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REX THEATRE (Fortitude Valley)
aka Town Theatre / Hoyts Rex / Rex Valley
(1936-ca. 1974) Wickham Street (between Gipps and Brunswick streets).
Although best remembered as a cinema, the Rex Theatre’s first lessee, Graham Mitchell, operated it as a vaudeville house for some 14 months. The building, situated on the northern side of Wickham Street, dated back to the late 1900s when it served as a warehouse. At the time of its purchase by E. Crafti and A.J. Carter (Crafti’s Investments Pty Ltd) it was owned by Foy and Gibson. The basement was remodelled into a theatre, with the remainder of the building converted in three shops. The Rex was used for occasional live productions up until its closure. Sinbad the Sailor (featuring Peggy Ryan) was produced there in 1950, for example.
Graham Mitchell’s Jesters opened the Rex on 9 May 1936. The feature artists were Nat Hanley, Syd Beck and Len Rich.
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