The online magazine of Theatre Heritage Australia
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Up on the Tightrope
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Niagara Falls. From Guide to Niagara Falls and Its Scenery, George W. Childs, Philadelphia, 1865. Internet Archive. In mid-1865, while on tour in the United States with Charles and Ellen Kean, Coppin took time off and visited Niagara Falls. His visit co-incided with tightrope walker Harry Leslie's third... -
Letters Home to Lucy
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As George Coppin travelled the world seeking money-making opportunities to make his fortune and support his growing family in Melbourne, he sent letters home to his wife Lucy. As KATE NEWEY observes, these letters, preserved in the State Library of Victoria’s Coppin Collection provide a marvellous... -
Coppin at the Margins: Some unusual initiatives in popular entertainment, 1843–63
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Within weeks of his arrival Sydney in 1843, George Coppin was on the hustle, sending letters to the authorities suggesting the establishment of a zoological gardens for the entertainment of the citizens. And this was just the beginning. MARK ST LEON explores some of Coppin’s lesser-known... -
Richard Younge; or, The second gentleman
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During his long career in Australia George Coppin was responsible to bringing dozens of important actors to Australia. Undoubtedly, the company he assembled in 1855 to open his Olympic Theatre in Melbourne was one of the most prestigeous. JOHN SENCZUK takes a look at Richard Younge, who is... -
Paul Pry Down Under: George Coppin and the Listonian tradition
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Nineteenth century theatregoers were familiar with the character of Paul Pry, the incurable busybody. Wearing a tailcoat, striped pantaloons, knee-high boots, sporting a double eye-glass and carrying a furled umbrella, he was instantly recognisable, and while respecting the costume and stage... -
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Coppin's Creatives—Scenic artists in the 1860s
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JUDY LEECH takes a personal journey in her investigation of the scenic artists who worked for George Coppin at his Melbourne theatres during the 1860s. The year is 1861 and the day after Christmas—it’s time for our pantomime—which just happens to be, this year, Harlequin Valentine and Orson; or,... -
The Coppin Collection at the State Library Victoria
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The Coppin Collection at the State Library Victoria comprises 1000s of items from playbills to posters, photos to playscripts, and a whole lot more. The creation of a new Finding Aid and the availability of newly digitised items is opening it up to new audiences. Picture librarian OLGA TSARA... -
A Profile of Charles and Ellen Kean
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PICTURE RESEARCH BY ROB MORRISON The Illustrated Weekly News (London), 22 March 1862, p.1 In anticipation of Charles and Ellen Kean’s imminent visit to the Australian colonies the local Victorian press published the following biographical articles outlining their lives and theatrical careers to... -
Julia Mathews: A great grand duchess
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Today, Julia Mathews is best known for being the paramour of explorer Robert O’Hara Burke of Burke and Wills fame. As KURT GÄNZL relates, she was also a top international prima donna of the English-language opéra-bouffe stage whose her fame was extinguished by an early death. MATHEWS, Julia [Ann... -
The Relocation of the Theatre Royal Plaque
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The Melbourne Theatre Royal in Bourke Street was demonished in 1933 and four years later, Lucy Coppin, daughter of George Coppin, unveiled a commemorative plaque. It has taken many years, but GREG SAMPSON has been on a quest to see the plaque reinstated as a visible reminder of the theatre that... -
Lucy Coppin Interview
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In 1958, George Coppin’s daughter, Lucy Coppin (1873–1960) appeared on Tom Jones’ 3UZ radio show Fifty and Over in which she reflects on her father’s legacy, theatre in Melbourne and growing up in Richmond and Sorrento. This recording has been made available by the late Peter Burgis and his... -
Peter Wyke Burgis, 1936–2025
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GEOFF ORR pays tribute to his long-time friend and mentor Peter Burgis, who passed away on 5 March 2025, aged 88 years. Peter Burgis in the early 1970s with his collection of many gramophones and cylinder machines in the Hornsby extension to the Burgis family home. Built by the well known record... -
Ron Field, 1925–2025
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Ron Field, 7 October 1925 – 20 January 2025 Ron came to Australia from England in 1949 and worked as a Stage Director with the Arrow Theatre straight away; 1950-52. Then came the Union Repertory Company, 1952-55, The Elizabethan Trust, 1955-58 and then became Manager of the Union Theatre,... -
Gloden Mercer, 1934–2025
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Gloden Mercer, 19 January 1934 - 13 January 2025 Gloden Mercer was a regular singer for The Australian Opera Company, working with such stars as Dame Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. She was one of only five Australians selected for the Sutherland-Williamson Grand Opera... -
Alexander Archdale and the Community Theatre
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ROLAND ROCCHICCIOLI pays tribute to Alexander Archdale, a forgotten man of the theatre and his consuming vision. Serving in WW2. In London, 1951, Alex Archdale suffered a serious heart attack. Consequently, to convalesce he came to Sydney to visit his sister, Betty, 1952. Embraced by the local... -
Roland Rocchiccioli Ruminates on the Enigmatic Acting of Joan Bruce
