Photo Info

Uploaded on: April 15, 2026

Size: 1.5 MB

Views: 25

License:

Theatre Royal 208 Main Street, Lithgow, NSW

Located in the small town of Lithgow in the beautiful Blue Mountains region to the northwest of Sydney.

The Theatre Royal was built as a live theatre, opening in 1917. In 1926-1927 it was reconstructed to the plans of architect Henry Eli White.

By 1946 it was operating as the Royal Cinema by the Lithgow Amusements Co.

In 1991 it was converted into a nightclub. This had closed by February 2004. The closed building was ‘For Sale’ in 2019 - notes by Ken Roe

UPDATE - As of April 2026, the Theatre Royal in Lithgow remains closed to the public and is currently the subject of ongoing development debates. While the building was sold to a private Sydney investor in late 2021, it has not been reopened as a performance venue.

A primary point of current contention is a planning application for a residential development on the theatre’s car park. Local groups, such as the Save the Theatre Royal Facebook group, are actively opposing the car park development. They argue that removing the parking space would permanently destroy the building’s viability as a future entertainment venue.

Because the Theatre Royal is currently out of service, local performance and cultural activities have shifted to other venues:

Contributed by Greg Lynch -