History of the Theatre

 < The Theatre grew out of the Soldiers Memorial Hall

Coffs Harbour's historic Jetty Memorial Theatre was proposed in 1919 by the Returned Soldiers and Sailors Imperial League of Australia as a memorial to members of the local community who had fought in World War I.

The Theatre was built in 1927 and opened in 1928 with a gala social evening and dance.  In 1930, the theatre was leased as a cinema - an arrangement which lasted until the late 1970s.

From the early 1980s until 2003, the theatre has been managed by a community-based Council committee which, through its members' hard work, developed the building into a community venue for the cultural arts and live theatre.

Hard work by the community saw the Theatre become a cultural centre >

Recent Developments

In 2003, the theatre was closed and underwent a major refurbishment costing $1.6 million which transformed the building into a state-of-the-art venue capable of being adapted to wide a range of community events.

  < The Theatre was re-opened in October 2003

 

 

 

In June 2004, the refurbishment project won a Highly Commended Award at the inaugural Local Government Cultural Awards set up by the Local Government and Shires Associations of NSW. 

    < Highly Commended Award won in 2004 for theatre refurbishment