Did you know?

There have been four Victoria Theatres on three different sites in Newcastle! The first in 1857 was a timber and iron construction on the corner of Watt and Hunter Streets that soon burnt down. The second Victoria was on Market Street and it too only lasted for just a few years, 1870-72. On the current Perkins Street site the third Victoria was built in just nine weeks and opened in 1876. Described as a "wretched apology for a theatre" this building was superseded, thankfully, by the beautiful Victoria we see today when building works commenced in 1890. The Newcastle Herald said at the time, "no expense has been spared in making the theatre the most complete, comfortable, and handsome structure of its size and description in Australia…". This Victoria Theatre then underwent a major refurbishment in 1921 to ready it for motion pictures and that was when the current spectacular dress circle was extended.