Craftmanship
9th October 2020
The team from Inspirations HQ recently went on a field trip to tour the newly refurbished Her Majesty’s Theatre in Adelaide. Originally built in 1913, the recent redevelopment sees only two of the original walls being preserved with everything else being newly installed.
However, the blend of elements between the original design and the state-of-the-art facilities have been done incredibly sympathetically as they meet the needs of the modern audience while still honouring the original building.
Opening Night 1913 | The New Auditorium – Photo by Chris Oaten (source)
Original designs and photographs were pored over and three South Australian artisans were commissioned to produce the bespoke elements found throughout the theatre. Sweeping staircases, curved balcony fronts and many of the walls were clad in wood, the pressed metal ceiling reintroduces an original Edwardian element, and the elegantly upholstered velvet and leather seating found throughout the bars in the venue were all true labours of love.
And the results? Well, they’re simply breathtaking!
It’s a redevelopment that speaks to heritage, the work of talented artisans as well as giving a nod to the current, just like much of the work produced with needle and thread.
We’re not sure if it was the ‘trained’ stitcher in each of us, but it was the attention to detail and craftmanship in each of the hand-crafted elements that struck a chord. From the vast wooden panels that saw countless thousands of holes drilled by hand, to the segmented seat backs that were each upholstered individually before being brought together in perfect formation, we found ourselves truly appreciating the number of painstaking hours that were poured into each element. The architects and artisans should be proud of the work they’ve produced and know their attention to detail and craftmanship was anything but lost on not only the Inspirations Team, but no doubt, all who will step foot into this iconic theatre in years to come.
If you’d like to see the years of work poured into the redevelopment of Her Majesty’s Theatre unfold before your eyes in but a few short minutes, you can do so HERE.