Rostrum History ©
With its architecturally exciting exterior and international profile, it would be hard to guess at the humble beginnings of The Rostrum. It began in 1946 as a modestly sized community hall and was mostly used for church dances, youth group meetings and bingo. In the 1950’s the Natural History Society began using it for their weekly meetings. With the permission of the local council they built a rostrum at one end and began holding lectures as well.
The general goings-on at the hall were decidedly unremarkable until 1953 when an incident occurred which made the front page of all the local papers. It was a Monday night and the bird-watching branch of the Natural History Society were holding a public lecture. In his now notorious speech, the lecturer, Dr Alfred Warburton contended that a particular native bird was in fact an introduced species. Mr Ted McGuire, then president of the Society, took great offence at his line of argument and the two began a heated discussion. Mr McGuire, not known for his debating skills, leapt up on to the rostrum and started taking swings at the doctor. Dr Warburton, forced to defend himself, gave Mr McGuire a hard shove. Forty-three Society members then watched in horror as their president toppled off the rostrum and crashed to the floor breaking both his arm and collarbone.
Despite all this excitement, the event may not have been heard of again, if it weren’t for what happened next, because, while her husband lay screaming on the floor, Mrs Ethel McGuire marched up to Dr Warburton and punched him square in the face. The resulting black eye was photographed by a dozen gleeful journalists and published under the heading ‘The Rostrum Incident’ in the next day’s papers.
Ted McGuire was ousted as president, but the Society continued to hold their meetings at the hall, and for a long time afterwards, actually had increased attendance. Many jokes were made about ‘taking the rostrum’ and the hall eventually became known simply as The Rostrum.
Over time the hall fell into disrepair, but the local council was unwilling to spend any money on renovations. In 1956 the building mysteriously burnt down, and although no-one was ever charged, arson was suspected. The council sold the site just as it was, to a private company, but it remained undeveloped for another 10 years until 1966, when a couple of musical producers saw its potential.
Terence and Glenda Larson both started out as actors and met in 1938 on the set of Me and My Girl. Although it was a rather dull production of the show, their romance ran hot, and on the night of the final curtain, Terence proposed. After their marriage, both of them had a change of vocation, having decided they were better at management and marketing than acting or singing. Working as a team, the Larson’s began producing musicals and touring them around the country. They became well known in the theatre community for turning ordinary shows into hits, and for their ability to make great entertainment while still keeping an eye on the bottom line.
By the 1960’s they had tired of touring, and decided to settle in Melbourne. Although there were a number of performance venues around, they were all very limited in what they could be used for. The Larson’s experience had taught them that audiences liked a traditional-style theatre, but that only multipurpose venues could make a profit. They developed an idea for a theatre complex which would have a traditional look and feel, but which would also provide ultramodern facilities and maximum flexibility. Their reputation for good management helped them convince investors they could make it work, and the availability of the old Rostrum hall site sealed the deal.
The complex opened in 1969 and was named The Rostrum in honour of the hall which once stood in its place. The first show to open there was a lavish production of Seven Wives for Seven Brothers, put on by the Larson's own theatre company, Spotlight Musicals, which naturally became the company-in-residence.
Musicals and concerts were the main fare at the Rostrum until 1977 when the Larson's retired and Spotlight Musicals disbanded. The Rostrum continued to operate but less profitably and without direction, being hired out for everything from school concerts, to academic lectures.
In 1982 the Board appointed television producer Alan Musgrave as the new director in the hope that he could take The Rostrum into a new era Their prayers were answered. The first thing Musgrave introduced was a structured Program of Events which was published in a glossy booklet and widely distributed every half-year. This immediately raised the profile of the complex in the community making it more attractive to both hirers and visitors. In 1984, he convinced the Board of the need to extend, and so a number of new rehearsal rooms and offices were added to the building. Musgrave hoped the extensions would help him attract a theatre company to take up residence, but for two years, he could not find one which met his high standards. Finally, in 1986, he came to a deal with the Highbrow Theatre Company, who then took up permanent residence at The Rostrum adding a much needed artistic profile.
The eighties, saw the Rostrum get bigger and better, but Alan Musgrave was not one to rest on his laurels. He saw that multimedia was the next big thing, and despite great opposition, again connivance the money men to approve a massive investment in new technology. This turned out to be a wise investment as venues with multimedia facilities became highly sought after. In 1992, after an extremely successful directorship, Musgrave left to work overseas.
After a long search for a new director, the Board finally appointed Sarah Cartman, a marketing wiz from the publishing world, but something of an unknown in the arts industry. Cartman had a lot to live up to, but she quickly earned the respect of staff by making conservative decisions and building on the foundations that Musgrave and the Larson's had laid. In 1994, Cartman went on an epic four month tour round the world to promote The Rostrum to major arts companies. Despite much criticism, her gamble paid off. The relationships formed on that trip resulted in numerous big international acts coming to The Rostrum, often to the surprise of other venue managers.
Cartman’s other contribution to The Rostrum has been to make a success of The Rostrum Shop. When she began her directorship it was little more than a souvenir stall, but using her connections in the publishing industry, Cartman turned it into a thriving speciality books and music store.
