Bohemia Theatre (Brisbane)

The Bohemia Theatre, built circa 1912, stood on Stanley Street in South Brisbane, on the opposite side of the Victoria Bridge to the Cremorne.  “Both theatres were most successful in the pre-talkie era” (Sunday Mail Colour 17 June 1979: 5).  The Bohemia Theatre was situated next door to Delaney’s Hotel.  Variety shows were presented frequently over the first decade of its existence; the “Classics of 1923”, for example, under the Direction of J.J. Desmond and with Blandford Theatres Ltd as the Lessee of the theatre, showcased some of Australia’s best-known vaudeville personalities including Fred and Gus Bluett, Victor Gouriet, Myrtle Power, and Sadie Gale (Program, JOL). 

The Bohemia was also used for the staging of boxing and wrestling matches (Power 24).  During the late 1920s Greater Brisbane Amusements held the lease on  the Bohemia Theatre.  Its policy was to keep the Bohemia closed so that it would not compete with the neighbouring Cremorne Theatre; therefore it was used primarily for meetings at this time.  The Brisbane Repertory Theatre Society occasionally held performance at the Bohemia in the early 1930s but the theatre had closed down by 1935 (Treading the Boards).  The Bohemia Theatre was known as the Bohemia Stadium in 1939 when it was used as the Saturday night venue for wrestling such as the bout between Paul Egel of Germany and John Samson from Esthonia, and the local Wal Geikie against the Toowoomba contender, Reg Scloss (Courier-Mail 17 Feb. 1939: 11).