Introduction [1]
Like many aspects of white Australian culture, the Australian theatre had convict beginnings. The first stage performance in Australia was by a group of Sydney convicts, who in June of 1789, played 'The Recruiting Officer' by London playwright, George Farquhar. Regular performances, however did not begin until the 1830s when a Sydney publican, Barbett Levey, attached the Theatre Royal to his hotel. Theatre Royal, Royal Victoria and Queen's Theatre Royal, were popular names for colonial theatres, but the early buildings were not always as grand as their names. Sometimes a stage was set up in a warehouse or a large room attached to a tavern or a hotel. By the 1840s there was a Theatre Royal in Hobart (this beautiful building is still standing), a Royal Victoria in Sydney, a Queen's Theatre Royal in Melbourne, and a Queen's in Adelaide.
Theatre Royal, Hobart (Australia).
Queen's Theatre, Adelaide (Australia).
Theatre Royal, Sydney (Australia).
The Regent, Sydney (Australia).
Princess Theatre, Melbourne (Australia).
Theatrical performances began in Brisbane during the 1850s, but the city had to wait until 1881 for its Theatre Royal to be built. Perth's first substantial theatre, also called the Theatre Royal, appeared in 1897. From an early date, small halls such as those attached to mechanics' institutes, also served as venues for theatrical performances. In New South Wales (Australia) these were often called School of Arts. St. George's Hall was another popular name for smaller theatres. For example, Melbourne's theatre of that name saw early variety and music hall entertainment as did Perth's St. Georges Hall.
From the 1840s the gradually increasing white population of Australian eastern colonies began to make them attractive to touring companies and for theatrical settlers from England. Noteable among these early performers was actor-manager, George Selth Coppin, who arrived in Adelaide (Australia) in 1845. Known as the "Father of Australian Theatre," Coppin was for over 50 years, a major figure in Australian entertainment.
George Selth Coppin.
As well as being a great comic actor, his entrepreneurial activities included fine productions of Shakespeare with imported stars like G.V. Brooke, Edwin Booth, Charles and Ellen Kean, and the American comedian Joseph Jefferson. He also encouraged local talent.
The actress Julia Mathews and Nellie Stewart were among many performers whose successful careers were furthered by his management. Other Coppin enterprises included an amusement park, Cremorne Gardens, in Melbourne (Australia) and the introduction of ice-skating and bicycle riding to the Australian public.
In those times, for women especially, the stage was considered a doubtful profession. Mrs. Anne Clarke, an "actress manager," was an early entrepreneur who tried to improve the image of the actress. Arriving in Hobart in 1834, she led a troupe of actors on tour of the eastern colonies and was lessee of the Theatre Royal, Hobart. She also brought a dramatic and operatic company to Hobart in 1842 and offered free acting tuition to "respectable females" before she retired in 1846.
To people who loved the theatre, however, a leading lady was always admired and respected. It was not until the late nineteenth century that the acting profession began to be perceived as a respectable profession. The British actor, Henry Irving, was the first of the profession to be knighted in 1895, but the actress Ellen Terry was not created a Dame of the British Empire until 1925.
The gold rushes of the 1850s to New South Wales and Victoria (Australia) vastly increased the population and prosperity of the regions. Artists such as the notorious Lola Montes and the famous singers, Catherine Hayes and Anna Bishop, entertained miners in ramshackle theatres on the gold fields or the newly properous in the substantial theatres of Sydeny and Melbourne (Australia). By the 1860s there were several theatres able to hold as many as 3,000 people. Although often of uneven quality, performances of opera and ballet had been given since the 1830s. In 1861 the Irishman, William Saurin Lyster, founded the Australian opera company that was to last until Lyster's death in 1880. It was headed by English, Italian and American singers, but included some local talent such as tenor, Armes Beaumont.
Early Australian Posters and Program Covers- Part I[1]
Theatre program cover. The Maid of the Mountains (1925).
Theatre program cover. The Maid of the Mountains (1925).
