If you purchased a ticket to Invermay’s Star Theatre in the 1930s, you were transported to another world.
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A brilliant neon star on the top of the building lit up the sky across Launceston, promising a place of escape and wonder.
Launceston music teacher Matthews Tyson has fond memories of going to the Star, as well as the city’s other cinemas that are now long gone.
“We went there as children and I experienced the matinees and the excitement of going to the movies, it was wonderful,” he said.
“And that stayed with me forever.”
The Star Theatre rubbed shoulders with the Plaza, the Majestic, the National and the Tatler cinemas, and as a child Mr Tyson visited all of them.
Over the years he has collected ticket stubs, posters, theatre newsletters and cuttings from The Examiner’s reports of performances and films at the theatres.
After the Star closed in 1969, it was taken over by the St Vincent de Paul Society. The property was purchased in 2015 by Paul Lee-Archer, Andrew Quaile and Ben Davis, who are now preparing to restore its former glory.
On Monday, Mr Tyson presented Anne Lee-Archer, Paul’s sister, with his collection of Star Theatre memorabilia, including a poster from the last few months of the theatre’s operation.
Mr Tyson said when the theatre closed down in 1969, he walked from Launceston to take photos of the building, fearing it would be demolished like its fellow cinema, the Plaza.
Ms Lee-Archer said her brother and his partners were working to restore the building and its history with accuracy and care into a new cinematic and dining experience for Invermay.
She said Mr Tyson’s memorabilia would hopefully become part of a mini museum of Launceston’s cinematic history, with any other Star Theatre memorabilia sought for donation.
The Star Theatre will be open to the public over the Easter weekend as a chance for the community to explore the building before refurbishment begins.
Mr Davis said he wanted to see the community enjoy the diverse range of events on offer, including movie screenings and a gala cocktail event. “This weekend is really about opening up the Star Theatre to the public before we make it into a state-of-the-art suburban cinema,” he said.
- startheatre.com.au
