When you go beneath the stage of a theatre built in 1923, you'd expect to find some interesting items but not necessarily what's been described as a beach.

The newest inhabitant of the Odeon Theatre in Norwood, the Australian Dance Theatre (ADT), has been familiarising itself with its digs during the past year and has come across some surprising subterranean relics.

They include old show programs and flyers dating to when the former cinema became a children's theatre in 1986, as well as several old Southwark longnecks from someone's sneaky drinking session, and a huge amount of sand.

The ADT's marketing department said the "Odeon beach" had been swept beneath the stage by a former production company following a show whose set depicted a desert.

The building was first known as the Star Theatre. ( Photo: Courtesy the City of NPSP Heritage Collection )

Reclaiming a 32-year connection

ADT may be relatively new inhabitants of the privately owned building, but its involvement with the Odeon stretches back to 1986 when it first reopened as a children's performance theatre.

Originally named the Star Theatre, it opened as a cinema in 1923 and showed films daily until 1937.

During World War II it was used for benefit events that raised money for various causes, war-time charities in particular.

After a long stint as the Odeon Star Theatre from 1949, it was renamed the Odeon Theatre in 1985 before opening as a performance space the following year.

The main entrance on The Parade was moved to Queen Street and is now a cafe.

The Odeon was originally built as a cinema in the 1920s. ( Website: Cinema Treasures c/o Ken Roe )

One of its first inhabitants was Patch Theatre Company and, to the surprise of the ADT team, after a local enthusiast brought in old programs from the era, ADT itself.

In September of the theatre's opening year, ADT used the space to run choreographic workshops.

It later purchased a plaque inscribed with ADT to be fixed to the back of an auditorium seat as part of a fundraising drive — and retains the seat among others in its new Tanja Liedtke rehearsal studio.

The ADT's choreographic workshops featured in coverage of the 1986 Odeon reopening. ( ABC Radio Adelaide: Malcolm Sutton )

History repeating

ADT is offering the same gesture as part of its own fundraising drive for ongoing refurbishments of the 95-year-old building, which has already had its sound and lighting upgraded along with the auditorium seating.

Frank Ford, the Adelaide Fringe founding chairman who died in September, is one such name already given a place among its newly retractable seats.

The ADT plaque from a former fundraising drive has been retained among others. ( ABC Radio Adelaide: Malcolm Sutton )

"There are some more aspects to do with configuring the space so that it's a bit larger, along with masking for the wings," ADT executive director Eira Swaine said.

"We'll also be looking at being able to enhance new technologies so that we can interact with our audiences and school children who can't otherwise access the Odeon, but we'll be able to stream out to them.

"The plaques look really beautiful and some have been bought in honour of loved ones."

Retaining Adelaide dancers

ADT is well known across Europe where its show posters can be spotted in prominent positions such as within the Paris Metro, but its achievements can sometimes fly under the radar in its hometown of Adelaide.

The Odeon's exterior was repainted for ADT. ( ABC Radio Adelaide: Malcolm Sutton )

Artistic director Garry Stewart said part of its move to Odeon a year ago, after being based in the Wonderland Ballroom in Hawthorn for 15 years, was to drive an expansion of its audience and "reinvigorate the company".

It followed the move by launching the International Centre of Choreography along with the inaugural Adelaide Dance Festival.

"All of those things are about expanding the reach of the company but also supporting the independent sector here and the wider dance sector," Mr Stewart said.

He said a lot of dancers from Adelaide had been lost interstate as they sought more opportunities.

"We're trying to stem that and create a really viable dance landscape in Adelaide."