The Empire Theatre, Art Deco theatre in Toowoomba, Australia

The Empire Theatre is a heritage-listed Art Deco theatre at 56 Neil Street in Toowoomba, Queensland. Its facade is framed by palm trees, and the gold-and-bronze entry foyer holds two plinth-mounted fish tanks. The auditorium centres on a grand proscenium arch, with a stage over 13 metres wide and 12 metres deep.

The first Empire Theatre, a 2,200-seat masonry picture theatre designed by George Lane, opened on 29 June 1911 for a syndicate of Toowoomba businessmen and Brisbane promoter EJ Carroll. It burned down on 22 February 1933, and a new Art Deco theatre by Brisbane architects TR Hall & LB Phillips opened the same year, incorporating surviving 1911 brickwork and seating 2,500.

The Empire Theatre is a place where people in Toowoomba have gathered for generations to watch live performances, from local productions to touring shows. The Art Deco interior details, including geometric patterns and stylized palm frond pilasters, are clearly visible as soon as you step inside.

The theatre is in Toowoomba's city center and easy to reach on foot from most central points. Because different performance spaces have separate entrances, it is worth checking which one you need before you arrive.

The roof of the main auditorium is supported by riveted steel girders that span the full width of the space without any support columns below. This means there is no seat in the house with an obstructed view, which is rare for a theatre of this size and age.