Her Majesty's Theatre

What Her Majesty's Theatre does

Her Majesty's Theatre (HMT) is a heritage-listed, 1,800-seat lyric theatre and function venue located at 219 Exhibition Street, Melbourne, Australia. The theatre operates as a venue-for-hire, presenting Broadway musicals, opera, ballet, plays, and concerts for touring productions and licensed presentations rather than producing its own shows. It is privately owned by Australian television personality and entrepreneur Mike Walsh AM OBE through Hayden Attractions Pty Ltd, which acquired the venue in November 1999 and reopened it in May 2002 following a complete rebuild of the stage house and modernization of technical infrastructure.

The venue's physical asset base is its core product: a proscenium stage (11.60m wide, 7.30m high, 13.80m deep) with an 85-line flying system, an orchestra pit expandable to 90 players, a Pavarotti Rehearsal Room, dressing room complex, and full wardrobe/laundry facilities. Three separate function spaces (Director's Box for 2-6 guests, Hayden Room for 10-80 guests, and Mike Walsh Suite for 10-45 guests) extend the venue into corporate and private events. Revenue is generated through ticket sales (distributed via authorized seller Ticketek and the in-house box office) and venue hire rates; technical production services are bundled with venue hire. The business employs 11-50 people, with all technical staff engaged on a casual basis and creative/talent staff typically supplied by touring productions.

The target customer base is dual: consumer theatre audiences attending licensed touring productions, and corporate/private event clients purchasing premium function spaces. Marketing is conducted through the company's website, the "Friends of The Maj" email newsletter, and Ticketek as the authorized distribution channel. The 2026 programming calendar includes Waitress, Death of a Salesman, Dracula Ballet, and Fiddler On The Roof, demonstrating a content mix spanning Broadway musicals, classic drama, and contemporary ballet drawn from international touring circuits.

Name

Her Majesty's Theatre

Legal name

Hayden Attractions Pty Ltd

Website

https://hmt.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1886

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Her Majesty's Theatre is a privately held, heritage-listed 1,800-seat lyric theatre in Melbourne that operates as a venue-for-hire for touring Broadway musicals, opera, ballet, plays, and concerts, and rents function spaces for corporate and private events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Entertainment Venue Services

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Event Operations & Venue Services (Box Office, FOH/BOH, Concessions) (MPAIAFAL), Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB), Theatre Services & Design (Scenic/Costume/Props/Stage Management) (MPAGABAO)

Keywords

• Live entertainment venue
• Theatre venue hire
• Musical theatre hosting
• Private function venues
• Touring production staging

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from ticket sales for theatrical productions, operas, ballets, plays and concerts. Authorized ticket sellers include Ticketek and Her Majesty's Theatre directly.
2. Venue Hire and Functions: Revenue from hiring venue spaces for private events and functions. The theatre offers Director's Box (2-6 people), Hayden Room (10-80 people), and Mike Walsh Suite (10-45 people) for events.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Her Majesty's Theatre operates a premium 1,800-seat lyric theatre venue in Melbourne for hire to touring productions, and presents Broadway musicals, opera, ballet, plays and concerts. Tickets for hosted productions are sold through authorized seller Ticketek and the theatre's own channels, and the venue also offers private function hire across three VIP spaces (Director's Box for 2-6 guests, Hayden Room for 10-80 guests, and Mike Walsh Suite for 10-45 guests). The theatre itself does not produce shows but provides the stage, full technical production services, orchestra pit, backstage facilities and front-of-house operations.

