IF you’re heading into the regions this month, you might consider making  a side trip to Oberon, where some  very exciting  arts activity is taking place.

An Art Deco theatre that the owners reckons looks as if  it’s landed from space, re-opens to the public in April after 40 years lying dormant.

Known locally as The Malachi, the Malachi Gilmore Hall was built in 1937 when  weekly movie-watching and Friday night dances were all the rage.

It was funded by the Oberon Catholic Church and the local bishop gave his blessing of the “futuristic”  design by Agabiti & Millane, a Sydney architectural firm.

But with the decline  in movie-going, the hall was sold in 1984 and converted into a wool handlers’ warehouse.

Now under Lucy and Johnny East, who bought the building in 2017 after discovering it was for sale while on a road trip to Oberon, The Malachi has been  restored to its original glory to become  a dedicated visual and performing arts hub in the centre of town.

The launch includes the Dance Makers Collective’s heritage-inspired dance theatre show “The Rivoli” on  April 9 and 10, Human Rabbit Entertainment’s indigenous stand-up comedy show on  April 23 and “The Producers’ Table”, a performance dinner as the finale event for a month-long food and wine festival on April 30.

“A regional town needs art to thrive and we have big plans to bring all ages of our community together at The Malachi,” says Lucy, whose great uncle worked as the Malachi’s first cinema projectionist.

The restoration has included structural and decorative repairs to the interiors, the installation of new sound and lighting systems and fitting out the auditorium with exhibition and theatre production capabilities.

The Malachi is a 200-seat hall with a proscenium stage and an unpainted canite-panelled ceiling. Its  auditorium and foyer have WA jarrah hardwood floors, a diagonal fireplace and a curved wall of glass blocks.

An  exterior restoration is planned for summer when the façade will undergo its first clean and paint job in four decades.

The Malachi is located at 124 Oberon Street, Oberon. Book here  and inquiries to 0401 262260.