20 October 1971
VANDALS DAMAGE HISTORIC THEATRE
Despite the support and encouragement received from Gulgong and district people, by the Musical Dramatic Society, there is a phantom at the Opera House. He has been making things very difficult for the M.A.D.S.
This phantom, a vandal, broke into the theatre at the weekend and destroyed some stage backdrops and left wall drawings and appropriate script that would have done the banned stage show, “O’ Calcutta” proud.
In the face of this an appeal for more shareholders in the Opera House Company by the Gulgong M.A.D.S. is steadily gaining support.
Shares are being sold at $1 with a bonus prize of $100 for the lucky shareholder.
The bonus will be declared to the lucky shareholder before Christmas as the Opera House is in need of capital to make rate payments and help put the place in order for the November showing of “See How They Run”.
This three-act comedy that is expected to bring the house down.
The Gulgong Bowling Club have invited the M.A.D.S. to put on a programme at the club on Saturday, October 30.
The newly formed Gold Diggers Band and many other acts will be featured at the show night at the Bowling Club.just to prove that the M.A.D.S. haven’t got all the talent, the popular Gulgong show couple Bob and Dolly Dwyer will be staging another of their profitable pick-a-box acts for the customers1
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Prince of Wales Opera House
Next door (to the Prince of Wales Hotel) is the Prince of Wales Opera House. Built in 1871 as a large timber and bark music hall, the opera house was used to entertain the townspeople and goldminers during Gulgong’s heyday when the town was home to 20 000 people. When the gold rush ended a decade later, the townspeople continued to make good use of the theatre. In the 1880s the Gulgong Amateur Dramatic Club used it regularly, and Henry Lawson saw his first theatrical production (The Pirates of Penzance) there. Dame Nellie Melba once sang on its stage, and Les Darcy slugged it out in a boxing ring here. The theatre closed in the 1960s but by the mid-1970s it had been saved by the revived Gulgong Amateur Dramatic Society and is still going strong. Today it is the venue for performers in the annual Henry Lawson Heritage Festival and the Gulgong Eisteddfod, is used by the Gulgong Musical and Dramatic Society and hosts world-famous visiting performers such as pianist Roger Woodward and jazz musician James Morrison2
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