Playhouse Theatre (Perth)

Former theatre in Perth, Western Australia

The Playhouse Theatre was a theatre in central Perth, Western Australia. It was purpose built for live theatre in 1956 and remained one of the city's principal venues for performing arts for over half a century until replaced by the State Theatre Centre of Western Australia in January 2011. It was home to the National Theatre Company from its establishment until 1984, and then to its successor, the Western Australian Theatre Company, until its disbandment in 1990. The theatre was demolished in October 2012 as part of a redevelopment of Cathedral Square.

On 11 December 1919 the Repertory Club was established in Perth, with about forty members. Its earliest productions were The Amazons and Lady Windermere's Fan, staged in 1920. Their next move was to the old composing room of the Western Australian Newspaper Company in St George's Terrace, with their first performance there on 3 August 1933. The need for the Playhouse arose as Perth's main theatre, His Majesty's Theatre was considered too large to provide a feasible venue for locally produced live theatre productions, and had been functioning principally as a cinema since the early 1940s. In the mid 1950s the board and members of the Repertory Club commenced fundraising for the construction of a smaller purpose built theatre to stage their productions.

The theatre was constructed adjacent to St George's Cathedral on Pier Street land owned by the Anglican Church, the former site of the Church of England Deanery tennis court. to a capacity audience of 700, with the opening production of John Patrick's 1953 Pulitzer Prize winning play The Teahouse of the August Moon. for the State's sesquicentennial (150th) anniversary celebrations in 1979 (WAY '79), despite hostile resistance from then state premier Sir Charles Court. However, soon after Barry's departure, the company lost its audience appeal. Despite an extensive renovation in 1982, with reduction of seating capacity, the National Theatre was liquidated in February 1984 It was demolished in October 2012 as part of a redevelopment of Cathedral Square.

A traditional proscenium arch theatre with a raked auditorium, the Playhouse had bar and conference facilities, and hosted productions from the annual Perth International Arts Festival. It was the performance and administrative home of the Perth Theatre Company for sixteen years, until the company's relocation to the new State Theatre Centre of Western Australia in January 2011. Demolition was originally planned for 2010 but postponed when the Perth Theatre Trust sought to extend its lease due to delays to the construction of the State Theatre.