From silent cinema to John Farnham-helmed disco, this theatre is back in business

4 hours ago 2

The Broadway Theatre in Rosebud was built almost 100 years ago, but the art deco theatre has lived many different lives since then.

It opened as a silent movie theatre in 1928 and acted as a dance hall during World War II. A young John Farnham was a regular performer when it was a discotheque during the 1960s. More recently it housed a vintage clothing market, which moved to a different location in 2024.

Sally Baillieu, Max Johnson and Anthony Pope inside The Broadway auditorium.

Now a local arts collective wants to transform the space into a performing arts hub. The founders couldn’t believe their luck when the site became available earlier this year.

“It’s unbelievable … It has all its original features,” said Max Johnson, co-founder of Barnacle Studios. “We found the orchestra pit, the sprung wooden dance floor. We really feel like fate intervened.”

Johnson and co-founder Sally Baillieu are Mornington Peninsula locals who previously sat on the council’s art and culture advisory panel. The duo are working to restore the theatre to its former glory and transform the site into a multipurpose creative space.

“We don’t have that asset down here … We were agitating for a creative arts hub on the southern Mornington Peninsula,” Johnson said. “Giving this asset back to the community will just enrich everybody’s lives.”

Rosebud main street in the 1940s. The Broadway Theatre can be seen on the left.

“I keep talking about the importance of third places – somewhere that isn’t work or home,”
he said. “It’s somewhere else that you can go and meet your community and be involved.”

The Broadway Theatre building is owned by the Whitaker family, who also operate the nearby Dromana Drive-In. Paul Whitaker said that his father, Frank, first got involved in the cinema industry in the 1930s.

“I’m not that old that I can remember when it first started … but it’s actually fantastic that they found us, [and can] bring the old girl back to what she was in her heyday,” he said.

Whitaker said he was proud that the theatre’s legacy was being maintained. Not only is the auditorium being restored, but a new restaurant has recently moved into the building foyer.

“I hope Rosebud is ready for it,” he said. “It will be a great thing. People recognise it ... I’m really looking forward to what they can do there.”

There has been a big push for more creative arts spaces from Mornington Peninsula residents. The council has developed initial plans to build a contemporary performing arts centre, as highlighted in its 2020-2024 Arts and Culture Plan.

Twenty-three locations (including one in Rosebud) were assessed for the project, and a site in Hastings was selected. The centre was still in its early stages and faced some financial hurdles, said Mornington Peninsula Mayor Anthony Marsh.

“Concept design work is under way, but the project cannot proceed without significant state or federal government funding,” he said. “Securing this investment remains a focus of our ongoing advocacy efforts.”

The council has also supported the Broadway Theatre project, contributing $50,000 from its community investment fund.

“This historic venue is set to become a creative beacon on the southern peninsula, breathing new life into the local arts scene,” said Marsh. “We have also supported other creative groups who use Broadway Theatre as a hub.”

Barnacle Collective is fundraising to improve the theatre facilities, most notably its bathrooms (the site currently uses portable toilets).

While a full program of performances is on the cards for 2026, a local youth theatre company has already staged a production at the theatre in August. Johnson said that it was a big moment.

Rosebud is in the second-lowest quintile of socio-economic indexes for areas, according to the latest census data, while Hastings falls into the lowest. Nearby suburbs of Sorrento, Blairgowrie and Fingal are all in the most advantaged quintile.

Johnson, who grew up in Rosebud and attended the local high school, is passionate about establishing a new creative space for the area. “Places ... keep being redeveloped, and we lose them,” he said. “We lose this cultural infrastructure, and it’s so important.

“Everyone can see that this is a real opportunity because Rosebud is so underdeveloped and underrepresented. It’s really low on the socio-economic scales. So this is an opportunity to change that narrative.”

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