Very rare lithographic supplement of the burning of the Prince of Wales theatre in Castlereagh Street, Sydney, on 6 January 1872.
The theatre, near the corner of King and Castlereagh streets, was built for Joseph Wyatt, who also built the Victoria Theatre, in Pitt Street, and opened on 12 March 1855. It was designed to accommodate around 3,000 patrons: 1500 in the stalls, 500 in the dress circle, gallery 500 and upper boxes 750. Wyatt was forced to sell the theatre in 1858. The theatre was destroyed by fire on the morning of 3 October 1860 with two firemen were killed when a wall of the burning theatre collapsed. It started at Holmes’s bakery adjoining the theatre.
After it burnt again on 6 January 1872 it was rebuilt for Samuel Lazar as the Theatre Royal, which opened on 11 December 1875
References:
Bevan, I. The Story of the Theatre Royal, Sydney, 1993
Irvin, E. Dictionary of the Australian Theatre 1788-1914, Sydney, 1985
Parsons, P. Companion to Theatre in Australia, Sydney 1995