Theatre Royal

Australia's oldest continuously operating theatre — Georgian, gilded, still hosting nightly performances

Address 29 Campbell Street, Hobart
Opening Hours Box office Mon–Fri 09:00–17:00; tours Wed 11:00
Admission Tours AU$10; performance tickets vary

A small Georgian theatre tucked into a narrow lane in the CBD, with a four-tier auditorium, gilded plasterwork, and a painted dress-circle ceiling. The intimacy is the thing — only 700 seats, and from the balcony you can almost reach the stage. The contemporary programme, run in partnership with the next-door Hedberg rehearsal and performance complex (opened 2019), is a mix of Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra concerts, touring theatre, comedy, and the Tasmania State Opera's annual season.

Guided tours run on Wednesdays at 11:00 and are worth it for the building alone — the guide will point out the secret tunnel that was used to ferry actors to the next-door Shipwrights' Arms Hotel during long intervals. Performance schedule on theatreroyal.com.au.

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A story
The Theatre Royal opened in 1837 and has staged continuous productions ever since, making it the oldest working theatre in Australia. Noël Coward called it "a dream of a theatre"; Laurence Olivier added that "this little Georgian jewel must be preserved." It nearly wasn't — in 1984 the building was gutted by fire and only the original Georgian stage box, the cast-iron pillars, and a small portion of the auditorium survived. The painstaking restoration, completed in 1986, is the version visitors see today.

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