Product overview

Her Majesty's Theatre (HMT) operates as a premium lyric theatre venue for hire in Melbourne, presenting musical theatre productions, opera, ballet, plays, and concerts. The venue offers comprehensive event hosting with multiple function spaces (Director's Box for 2-6 guests, Hayden Room for 10-80 guests, and Mike Walsh Suite for 10-45 guests), full technical production services, and orchestra pit facilities accommodating up to 90 players. Additional support includes rehearsal rooms (Pavarotti Rehearsal Room), dressing room complexes, and wardrobe/laundry facilities. The theatre also offers a Friends of The Maj newsletter subscription for exclusive updates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Her Majesty's Theatre Venue Hire Premium 1,800-seat lyric theatre venue available for hire to host musical theatre, opera, ballet, plays, concerts and touring productions, featuring an 11.60m proscenium width, 7.30m proscenium height and 13.80m stage depth. Targeted at touring production companies and event producers requiring large-scale Melbourne CBD stage infrastructure.
• Ticketing Services Ticket sales for theatre shows, opera, ballet, plays and concerts hosted at Her Majesty's Theatre, distributed through authorized seller Ticketek and the theatre's own box office channels. Targeted at consumer ticket-buyers and group bookers.
• Director's Box Private Function Venue VIP private function space for 2 to 6 guests, available for hire for intimate gatherings, corporate hospitality and small private events within Her Majesty's Theatre.
• Hayden Room Private Function Venue Mid-size private function venue for 10 to 80 guests, used for corporate events, celebrations, launches and group bookings at Her Majesty's Theatre Melbourne.
• Mike Walsh Suite Private Function Venue VIP function suite for 10 to 45 guests, available for corporate events, hospitality and private functions within Her Majesty's Theatre.
• Technical Production Services Full technical production support including lighting, audio, staging and AV, organised by the Technical Manager with engagement and supervision of casual technical staff during bump-in, rehearsal and performances for touring productions.
• Orchestra Pit Facilities Orchestra pit accommodation up to 20 players comfortably (63.25 m²), expandable to 30-40 players with removal of Stalls Rows A and B (84.50 m²), or up to 90 players with demountable rear wall removed, without loss of seating at base configuration. Provided to orchestral touring productions staged at the venue.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TicketekcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTicketek serves as the authorized primary ticket seller for all productions at Her Majesty's Theatre. The partnership ensures secure ticket distribution through official channels, with the theatre warning against unauthorized resellers such as Ticketmaster Resale, Viagogo, and similar platforms.
• Neal Street ProductionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMike Walsh's Hayden Scott Productions co-produced Three Days of Rain starring James McAvoy in London's West End in 2009 with Neal Street Productions.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Direct peers

• Capitol Theatre Sydney: Heritage-listed 2,000-seat Sydney theatre hosting Broadway/West End touring productions. Comparable to HMT in scale, heritage status, and venue-for-hire model for premium international content.
• Sydney Lyric Theatre: 2,000-seat lyric theatre in Sydney hosting major musicals and touring productions. Comparable as a large-format Australian lyric theatre competing for the same international touring content as HMT.
• Regent Theatre Melbourne: Heritage-listed 2,100-seat Melbourne CBD theatre owned by Marriner Group. Hosts large-scale musicals and touring productions; directly comparable in scale, heritage status, and venue-for-hire model to HMT.
• Princess Theatre Melbourne: Heritage-listed Melbourne CBD lyric theatre (1,500 seats) owned by Marriner Group. Directly comparable to HMT as the other premium theatrical venue in Melbourne hosting major musicals, opera, and plays on a venue-for-hire basis.
• State Theatre Melbourne: 2,100-seat lyric theatre inside Arts Centre Melbourne hosting opera, ballet, and musicals. Closest scale-comparable peer to HMT in terms of seating, technical capability, and content mix.
• Comedy Theatre Melbourne: Boutique heritage theatre in Melbourne CBD (~1,000 seats) hosting plays, comedies, and smaller musicals. Comparable as a Melbourne-based venue-for-hire operation with shared touring-production customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Arts Centre Melbourne: Melbourne's primary multi-venue performing arts complex (State Theatre, Playhouse, Fairfax Studio). Government-affiliated broad incumbent operating multiple venue formats under one roof; competes for the same touring productions and corporate hire clients as HMT.
• QPAC (Queensland Performing Arts Centre): Brisbane's largest performing arts complex with multiple venues (Lyric Theatre 2,000 seats, Concert Hall). Comparable as a multi-format Australian performing arts venue competing for the same touring production slate.
• Adelaide Festival Centre: Adelaide's principal performing arts complex with multiple venues including the Festival Theatre (2,000 seats). Comparable multi-venue Australian performing arts operator competing for touring productions.

Regional players

• His Majesty's Theatre Perth: Heritage-listed 1,200-seat Perth theatre operated by the WA government. Comparable as a heritage Australian lyric theatre hosting touring musicals, opera, and ballet — though geographically distinct from HMT's Melbourne base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/hmtmelb

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Her Majesty's Theatre