The Woodville Town Hall has a history spanning 90 years. Supplied.
‘The Woodville Town Hall is a beautiful heritage building in the Adelaide suburbs; it had to be closed for a couple of years to have some major renovations and it’s been a bit under-utilised,’ said the town hall’s venue coordinator Deanna Howland.
‘It’s been reopened for a couple of years now and it is a bit of an unknown Adelaide treasure,’ she added.
For those who have never laid eyes on the space, Howland likened it to Adelaide’s much-loved Thebarton theatre, but on a smaller scale. It’s also only 20 minutes from the CBD.
‘It’s such an amazing venue, every time I take someone through it, they say, “Wow” and visibly step back and take a breath,’ she told ArtsHub.
The main hall is fully equipped with a stage, AV system, and an upstairs dress circle. The hall has two spaces, which can be hired on a daily basis or more permanently.
‘It’s a really flexible space that can fit up to 900 people, but you can have smaller groups downstairs in different configurations,’ Howland said. ‘And it’s got a smaller hall to the side as well, so it’s good for a small intimate fringe show and also for a rehearsal space.
‘We have an in-house venue production team and whoever hires the space can book staff and security through us. They can also run their own bar too, which can often be an incentive,’ Howland said.
Production of Chicago at Woodville Town Hall presented by Emma Knights Productions in May 2017. Photo credit: Nathaniel Mason.
Previously the space has been used for a variety of events for the broader community, which Howland still encourages, but there’s been a recent shift in direction to include more arts and music programming.
‘We would love to continue to use it for that, but I am interested in supporting local arts and music, and that will be a focus moving forward,’ she said.
‘Last year we had a local company put on Chicago the musical, which was sensational. It just utilised the venue so well,’ Howland said. ‘It was also, back in its day, a picture theatre for many years, so it has an old projection room, so it can still be used for film and incorporating film in an event as well.’
‘We really want to create a vibrant inclusive, diverse sustainable venue. We’re looking to really be at the forefront in the best way possible for our whole community.’
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The main hall at Woodville Town Hall.
Over 90 years old, the hall has a rich history and has previously been used to host events including Adelaide Fringe Festival shows and touring artists from Sri Lanka, Italy, India and the Philippines.
‘We’re in quite a multicultural area in Woodville,’ Howland said. ‘It’s great because a lot of those communities are not only putting on their own events but also tapping into national tours so we’d like to encourage that to continue to grow.’
Visit: www.woodvilletownhall.com.au to find out more
