A history of the Schonell

2. Official Opening… Tuesday, September 22nd, 1970

3. Opening of Schonell Theatre, 22 September 1970 by the Governor-General.Sir Paul Hasluck chats with actors Trevor Smith and Bob Wensely (who also served as UQ Union President and Senate member). Photo courtesy of Fryer Library, University of Queensland

6. “…. Few St Lucia residents make full use of the facilities to be found on their doorstep.. To people directly associated with the University through work or study, the large campus with its “KEEP OUT” signs may seem a daunting place” The Schonell would like to thank all patrons who came to our Theatre during the 1970’s, despite the KEEP OUT signs!

7. The high’s! Schonell 1sts The glory years of cinema

8. 1st Brisbane International Film Festival AUGUST 1992 here at the Schonell

9. 1st Brisbane International Film Festival AUGUST 1992 here at the Schonell

10. THIS WEEK THE SCHONELL THEATRE WILL CREATE AN AUSTRALIAN RECORD BY SCREENING 11 FEATURE FILMS IN ONE WEEK THE SCHONELL TODAY WILL BECOME BRISBANES FIRST CONTINUOUS ART CINEMA

11. 1st International Festival of Animation At the Schonell….

14. live livelive Just a few of our live shows from through the years

15. 2004

16. The dance company (N.S.W.) Sep, Oct 1977

17. 1971

20. “THE Queensland University students’ “Revue 77” at the Schonell Theatre, St Lucia, amounts to a campus triumph… The Schonell Theatre was packed last night with a capacity audience of 450, barracking the return of that once annual revue-event which has not been annual for years” DAVID ROWBOTHAM 1977

21. Movies moviesmovies Our classics, our arthouse, our exclusives

24. The SCHONELL THEATRE Is proud to announce that it has been selected for The Australian premiere of Woody Allen’s A NERVOUS ROMANCE On Monday 1st August at 5.30pm And we cordially invite you to be our guest (ADMIT 2)

28. T.V. COLOUR TV VHS LASER DISC DVD DOWNLOADING

30. “Cinema owners are feeling the pinch again as colour television establishes itself in Australia. Colour television sets will be in 50 per cent of Australian homes by 1978….” “…The current bingo craze, the T.A.B., soccer pools, more money being spent on drink, all cut down the amount of money people can spend on going to the cinema” MR SIMPSON “Since colour television began cinema audiences have gone down by 15 to 20 per cent” “Mr Chesterman said that “R” films were definitely making profits and when his hard-top cinemas showed these films they were satisfactorily patronised.”

32. 1977

33. “Colour movies on record albums are just a spin away from home television… Two of America’s giant electronics companies are preparing to market picture players that will plug into TV sets.. The two companies use rival systems – one with a stylus, the other with a laser beam… Videodiscs made for one system can’t be played on the other… “It will be a fight to the death” some TV and recording experts predict. Others argue viewers aren’t ready for either system – that both will be a gigantic flop.” CIRCA 1970’s

34. Goodbye little suburban cinemas….

35. “One of Brisbane’s oldest suburban cinemas, the Elite at Toowong, will screen its last programme tomorrow night. Lessee Mr. David McGowan, announcing the closure, said suburban theatres in Brisbane were “on their last legs”….. The Elite, which opened in the silent movie days, was regarded as Brisbane’s top suburban theatre, along with the Savoy in Clayfield, in the World War II hey-day… It was the first suburban theatre to show GONE WITH THE WIND after its first-run city release. Former owner, Mr L H Ireland, said last night the most successful programme ever was a double feature, PT-109 (the story of President Kennedy’s navy career) and one of the first CARRY ON comedies.”

