The Star Theatre may be a construction site at present, but the owners hope it will be up and running next month.
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Launceston’s iconic art deco cinema is being revived and transformed to its former glory.
The project started as an idea between owners Paul Lee-Archer, Ben Davis and Andrew Quaile.
When the building came up for sale in 2015, they jokingly said they should buy it, Mr Lee-Archer said.
Now they were busy installing flooring, tiles and adding theatre seats to the venue, he said.
“We’ve been blown away by the support from the community,” Mr Lee-Archer said.
“People are quite excited.”
The theatre was first opened in 1937, but it stopped operating as a cinema in 1969.
However, Mr Lee-Archer said the plan was to establish an independent art house with a bar and cafe.
That dream was slowly becoming a reality after they started renovations earlier in the year.
The Star Theatre started recruiting for a venue manager, ushers and staff for the bar and cafe earlier this month.
Originally they had hoped to finish the building by the end of the year, but it had taken longer than expected, he said.
Tess Brunton
I recently returned from across the ditch where I worked at New Zealand Fairfax paper The Timaru Herald and developed a love of mountains. Originally I'm a mainlander from an area known for cheese, the Bega Valley, who also dabbled in radio at ABC RCAFF before finding a place in newspapers. I can often be found hiking, caving or climbing when I'm not cursing at my work computer or technology in general.
I recently returned from across the ditch where I worked at New Zealand Fairfax paper The Timaru Herald and developed a love of mountains. Originally I'm a mainlander from an area known for cheese, the Bega Valley, who also dabbled in radio at ABC RCAFF before finding a place in newspapers. I can often be found hiking, caving or climbing when I'm not cursing at my work computer or technology in general.
