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Dictionary of Sydney

The Dictionary of Sydney
Subjects
Culture and Customs
Performing Arts

The Dictionary of Sydney was archived in 2021.

Performing Arts

Subject

Lightfoot, Louise

National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association

The Australasian Art Review

The Recruiting Officer

Garcia Centre for Performing Arts

Newtown High School of Performing Arts

Old Darlington School

Palings Warehouse

Sydney Olympic Arts Festival 2000

Arts NSW

Australia Council

Chequers nightclub

Gang 364

Genesian Theatre

Gordon Frost Organisation

HMMG Pty Ltd

Kandy's Garden of Eden

Karen's Kastle

Les Girls

National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association

Newtown High School of Performing Arts

Opera Australia

PACT

Carlotta

Carmen

Connors, Mike

Coombs, H C (Nugget)

Foy, Harry

Garling, Jean

Gibson, Mel

Henry, Juliette

Hibberd, Lily

McPherson, Elle

Shields, Ella

Back cover of guide to 1978 Festival of Sydney events

Crowd watching La Traviata at the first Opera in the Park concert in the Domain 1982

Dame Joan Sutherland performing in La Traviata at Opera in the Park 1982

Kandy and friends performing at Ken's Karate Klub, Kensington 1981

Lea Sonia, Tivoli, July 1941

Madame Franzina, bicycle performer 1876

Playbill for performance of 'The Recruiting Officer' at the Theatre, Sydney, on 8 March 1800

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Performing Arts

Lightfoot, Louise

A trained architect who became a dancer and teacher, Louise Lightfoot made major contributions to two forms of dance, classical ballet and Indian dance. She founded the First Australian Ballet, and later was an advocate, teacher and entrepreneur of Indian dance forms.

National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association

From its foundation in 1975, NAISDA has played a fundamental role in training Indigenous dancers and bringing together traditional and contemporary dance styles.

The Australasian Art Review

Monthly journal of art, music and drama published by George de Cairos.

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The Recruiting Officer

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Popular Restoration comedy by Irish dramatist George Farquhar that was first produced in London in 1706 and was performed in Sydney's first theatrical production on 4 June 1789. It was performed by convicts in a 'convict-built hut', in honour of the birthday of King George III. The Governor, Captain Arthur Phillip and other officers were in the audience. The event inspired author Thomas Keneally to write the novel, The Playmaker in 1987.

Garcia Centre for Performing Arts

Four terraces bought by the Sisters of Charity before they were completed and converted to a school of singing and music.

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Newtown High School of Performing Arts

Public school buildings which have been extended for over a century to accommodate the changing needs of education.

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Old Darlington School

Gothic Revival style brick school building designed by George Allen Mansfield built in 1878. In use as part of the Darlington Public School until 1975 when the land was transferred to University of Sydney. Surrounding buildings, including the Town Hall, were demolished. The University of Sydney undertook a major restoration of the Darlington School in 2014. As a result of the inspection of old drawings, it was possible for the roof changes of the 1920s to be reversed to the original, nineteenth century roof design. The building is now used by the University as a performance space.

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Palings Warehouse

Office building which used innovative engineering techniques to straddle the Tank Stream and featured safe deposit vaults in the basement. Only the facade still exists as a reminder of the musical heritage of the area.

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Sydney Olympic Arts Festival 2000

Cultural festival showcasing Australia's creative and performing arts, held in conjunction with the Sydney Olympics in Aug-Sept 2000.

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Arts NSW

State government arts policy and funding body.

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Australia Council

Arts council responsible for funding arts projects, policy implementation and arts promotion in Australia, providing advice on cultural matters to the Commonwealth Government through the Minister for the Arts.

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Chequers nightclub

Nightclub established by Chinese entrepreneurs Denis and Keith Wong which attracted a colourful and often notorious clientele to its original basement location in The Strand Arcade in the 1950s. It then moved to 79 Goulburn Street.

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Gang 364

Group of waterside workers considered cultural activists within the union. They comprised actors, musicians and artists, many of whom had returned from World War I and been unable to find work in their chosen field.

