Capitol Theatre

Search for more events at this venue
Address:
Capitol Theatre
13 Campbell St
Haymarket, Sydney NSW 2000

Find more events in Sydney
Phone:
(02) 9320 5000*
 Tell the venue Liveguide referred you!
Fax:
2 9212 6014
Email:
Description:
In 1995 Capitol Theatre Management Pty Limited completed the restoration of the Capitol Theatre and became the custodian of this wonderful Sydney icon for the next one hundred years. In May 2009, Capitol Theatre Management Pty Limited became a wholly owned subsidiary of Foundation Entertainment Group Limited.The Capitol Theatre is a unique venue for an unforgettable event.The atmospheric theatre was an American concept that had a short but spectacular life.John Eberson and Thomas W. Lamb were the two main designers of this new style of theatre in the USA. Although their style differed they were highly competitive.Eberson invented and developed the concept of atmospheric theatre. Hundreds were built in the US between 1924 and 1932 and five in Australia – of which the Capitol is the last remaining one. Eberson designed over 500 atmospheric theatres.Lamb’s style was known as the ‘hard top’elaborate, neo-classical and a more formal theatre of which Sydney’s State Theatre is a good example.Eberson’s designs were more experimental and theatrical than Lamb’s. His eclectic style drew the crowds and he was regularly called upon to dream up new and ever more fantastic interiors. He obliged with Persian shrines, Castilian castles and Roman temples, determined never to use the same design twice. Eberson had no reservations about combining baroque with rustic Spanish for an even more dazzling effect.The atmospherics were created with a combination of lighting and projection via a Brenograph which could project dozens of different effects from erupting volcanos to flying angels, onto a specially prepared blue plaster ceiling. From a design perspective the atmospherics approach was unusual in that the interior was designed as exterior architecture to give the impression that the audience were seated in an open-air garden surrounded by exotic plants and birds.

Notify us of changes