From little things, big things grow

Celebrating 50 years

When the Little Theatre opened at the University of Adelaide in 1974, early users described it as ‘unbearably hot’, with ‘inadequate’ signage and ‘deplorable’ bar facilities. Fifty years later this unconventional space is still very difficult to find, has minimal room offstage, no fly tower and occasional issues with flooding. Yet for many this tiny theatre is a jewel. 

Designed by Ralph Middenway and Robert Dixon as part of the Union House development, the Little Theatre has a 7.6m thrust stage with stepped seating on three sides for a maximum audience of just 120. The unique Actors’ Gallery, inspired by Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, sits behind and above the stage area helping to make this special space incredibly versatile. 

With a front row that is essentially on the stage there is no barrier between patrons and performers. This unavoidable intimacy can test the mettle of both actors and audience, yet it is largely why this space is so beloved by both.

One of the first companies to perform in the then brand-new theatre was the University of Adelaide Theatre Guild, formed in 1938 with the goal of bringing the University and the wider community together through theatre. Compared to the 499 seat Union Hall where the Guild predominantly performed in the 1960s and ‘70s, the Little Theatre was tiny and challenging. 

The company initially trialled the space with smaller scale, riskier productions like 1974’s controversial Lulu: A Sex Tragedy, and later to try out new work by local playwrights. Through the ‘80s and ‘90s, however, the Guild began to produce more shows in the Little Theatre and since the 2000s virtually all their productions have been based there. 

After the University closed its drama degree in the late 1990s, the Guild became one of the only places where students could gain their first taste of theatre. The formation of the Theatre Guild Student Society (TGSS) in 2017 was the culmination of the Guild’s ethos of fostering new talent and encouraging students to become involved in theatre. Today the TGSS, supported by the Guild, creates three completely student devised shows every year, and TGSS alumni have gone on to perform, design and direct for the Guild proper. 

For 50 years the constraints of the Little Theatre have forced creators to find innovative and creative ways to tell their stories. Those involved in these productions, and the audiences lucky enough to see them, have reaped the benefits. Through the Guild, TGSS and the University’s Music Theatre course, Adelaide’s future theatre practitioners will continue to cut their teeth in the crucible that is the Little Theatre – with luck, for another 50 years.

Written by Gary George who first performed on the Little Theatre stage in 1987 and has been in love with the place ever since. A professional writer, editor, historian and actor, Gary is a current member of the University of Adelaide Theatre Guild’s Board of Management and regularly performs with numerous Adelaide-based theatre companies. 

Main photo by Isaac Freeman