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53.  Members On Tour - News From Sydney                                         by Brian Miller



             A trip to Sydney is always of interest, and my first visit in six years was no exception.  Apart from the theatrical
             scene, a cruise up the Parramatta river, followed by a coach tour of the Olympic games site at Homebush Bay,
             gives an insight of great events to come.
             With the help of a Sydney friend, a retired projectionist and actor, by buying seats in advance to the big shows
             and introducing yourself as an interstate member of a theatre historical society, you find that most theatre staff
             are only too happy to show and discuss their properties, providing it is a convenient time.
             Day 1- The IMAX THEATRE has opened at Darling Harbour and appears from the outside as a tall aluminium
             clad cylinder. About 10 rows (seating 550) of steeply raked stadium styled seats face a screen reputedly seven
             stories high. Three separate attractions are on view and the one we saw was "Antarctica". The screen image is
             quite amazing and relegates Cinerama down to almost postage stamp size by comparison. Sound is also of the
             highest quality.


             Shows commence on the hour, every hour, but actual running time of "Antarctica" was only forty minutes. With
             a top admission of $13.95 and a format mostly suited to documentaries, it will be interesting to see how this
             system will develop in the future. IMAX-3D arrives in about eight months. Vision will be fairly spectacular, with
             the wearing of special high-tech glasses, which are controlled throughout the theatre by an infra-red beam.

             The restoration of the CAPITOL THEATRE in Campbell St.  has been documented and is a must for theatre
             historians.  The slightly smaller and  slightly older sister of Melbourne's  Forum /State theatre, this  building
             provides a venue as spectacular as any live show.  Interior colours seemed a shade darker and richer than the
             Melbourne version.  New foyers  created  on  both  level  in  the  building  next door are  in a modern  style but
             discreet use of similar colours more than complement the mighty capitol.








































                                        Stage Of Capitol Theatre - by John MacCabe


             Although I had visited the old Empire/Her Majesty's Theatre several times, I had never been  to the  new Her
             Majesty's built after the fire and opened in 1973.  The Empire Theatre was located on an oddly shaped block in
             Quay Stand appeared almost triangular from the Circle.  When remodelled for "My Fair Lady" as Her Majesty's,
             false walls brought the auditorium down to a more orthodox size and an additional downstairs foyer was cre-
             ated in part of the back stalls
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