CAARP
Cinema and Audience Research Project

The Princess Theatre opened 16 July 1912 under the management of Illawarra-based showman Mr. H. Gordon. The building was used for the exhibition of film until 1923, at which time the lease was taken up by Mr Herbert Boland managing director of Wollongong Theatres Propriety Limited. According to Parkinson (1995, p. 71) in order to avoid the Princess running in competition with the Strand also located in Corrimal and another of Wollongong Theatres Pty Ltd holdings Boland refused to allow films to be screened in the venue. For the next seven years the space was used for other forms of social activity including skating, boxing and dancing.

In 1930 local storekeeper Herbert Jones took over the leased and re-opened the cinema for the showing of silent moves. Talkies were screened from September 1931 (Parkinson 1995, pp. 71 – 72)

In April 1941 the Princess closed and reopened twelve months later after extensive renovation. The seating capacity was reduced to 723 (Parkinson 1995, p.77).
In 1965 the cinema once again underwent a refurbishment and reopened under the new name of Roma Theatre. The seating capacity was again reduced to 582 (Parkinson 1995, p.78).

On the 13 September 1971 the Roma was destroyed by fire less than an hour after a matinee screening. The blaze was thought to be caused by a fire cracker, thrown by a child patron at the screen during a matinee session which finished less than an hour before the inferno began (Parkinson 1995, p.78).

References:
Huggett, N 2002 ‘A cultural history of cinema-going in the Illawarra (1900-1950)’ PhD thesis, Faculty of Creative Arts, University of Wollongong.

Parkinson, R 1995, Gauffered Velour: a history of motion picture exhibition and picture theatres in the Illawarra district of New South Wales, 1897-1994, Australian Theatre Historical Society, Campbelltown, NSW.