Spectrum Theatre is incredibly proud of our theatre space, and the wonderful building it is located in. Located in the heart of Albany’s Historical District, the building – known colloquially to many Spectrum members as “the Old Girl” – was constructed in 1870, with Spectrum Theatre occupying the ground floor since 1980.
Our venue is well-known in Albany for its intimate auditorium and performance space, quite unlike any other in the region. Along side our auditorium and stage, we have the bio box, green room and dressing room, a kitchen area, and a long, alleyway like space where our costumes, props and stage sets are kept.
If you are interested in hiring our venue for a presentation or show, please contact us for further details. However, please note that the hiring of the space is up to committee approval, and as such, we reserve the right to only hire the venue out to organisations and performances that are in-line with the committee and theatre’s values: we are an inclusive organisation, and value inclusivity in the Arts.
Parking
The building is shared with the Albany campus of the University of Western Australia, and we share parking facilities with UWA and the businesses and residents of Proudlove Parade. As such, please be aware that during peak times, parking may not be available immediately outside the venue.
As we are resident in a heritage-listed building, we unfortunately are very limited in our accessibility requirements. You can read more about accessibility and our venue here.
The Old Post Office, where Spectrum Theatre is located, is constructed from granite quarried from Mount Clarence by convict labour, and was completed in 1870. It is the oldest post office building in Western Australia and is heritage listed.
The first floor was originally a customs-bonded store, the second floor a post office, mail sorting room, customs house and caretaker’s quarters, whilst the third and top floor eventually held a courthouse, magistrates office, prisoners’ rooms, and jury room. The western end of the building was extended in 1895 to add a more spacious post office and a twenty-five metre clock tower.
The building was placed on the Register of Heritage Places in 1993, and over its long history has been used for many purposes – as a public hall, telecommunications museum, home to the Fellowship of Australian Writers, Mission to Seafarers, Girl Guide Rangers, the Albany Pigeon Club, and a restaurant affectionately named the ‘Penny Post’, which also used part of the first floor as their wine cellar!
One of the heritage requirements of the building is that its views be unobstructed by any construction between the site and the harbour, meaning the magnificent views from the balconies will be preserved forever.
The building, excluding the ground floor where Spectrum is, became vacant in the year 2000. In 2001, major refurbishments were underway on the second and third floors in preparation for the relocation of the University of Western Australia’s Albany campus which officially opened in 2002.
From 2023, Spectrum Theatre is undertaking some major refurbishments to the theatre space in order to bring it up to compliance – as best as possible – and to future-proof the space for decades to come.