Author(s): Michael T Gillies

Queensland History

How could a building—just bricks, timber and plaster—generate such extreme feelings of passion in a community? Why was this building the focal point of entertainment in the city for decades?  Find that out and more in this new detailed history of Brisbane’s Regent Theatre, the largest and most ornate theatre and picture palace built in the city of Brisbane, Queensland.  The story of the Regent from its conception in 1927 to its partial demolition in 1978 and rebirth in 1980 to its closure in 2010 is one that until now has never been told.

With chapters on the design, operation and the personal experiences of those who entered its gilded interior, it is the complete A to Z of the Brisbane Regent.  There are beautiful photographic plates, historic plans and programs, and intriguing details about the new technologies used, as well as those events which shaped the Regent’s history—the ‘full house’ records, the robbery, the fire, the gun shots, the midnight demolition—it is all here.  Also included is a list of major feature films and live artists who performed on the Regent’s stage from 1929 to its close in 1978.

This book will be essential reading for those who visited the Regent, for theatre aficionados and history buffs.  It is a book for all generations to read and enjoy.