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Universal Theatre

The Universal Theatre in Fitzroy has run continuously since it was opened in the late 1970s by Tim Woods and Greg Hocking. A two-theatre venue, the Universal is a wholly commercial organisation that hosts a wide range of shows, from fringe to overseas touring companies, with a special emphasis on comedy. Slightly seedy and run-down in appearance, despite some refurbishment, the Universal is one of the very few independent, non-subsidised theatres that survive on a commercial basis. It plays an important if largely unregarded place in Melbourne's cultural life, providing a venue for a broad mixture of popular theatre.

Helen Thomson