His Majesty’s Theatre revitalised

  • McGowan Government’s $6.5 million investment into the refurbishment of hospitality spaces at His Majesty’s Theatre has come to fruition with the re-opening of the café today
  • A new automated orchestra pit lift has also been installed, improving worker safety
  • The stage remained operational during the works
  • After a delay due to COVID-19 restrictions, and following nearly two years of extensive refurbishment, building works at His Majesty’s Theatre are complete.

    Following a $6.5 million investment by the McGowan Government, all hospitality areas are now operational and open to the public.

    The street level café has re-opened as ‘Crew and King’, a name that references both its past and its relationship to the Theatre.

    Refurbished to reflect the opulence of the venue, visitors can expect a Western Australian dining experience – with local produce featured prominently on the menu.

    Extensive work has been undertaken by the staff to ensure the café meets all COVID-19 safety and social distancing guidelines.

    Additional works undertaken since 2018 have included:

    • a state-of-the-art orchestra pit lift, new acoustic treatments and improved air conditioning ensuring optimal working conditions for musicians and improved sound quality for audiences;
    • a more spacious box office featuring counters at different heights for improved accessibility; 
    • a new entrance created at the corner of Hay & King Streets, with a ticketing window on King Street allowing for additional sales during busy periods or when the foyer is closed;
    • improved patron flow with the addition of a new staircase from Hay Street providing access to both the basement and Dress Circle Bar;
    • the addition of new universally accessible toilets with one located on the ground floor and the other on the basement level; and
    • the spaces formerly dedicated to the Museum of Performing Arts (MOPA) have been transformed into an intimate and cosy bar and foyer space that will continue to showcase some of the beautiful items from the Museum of Photographic Arts (MOPA) collection.

    The importance of His Majesty’s Theatre to the cultural fabric of Western Australia has been recognised by its inclusion on the State Register of Heritage Places and the Register of the National Estate. It has also been named a “State Heritage Icon” and is the only remaining working Edwardian theatre in the Southern Hemisphere.

    His Majesty’s Theatre was built in 1904 and is the home and principal performance space of the West Australian Ballet and the West Australian Opera.

    As stated by Culture and the Arts Minister David Templeman:

    “I am delighted to see the wonderful new spaces in His Majesty’s Theatre and look forward to the public being able to enjoy them as well.

    “I thank the architectural teams, Griffiths Architects and Taylor Robinson Chaney Broderick for their excellent work.

    “The works have created opportunities for local workers and contractors. ‘Built’ managed 45 different companies as subcontractors, 98 per cent of which were local WA businesses. Over the two-year project, 312 people worked on-site for Built.

    “His Majesty’s Theatre remained open for performance throughout much of the building process, and I thank all who worked hard to make that possible.

    “The McGowan Government is working to create spaces that welcome tourists and locals alike.

    “‘The Maj’ is such a unique asset and it is important that the State continues to look after her for the people of Western Australia.”

    As stated by John Carey MLA for Perth:

    “It’s fantastic to see these upgrades completed as we start to slowly relax social distancing rules as part of our COVID-19 response.

    “His Majesty’s Theatre is an iconic building and venue for the west end of our city – and its renewal is welcomed for the wider precinct and future activity and vibrancy.”

    /Public Release. View in full here.