The history of The National as it is now known can be separated into three eras.
*Although 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of The National Theatre, the opera, drama and ballet schools had a presence in the venue from 1972.
Our forebears, The National Theatre Movement – a not-for-profit enterprise dedicated to nurturing the talents of young Australians in the performing arts – was founded by Australian opera singer and performing arts pioneer Miss Gertrude Johnson OBE (1894-1973) in 1935. Gertrude subsequently established the National Theatre Opera School in 1935, National Theatre Drama School in 1936 and the National Theatre Ballet School in 1939.
In 1971, the National Theatre Movement purchased Hoyts Cinema’s Victory theatre for the princely sum of $220,000. Over the next two years, under the leadership of Melbourne music identity John Cargher, the venue underwent transformative renovations to convert the dress circle into a 780-seat theatre and the stalls into studios and offices for opera, drama and ballet schools. The final cost of renovations was $942,812 with more than half the funds raised through a building appeal.
Sadly, Gertrude Johnson died on 28 March 1973 and, although she had established her office in The National building, she never saw the manifestation of her incredible vision.
On Friday 24 and Saturday 25 August 1974, The National Theatre was ‘run-in’ with short seasons by the National’s ballet and opera students. The program of five new ballets was choreographed by Marilyn Jones, Nathan Arden, Jannette Lidell and Pat Martin, to music by composers ranging from Bartók and Minkus to Scott Joplin, Rod McKuen and Pink Floyd. The chosen opera was The Marriage of Figaro, produced and designed by Malcolm Steed and conducted by Robert Rosen.
On Saturday 7 September a Gala Charity Performance marked the official opening of The National Theatre.
On Saturday 24 August, The National Melbourne celebrates 50 Years in St Kilda! We are opening our doors to welcome you in for a free Open House for ballet and theatre lovers, historians, aspiring young performers, and all inquiring and creative minds who want to see inside this incredible venue and share in its history.
Located in Melbourne’s bayside suburb of St Kilda, The National Melbourne is the dream of Australian soprano Gertrude Johnson and is home to The National Theatre (est 1974), Ballet School (est 1939) and Drama School (est 1936).
From 11am until 4pm on Saturday 24 August, our much-loved heritage-listed theatre will be open to the public, with a free program of guided behind the scenes theatre tours, trial classes, and live on-stage performances by the talented students of The National Drama and Ballet Schools.
If you, your family members or friends and colleagues have a story to tell, we’d love to hear from you. Recollections will become a trove of treasures including oral and written histories, old programs, posters or photos,
or just a simple note to say I remember when…
Over the coming months, we will collate your recollections of The National and share them on our social media channels with the aim of building a digital gallery of stories, memorabilia and ephemera that will be available for all to see.