By Chris Lambie
Running a live venue can be a challenging gig. But Castlemaine’s historic Theatre Royal has enjoyed decades of devoted music and movie lovers at its helm.
For the past nine years, Felicity Cripps and Tim Heath have continued the tradition, delivering an eclectic range of entertainment formats and loving it. As parents and musicians in their own right, they’ve decided it’s time to step away and let someone new take over as The Royal’s custodians.
On Djaara Country, the Central Goldfield’s theatre has been operating continuously since 1856. If those walls could talk! Jumping forward from the goldrush heyday, hosts have shown a canny knack of giving the people what they want. Ray and (Sir) Les, John and Donna, David and Sarah all programmed unique concerts, mainstream and independent films, book launches and community events. And the occasional birthday or sports club celebration. The venue includes indoor and outdoor performance spaces and bars, fine food and a foyer displaying vintage and recent memorabilia. Tim, who grew up the town, recalls, “I did my first performance on that stage when I was 5 or 6 in a pantomime. As a teenager I’d go to movies and played in the Battle of the Bands.” The guitarist went on to play there with The Basics and the Felicity Cripps Band.
People in the Mount Alexander shire have been lucky to see major artists – local and international – in their own backyard. So often, a national tour is announced featuring ‘Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane…and Castlemaine’. Many fans from the big smoke and beyond choose the cosy ‘local’ to catch a performance rather than at a cavernous stadium. Some acts there over the years have included Ruthie Foster, Cat Power, Smog, Judy Collins, Justin Townes Earle (twice), Jason Isbell and John Mayall (who sold his own CDs in the foyer).
Tim notes, “When you look after the bands and punters, everything else takes care of itself. The band can make money and sell some merch and It’s an extra show for them. Visiting artists tell their promoters that they ‘love that place in the country. We saw kangaroos and stayed overnight’. Otherwise they’re just going city to city and staying in a generic hotel. It gives them a bit of holiday while on tour.”
The Royal has notched up a succession of Music Victoria awards as Best Regional Live Venue. “There’s a few things at play there,” Tim says. “There’s no venue in Bendigo that size that can do a standing room show. It’s not too far to drive home to the city so it’s a great incentive for people of all ages to bring group of friends up for a weekend. All the accommodation providers say they book out when there’s a big show on.”
The range of acts regularly gracing the stage swings from Babba to the Cosmic Psychos.
Tim is spoilt for choice when asked about favourite gigs booked in recent years. “It was a real highlight seeing Mulatu Astatke from Ethiopia. He’s a legend. That was a bit of a religious moment for me. Billy Bragg. Another real hero. The Blind Boys of Alabama. Some of the African bands and artists like Vieux Farka Toure and Mdou Moktar both sold out on consecutive nights. Mdou’s rider requested a room they could pray in. Not a hospitality rider you see every day.”
I mentioned the memorial gathering for late Castlemaine resident Broderick Smith. Tributes and a fabulous video/slideshow screening were followed by touching performances. Among them, Mike Rudd, Kevin Bennet and Brod’s son Ambrose Kenny-Smith. Ambrose went on to announce some friends would join him on stage. His bandmates from King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard, that is.
“I was standing with Conna from Loves Shack (neighbouring brewery and eatery) at the end of the night with only about 200 people there by then”, says Tim. “We were saying, ‘If people knew they were playing right now, you’d sell the place out for two weeks at least. So many surreal moments.”
World class acts require world class acoustics. The venue’s sound system has regularly been upgraded. “Just recently, we got some new (second hand) speakers for the PA. The quality of the gear is exceptional. A lot of venues are going digital but we’re still 100% analogue. Probably one of the only ones in the country. Our FOH engineer Mark Woods is a longtime contributor to Audio Technology magazine. He’s often reviewing gear and is extremely knowledgeable about the latest in audio. He says it makes sense to stick with analogue here, because it sounds so much better. We’ve spoken to Bruce Johnson [FOH engineer for Oasis for 19 years] who has the hire company, doing everything from pubs to stadium shows. He sold us our mixing desk and speakers and agrees. Anyone who wants a digital desk will bring their own anyway.”
Special screenings, including MIFF instalments, often incorporate Q & A sessions with filmmakers and actors. Brian Brown and Tim Winton have done readings from their books. ‘Loyal Royals’ sponsored new sofas for the downstairs space. The venue is always buzzing at State and Fringe festival times, as a lively hub in the centre of town. Meanwhile band booker Rich Moffat has locked in gigs going into 2026. Liz Stringer, Tex Perkins and Matt Walker, Martin Hayes (Ire), Ron Sexsmith (Can) and the Blues Guitar Roadshow are among the list. American Jon Spencer’s show this October sold out in a blink. Tim Says, “People from venues in the city ask, ‘How’s sales? It’s dire down here.’ But because we diversify, we don’t rely on a certain cohort or genre to buy tickets. Rich has done that really well.”
Endless stories attached to the theatre go back to its earliest days. Lola Montez performed her scandalous spider dance on the stage for the colony’s miners and miscreants. The ghost of an indigenous horseman is said to pay visits backstage. Fanny Finch cast Australia’s first female vote there. The Green Room bathtub has soothed artists winding down after a show.
As someone who likes to mix it up, I’ve personally shouted for encores at shows of every kind: Marlon Williams, David Bridie, Chris Bailey, Ed Kuepper, Hunters & Collectors ‘surprise’ gig (worst kept secret in town), Cash Savage & The Last Drinks, I Spit On Your Gravy, Graveyard Train, Ausecuma Beats, Cambodian Space Project, The Backsliders, Beast Of Bourbon, Regurgitator and Archie Roach with the Castlemaine Peace Choir. Be warned, if an artist declares they’re excited to be in ‘Cahs-elmaine’, a mass shout goes up. “Cass-elmaine!” Our Royal. The longest continuously operating theatre on the mainland. Long may she reign.