Theatre program cover. Sydney's Tivoli (Australia) (1926).
Theatre program cover. Melbourne's Trivoli (Australia) (1924).
Poster. Melbourne's Princess Theatre (Australia.)
Vaudeville Program.
Program cover.
Program Cover.
Reference:
Article by Mimi Colligan, Australia Post Philatelic Group.
Like many aspects of white Australian culture, the Australian theatre had convict beginnings. The first stage performance in Australia was by a group of Sydney convicts, who in June of 1789, played 'The Recruiting Officer' by London playwright, George Farquhar. Regular performances, however did not begin until the 1830s when a Sydney publican, Barbett Levey, attached the Theatre Royal to his hotel. Theatre Royal, Royal Victoria and Queen's Theatre Royal, were popular names for colonial theatres, but the early buildings were not always as grand as their names. Sometimes a stage was set up in a warehouse or a large room attached to a tavern or a hotel. By the 1840s there was a Theatre Royal in Hobart (this beautiful building is still standing), a Royal Victoria in Sydney, a Queen's Theatre Royal in Melbourne, and a Queen's in Adelaide.
Theatrical performances began in Brisbane during the 1850s, but the city had to wait until 1881 for its Theatre Royal to be built. Perth's first substantial theatre, also called the Theatre Royal, appeared in 1897. From an early date, small halls such as those attached to mechanics' institutes, also served as venues for theatrical performances. In New South Wales (Australia) these were often called School of Arts. St. George's Hall was another popular name for smaller theatres. For example, Melbourne's theatre of that name saw early variety and music hall entertainment as did Perth's St. Georges Hall.
From the 1840s the gradually increasing white population of Australian eastern colonies began to make them attractive to touring companies and for theatrical settlers from England. Noteable among these early performers was actor-manager, George Selth Coppin, who arrived in Adelaide (Australia) in 1845. Known as the "Father of Australian Theatre," Coppin was for over 50 years, a major figure in Australian entertainment.
As well as being a great comic actor, his entrepreneurial activities included fine productions of Shakespeare with imported stars like G.V. Brooke, Edwin Booth, Charles and Ellen Kean, and the American comedian Joseph Jefferson. He also encouraged local talent.
The actress Julia Mathews and Nellie Stewart were among many performers whose successful careers were furthered by his management. Other Coppin enterprises included an amusement park, Cremorne Gardens, in Melbourne (Australia) and the introduction of ice-skating and bicycle riding to the Australian public.
In those times, for women especially, the stage was considered a doubtful profession. Mrs. Anne Clarke, an "actress manager," was an early entrepreneur who tried to improve the image of the actress. Arriving in Hobart in 1834, she led a troupe of actors on tour of the eastern colonies and was lessee of the Theatre Royal, Hobart. She also brought a dramatic and operatic company to Hobart in 1842 and offered free acting tuition to "respectable females" before she retired in 1846.
To people who loved the theatre, however, a leading lady was always admired and respected. It was not until the late nineteenth century that the acting profession began to be perceived as a respectable profession. The British actor, Henry Irving, was the first of the profession to be knighted in 1895, but the actress Ellen Terry was not created a Dame of the British Empire until 1925.
The gold rushes of the 1850s to New South Wales and Victoria (Australia) vastly increased the population and prosperity of the regions. Artists such as the notorious Lola Montes and the famous singers, Catherine Hayes and Anna Bishop, entertained miners in ramshackle theatres on the gold fields or the newly properous in the substantial theatres of Sydeny and Melbourne (Australia). By the 1860s there were several theatres able to hold as many as 3,000 people. Although often of uneven quality, performances of opera and ballet had been given since the 1830s. In 1861 the Irishman, William Saurin Lyster, founded the Australian opera company that was to last until Lyster's death in 1880. It was headed by English, Italian and American singers, but included some local talent such as tenor, Armes Beaumont.
Early Australian Posters and Program Covers- Part I[1]
Reference:
Article by Mimi Colligan, Australia Post Philatelic Group.
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