Amateur Theatre

The controversial Patricia Hackett was the first woman in Adelaide to own and direct her own private theatre. The Torch Theatre originally started in 1934 -1935, and then reopened in 1952-1955 in the basement of Hackett’s home on Hackney Road, St Peters.  Hackett presented unconventional plays that shocked conservative Adelaide audiences.

Jean Marshall was a prominent Adelaide director and actor, directing her first play at age 21 in 1939. During her career she worked with many of the major Adelaide theatre companies including Adelaide Theatre Group, Repertory Theatre and Theatre 62. She directed Alan Seymour’s Swamp Creatures (1961) and Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman (1968) for the University of Adelaide Theatre Guild.