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Joan Bruce (1928–2014) was an actress of endless talent! ROLAND ROCCHICCIOLI worked with her as an assistant stage manager at The Playhouse in Perth, and the Community Theatre in Killara. Joan made a lasting impression. To the end, he remained in awe of her capacity to weave her magic for the... -
Melchor, the mini-Kiwi tenorino
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Very little has been written about the pint-sized English-born New Zealand tenor Melchor Winter, but the discovery of a photograph of him prompted KURT GÄNZL to dig out some old notes and pen a biography. WINTER, Melchor [WINTER, Thomas William] (b. Hereford, 13 December 1826; d. Christchurch, New... -
Memory of a Playwright: Dorothy Hewett
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DOROTHY HEWETT’S DRAMA, MEMORY AND AUSTRALIAN THEATRE by Peter Beaglehole, Brill, 2024 ‘The pathway to understanding Hewett’s plays is a dramaturgical pathway,’ argues Peter Beaglehole in his book Dorothy Hewett’s Drama, Memory and Australian Theatre released by Brill earlier this year. While this is... -
Obituary: Lex Marinos
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Lex Marinos OAM, 1 February 1949 - 13 September 2024 Lex Marinos. Photographer Greer Versteeg. Ironically, and more than once, Lex would refer to himself as a jobbing actor. If so, he was the busiest jobbing actor that I have ever seen in action. Contemplating Lex’s career makes you giddy. His... -
Lola Russell: Tribute
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Lola Russell, 28 June 1922–21 August 1924 Ageing & Changing Dynamics Today marks the end of an era, where we farewell Aunty Lola, the last surviving member of our parents’ generation. Lola, like all the elders of our family was a strong, bright and unique individual, whose spirit and energy lives... -
Lola Russell: Yesterdays and Mondays
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This story is fact written as fiction. The two principal characters are of course, the wonderful George and Lola. Rod is author, actor and friend of the family, JIM EWING. Without elaborating, it was just more comfortable for him to write the piece this way. ‘I wonder what became of their... -
Brian Buggy
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Brian Buggy OA, 8 October 1939 - 30 July 2024 Brian started his career as principal trumpeter with the Borovansky Australian Ballet and continued with J.C. Williamson’s as Musical Director at the age of twenty-one with Bye Bye Birdie and went on to conduct shows for them until its closure in 1976...
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NOTABLE PRODUCTIONS
1 September 2024
Quality Street: Overview
Author: Elisabeth Kumm
For some people the name Quality Street will immediately suggest the 1901 play by J.M. Barrie, while others will recall the brightly decorated tins of chocolates produced by Mackintosh’s in England. Indeed, the chocolate range, which was introduced in 1936, was inspired by Barrie’s play, the romantic characters on the tin being based on Miss Phoebe... Read more
11 June 2024
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Author: Rexton S Bunnett
A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum is probably the funniest of all farces written for the stage and its roots happen to be the oldest. Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart’s inspiration for the book came from the works ot Titus Maccius Plautus, a Roman playwright of the third and second centuries BC (254 to 184 BC to be exact).... Read more
16 January 2024
The Pajama Game
Author: Frank Van Straten
The Pajama Game had its genesis in a novel, 7½ Cents, which author Richard Bissell based on his experiences in his family’s pajama factory in Dubuque, Iowa. Broadway producers Hal Prince and Robert Griffith saw the story’s musical possibilities and snapped up the rights, but persuading people to work on the project proved far more difficult.... Read more
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BOOK REVIEWS
DOROTHY HEWETT’S DRAMA, MEMORY AND AUSTRALIAN THEATRE by Peter Beaglehole, Brill, 2024‘The pathway to understanding Hewett’s plays is a dramaturgical pathway,’ argues Peter Beaglehole in his book Dorothy Hewett’s Drama, Memory and Australian Theatre released ... Read more
1 March 2023
1 March 2023
1 December 2022
1 December 2022
1 September 2022
1 September 2022
1 June 2022
SERIAL ARTICLES
Following their successful ‘come-back’ tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1932–33, Madge Elliott and Cyril Ritchard returned to London via America (where ... Read more
2 September 2021
27 May 2021
9 June 2020
Madge Elliott has told us of her graduation from the ranks of the Exquisite Eight to leading lady in The Cabaret Girl, which ran for a long and happy ... Read more
31 August 2019
31 August 2019
26 May 2019
(left) Theatre Royal, Adelaide, 1881. Photo by Samuel Wright Sweet. State Library of South Australia, Adelaide. (right) C.H. Workman. Photo by Dover Street ... Read more
Title banner photos by Allans Studios published in Punch (Melbourne, Vic.), 10 December 1914, p. 21, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page13430946Clearly the ... Read more
12 December 2019
15 September 2019
19 September 2023
In this, the last instalment of J. ALAN KENYON’s memoirs, he shares more anecdotes and pays tribute to some of the men and women of the theatre and films.George ... Read more
1 December 2022
During the 1950s, scenic artist J. ALAN KENYON was back at J.C. Williamson Ltd, working on sets for Annie Get Your Gun, Oklahoma! and other plays, as he ... Read more
1 March 2022
In Part 8 of J. ALAN KENYON’s memoirs, he recalls (among other things) working on the 1940 epic film Forty Thousand Horsemen, the story of Australian Light ... Read more
27 May 2021
Scenic artist J. ALAN (GEORGE) KENYON’s memoirs continue. In this installment, after taking time out from film work, he returns to the studio where among ... Read more