The Working Man's Association (W.M.A) Theatre in Port Adelaide - image author's own.
The WMA Theatre is located on Nile Street in Port Adelaide. The foundation stone was laid on the 5th of December 1926 (Grieve Gillett 2004, p. 20). It was designed to serve many functions and one of them was as a picture theatre (Grieve Gillett 2004, p. 21). The inauguration of the theatre took place on Thursday 14 July 1927 (Port Adelaide News 15 July 1927 p. 8). It was built for members of the waterside workers union but this picture theatre did have some strong competition. The Art Nouveau-designed Ozone and the Star Theatre were both close by on St Vincent Street (Tod 2020, p. 11).
Built for a cost of £8,00 (Grieve Gillett 2004, p. 19) by local contractors Silver and Ollrich( The Port Adelaide News 15 July 1927, Grieve Gillett 2004, p. 19) there were two shop spaces on either side of the entrance to the theatre, with one earmarked to be used for the selling of sweets/refreshments (The Register (Adelaide) 11 May 1927 p. 2, Tod 2020, p11). The below advertisements states that one of the shops was leased to Miss Irvine.
Port Adelaide News 22 July 1927, p. 5. Image courtesy of Trove
The foyer had an island-style ticket box, a decorative Wunderlcih ceiling and murals on the walls (Tod 2020 p. 11). Wooden steps led into the theatre which was plain with some lattice work on the ceilings and murals along the walls, with seating up for possibly 1500 people over two levels (Ibid). The exterior of the building appears to be much as it is today. With some decorative flourishes to the second-story round stained glass windows which feature the initials of the WMA. It is a very handsome building. The exterior that we see today is very different from the original that was proposed by W T Matthews a Port Adelaide-based architect, but the floor plan remained much as proposed (Grieve Gillett 2004, p. 18). Although the masterplan does question who did design the hall and mentions that it is nearly identical to the Capitol Theatre in Peterborough which had been designed by Chris A Smith. (Grieve Gillett 2004, p. 21).
Images courtesy of Dylan Walker
Interior c 2004 - image from Grieve Gillett Waterside Workers Federation Hall (Fmr) Conservation Management Plan. Prepared by Grieve Gillett, November 2004. p. 9
The WMA theatre opened and was operated as a picture theatre for the members of the Waterside Workers Union and their families, but without the backing of a major chain behind it, it would struggle for the best quality product. Then in 1928, the union entered into a strike that was both bloody and damaging (Grieve Gillett 2004, p. 21). Less than two years after it opened it would cease to be used as a picture theatre. From late 1929 onwards it would be used as a performance hall and as a meeting hall. Since 1992 it has been home to Vitalstatistix and is used as a contemporary art space. The building is heritage listed.
References
Grieve Gillett, 2004 Waterside Workers Federation Hall (Fmr) Conservation Management Plan. Prepared by Grieve Gillett, November 2004.
1927 - 'Public Notices' - The Register (Adelaide) 11 May 1927, p2. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/4594863
1927 - 'The W.M.A Pictures; Successful Inauguration' Port Adelaide News 15 July 1927. p. 8. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/23765921
Tod, Les 2020, 'Pictures at The Port.' The Quarterly Journal of the Cinema and Theatre Historical Society of Australia Inc. Iss. 106, June 2020.
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