For many years, the city’s various theatre groups performed in church halls, school auditoriums and shared times and space with dances and movies in other local halls.

So the arrival of the Wagga Civic Theatre in 1963 was a red-letter day for theatre groups and their audiences.

As a newspaper report of the time noted, the theatre opening was the fulfilment of a 14-year-old dream.

Years of discussions and debate over the type of hall and the facilities needed faded away in the excitement and glamour of the opening night on June 29, 1963.

The Civic Theatre – its planning, construction, opening and usage – will be one of the features of a new exhibition to be staged by the partnership of the Charles Sturt University Regional Archives and the Museum of the Riverina later this year.

The exhibition will highlight the activities of various theatrical groups which have entertained Wagga audiences from the late 1800s.

To aid the display, a number of videos of earlier shows will be included.

But while there are numerous photographs of the opening of the Civic Theatre, no video of the spectacular event has been found at this time.

Perhaps an amateur photographic enthusiast filmed the occasion?

And may be prepared to lend the film to be converted to a modern format?

If so, please contact the theatre exhibition curator, Nancy Blacklow, on 0407 011 142, or the CSU Regional Archives on 6933 4590.

The opening of the Civic Theatre was described as “a milestone in the history of our city”, attended by 500 guests.

Today, it is a focal point of visiting performances and large-scale local productions and ceremonies.

Recording its history through the forthcoming exhibition would be enhanced by film of the opening – we hope such film is out there somewhere.