40. FILM screenings are to resume at the Student Union-owned Schonell Theatre at the University of Queensland after a break of almost two years. The two screens at Brisbane's former home of alternative and independent cinema were shut down in June 2006. Student Union president Josh Young, whose Liberal team won the Student Union ballot last December on the "Fresh" slogan, is currently conducting a full-scale review of the union's $19 million operations on the St Lucia campus servicing 30,000 students. A Labor-run student union closed the Schonell because of continuing losses by the cinemas. Mr Young said: "It was obviously a business decision, but the decision to close the cinemas did not take into account their link with the pizza cafe on the Schonell terrace, and the relationship between the pizzas and the cinema. "The pizza cafe ran at a handsome profit, but now, without the film screenings, the pizza cafe is no longer profitable. "We're looking at reopening with limited screenings of second-run films to see what impact that will have on the pizza cafe operations as well." The Schonell pizzas (named after film titles or film identities and made by chef PietroAgnoletto) were a Brisbane icon, with customers wanting take-aways travelling many kilometres to collect them. The union is under strong pressure from the university administration to gut the Schonell's former Cinema 2 so it can be converted into performance space for drama students. The main cinema auditorium – also used for performing arts – underwent a $3 million renovation in 2004 to upgrade facilities and to equip it for student lectures. The university, in need of more lecture space, has use of this former between 9am and 4pm each day as a lecture hall. "We think the Cement Box Theatre linked to the Schonell would be a more suitable venue for the drama students, and we'll argue that," Mr Young said. No firm date had been set to resume film screenings at the Schonell, Mr Young said, but he anticipated it could be within a few months. "We've been talking to film distributors about access to films, and they are supporting our plan. We will be counting on support from the many people who expressed their dismay about the Schonell closing. They can help make the cinemas pay their way by coming out here. It has to be made to work.“ He said the union had many ideas to revive the cinemas, including specially themed screening nights. More use could be made of live coverage of events such as State of Origin rugby league matches or filmed concerts. The Schonell has continued to be rented for live theatre and dance performances from community groups. DES PARTRIDGE, COURIER MAIL, 12TH APRIL 2008

42. There has been a student-run theatre company based in the Schonell and Cement Box theatres since at least the 1970’s. It has gone by many names including (but not limited to) Shotgun Theatre, the Amardean players (that’s ‘Drama’ spelled backwards), A.C.R.O.N.Y.M theatre and of course, Underground Productions. The one and only Geoffrey Rush performed in one of the first plays in the Cement Box, “Hamlet on Ice”, alongside other notable names Ken Kennett and Bille Brown. Underground Productions came to being in 1999. The first season included “Bulldog Front”, written and directed by Marcel Dorney and “The Cement Box One Act Play Festival”, which was the precursor to our beloved BUGfest, a popular tradition for the company since 2000. Over the years, Underground has produced more than forty shows, with tens of thousands of audience members’ bottoms gracing the Cement Box Theatre’s seats. Courtesty student theatre Australia

43. Following is a tribute to all that have performed at the CEMENT BOX.. These photo’s are from inside and outside the building, painted by cast and crew from each performance. Whilst we have not been able to include every shot (too many) enjoy the memories.. Be warned.. Some titles are alittle cheeky and rude! The Cement Box was taken over by the University late 2009 and is now undergoing construction to provide a new lecture and learning space. Underground Productions now perform in Schonell’s Cinema 1.

45. Geoffrey Rush will open a foyer in his honour at UQ's Cement Box Theatre tonight – the place where he spent his student days making racy political statements and performing nude. ... He believed The Cement Box hosted the first Hamlet on Ice performance and he thanked his lecturer Dr Bob Jordan for his love of drama. “He just invested a great passion for the history of drama from late 19th Century up until a bit of a boom time really. Rush received a UQ honorary doctorate in 1997 and was the Alumnus of the Year in 1998. He is the guest of honour at the foyer opening, which starts at 5.30pm at The Cement Box. 28th JULY 2004 UQ NEWS

84. AUGUST 2004

90. The Cement Box was taken over by the University late 2009 and is now undergoing construction to provide a new lecture and learning space. Underground Productions now perform in Schonell’s Cinema 1.

91. WE’RE STILL HERE! Cinema was brought back in 2009 – our doors opened again with screenings of quality art house/foreign language/Australian film. We are struggling – but not giving up with our lovely patrons increasing week by week as word gets around… Our cinema prices remain at 2006 prices, and our goal is the same… to bring only the very best independent cinema. We’d like to thank JUMP STREET, MADMAN ENTERTAINMENT, HOPSCOTCH FILMS, ICON FILMS, RIALTO, PALACE, SHARMILL FILMS and all the other