

Blak Cabaret, Wot? No Fish!!, Depth of Field, Nothing to Lose, Do You Speak Chinese?, Love and Information, Meme Girls, Timeshare, Antigone, I Am a Miracle, A Social Service, They Saw a Thylacine, The Listies Ruin Xmas^[10]

Season 2014

The Government Inspector, Frankenstein, Night on Bald Mountain, Ugly Mugs, The Witches, The Good Person of Szechuan, The Book of Loco, Walking into the Bigness, The Riders, Hello, Goodbye & Happy Birthday, Calpurnia Descending^[11]