CAARP: Cinema and Audience Research Project

Renown Theatre and Gardens, Midand

Venue Summary
Name	Renown Theatre and Gardens, Midand
Address	Old Great Northern Highway, Midland, Western Australia 6056
Operation Dates	1927-01-01 - 1968-01-31
Capacity	800
Suburban/Country	Suburb
Purpose	Cinema
Screens	1
Roles

Venue Comments
From 1916 to 1926 People's Pictures, run by Alf Herbert and Gilbert Trefry, screened in Midland Town Hall. Then in 1927 they built the Renown Theatre and Gardens, each holding 8-900. The theatre faced what was then known as Newcastle Rd, later Great Northern Highway, and then Old Great Northern Highway (on the west side of the road, slightly further down from the corner than the Anglican Church, opposite the Council Club Hotel)... The gardens was built behind the theatre, fronting onto Spring Park Rd. It closed during World War 2, when blackout restrictions made open air screening impossible, and the disused site became more and more rundown. Then it was cleaned up, repainted and re-opened about 1950-53, with the traditional rows of canvas deckchairs for seating...Consolidated Theatres (R.Yelland) leased the venue from 1 July 1954...Consolidated Theatres operated the venue till it closed on 31 January 1968. The building was then used as a furniture store, till later demolished. In 1997, Good Sammy's clothing store was on the site. (Bertrand 2001) References Cinemaweb: http://www.ammpt.asn.au/CinemaWEB/SITE/view.php?rec_id=0000000429

Venue Events
Event Date	Name of Venue	Address	Latitude / Longitude	Capacity	Suburban	Purpose	Screens
1927-01-01	Renown Theatre and Gardens	Old Great Northern Highway Midland Western Australia 6056	-31.8882262 116.0029286	1600	Suburb	Cinema	1
1945-01-01	Renown Theatre			800
1950-01-01	Renown Theatre and Gardens
1954-07-01