St Michael's bought the 1936 art deco cinema, which stands about 100 metres from its front gates on Chapel Street, for $3.8 million after it was passed in at auction in late 2007. The building had first been flagged as being on the market in 2005 when manager George Florence, who has run the business since 1982, indicated it was no longer viable as a cinema in the face of multiplex domination of the market. The Astor is one of the last single-screen cinemas in Australia. After St Michael's bought the building Mr Florence was granted a lease by the school to retain the venue as a repertory cinema until 2015. The school, which uses the building for assemblies each week, has done some minor refurbishment works and the cinema business has recovered to a significant degree since that low point in 2005. However, supporters fear St Michael's will not renew the cinema lease when it expires. “We fear The Astor Theatre is under threat,” the petition continues. “St Michael's Grammar School was portrayed as a white knight when it purchased the building that houses The Astor Theatre five years ago. But the school has not responded to the cinema's efforts to secure a new lease. We fear that when the current lease expires, St Michael's intends to close the building for five years before re-opening as a private school performing arts centre and uniform shop. “The Astor as generations of Australians know it will be gone. Please Protect The Astor Theatre.”

When St Michael's bought the building, head of school Simon Gipson told The Age: "We are honoured to have become the custodians of a building that holds such architectural and emotional significance for St Kilda." However, Vanda Hamilton, a lawyer for St Kilda Legal Service and a member of the Friends of the Astor Association – which was founded by Mr Florence in early 2010 - told The Age that the school had “made it quite clear that the cinema will not continue” after its lease expires in 2015. She said the school had repeatedly refused overtures to discuss the situation, and on a tour of the theatre organised by the Friends in 2010, “members of the board showed absolutely no interest in its current activities”. Late yesterday, St Michael's did respond to the Friends' claims, issuing a statement on its website in which it said the school had, since taking ownership, “been bringing the site up to current occupational health and safety standards”. The statement continued: “With the ownership of such an iconic Melbourne landmark comes great responsibility.

“Acknowledging The Astor's importance to the community, St Michael's is currently undertaking a wide-ranging process of assessment and evaluation, considering all possible options for the future of the Astor.” Whether that is enough to placate those whose emotions have been stirred remains to be seen. Most comments posted on the petition page at change.org tended to emphasise the cultural importance of the Astor or personal connections to the theatre, but there was also a strand of hostility towards the school that could prove damaging to a business that values its reputation so highly. “Refusing to even negotiate a new lease for the cinema, while within St Michael's legal rights, would be a triumph of commercialism over culture,” wrote one poster. “It would be criminal if St Michael's allow the Astor to cease existing as a picture theatre,” wrote another.

“It would be unscrupulous of St Michael's to convert it to a private facility used by a very small number of Melbournians (sic) when it remains viable as the magnificent theatre it is,” said a third. Antipathy towards private schools was evident in comments such as “Please keep it real for everyone - don't give it exclusively to a bunch of private school snots” and “St Michael's should look at providing an asset to the entire community and not just itself”. Some alumni of the school were saddened by the turn of events, too. “As a former student, I'd be ashamed of my school if this happens... Stay true to the commitment to the arts you've claimed to have all these years.” The Friends of the Astor Association has planned a day of action at the Astor on Saturday June 16, with a free screening of Labyrinth and activities including Jaffa rolling. Ms Hamilton said the aim of the campaign was to persuade St Michael's to sell the Astor to a trust that would guarantee the long-term survival of the cinema as a cinema, complete with commitment to a single screen and film projection. “It's not just about protecting a beautiful building, it's about preserving what goes on there,” she said. She suggested a price of around $4.5 million might be reasonable, but admitted that at this stage the association had no funds to acquire the building should St Michael's agree to sell.

For its part, the school said nothing was set in stone. “Our overwhelming guiding principle is our desire to protect and preserve our heritage, respecting The Astor's architectural, historical and social significance,” the statement concluded. Loading “It is far too early to speculate on the long-term uses for The Astor.” Disclaimer: The author has a child at St Michael's and has frequented the Astor over the years