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Genesian Theatre

Theatre company formed by members of the Catholic Youth Organisation intent upon forming a full scale dramatic group.

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Gordon Frost Organisation

Entrepreneurial organisation founded as a sales and marketing consultancy to the entertainment industry.

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HMMG Pty Ltd

Formerly Harry M Miller Group, the company specialises in the management of high profile and emerging media, literary and producer talent. It was established by the celebrity agent and publicist Harry M Miller.

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Kandy's Garden of Eden

Drag venue at 95 Enmore Road Enmore.

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Karen's Kastle

Nightclub in Redfern featuring drag shows

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Les Girls

Legendary Kings Cross 'drag' show. The Carousel Club was purpose built by underworld figure Abe Saffron to house the show.

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National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association

Training college for Indigenous dancers which was based in Gosford's Mount Penang Gardens. Graduates have worked in arts management, dance, music, theatre and film, both at the elite and community level. The Bangarra Dance Theatre developed from NAISDA.

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Newtown High School of Performing Arts

Public high school which specialises in training in the performing arts.
Operating as a technical and commercial school from 1930 then a junior boys high school, it merged with Petersham Girls High in 1989 to form the school of performing arts.

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Opera Australia

Formed by the merger of the Australian Opera and the Victoria State Opera (VSO) companies in 1996.

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PACT

Performing arts company that was founded in 1964 in response to the need for more Australian work in the performing arts. The company focuses on work with experimental and emerging artists. PACT originally stood for Producers Authors Composers and Talent but became the PACT (Producers Artists Curators Technicians) Centre for Emerging Arts. The organisation was originally based in the old Corn Exchange building on Sussex Street in the city before moving in January 1988 to to the PACT Theatre, a converted warehouse at 107 Railway Parade, Erskineville.

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Carlotta

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Transgender Australian cabaret performer and entertainer who became the most famous member of the Les Girls show, in Sydney's Kings Cross. Carlotta is the stage name of Carol Spencer.

Carmen

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Māori transgender performer or drag queen who performed in Kings Cross and Wellington, New Zealand.

Connors, Mike

Actor, comedian and theatre entrepreneur, who appeared with Roy Rene (Mo).

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Coombs, H C (Nugget)

Economist who became the first Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia. He was also a strong supporter of the arts. In 1967 he persuaded Prime Minister Harold Holt to legislate to create the Australian Council for the Arts (Australia Council) as a body for the public funding of the arts. He helped found the Australian National University and helped secure funding for the Australian film industry. He was also a supporter of the rights of Australia's Indigenous people.

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Foy, Harry

Nightclub dancer and entertainer.

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Garling, Jean

Dancer, author, critic and strong supporter of the performing arts and the State Library.

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Gibson, Mel

American actor, director and producer who lived and studied in Sydney before pursuing his career in Hollywood.

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Henry, Juliette

French woman who joined her partner, doctor Paul Rastoul, in New Caledonia in 1873 after he was exiled from France after the defeat of the Commune in Paris in 1871. She arrived in Sydney with her two children in 1874 after being deported for assisting in the attempted escape of a French communard. Paul Rastoul drowned trying to escape the following year. In Sydney she worked as a French teacher and in 1880 she married French artist Lucien Henry, another former Communard. After his departure for Paris in 1891 she began divorce proceedings. As well as taking part in Sydney's intellectual and social life, she established Cercle Litteraire Française, French literary circles in Hobart and Sydney. A monument to her was erected in Waverley Cemetery in November 1898.

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Hibberd, Lily

Visual artist and writer practicing in performance, painting, photography, video and installation. She works in collaboration with communities and artists to tell old and new stories based on places, memories and histories.

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McPherson, Elle

Model, businesswoman and actress renowned around the world as 'The Body'.

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Shields, Ella

Vaudeville singer and male impersonator who toured Australia from England in the 1920s and 1930s.

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Back cover of guide to 1978 Festival of Sydney events

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Contributed By

National Library of Australia

[The Australian Women's Weekly, 28 December 1977, p43 via Trove]

Crowd watching La Traviata at the first Opera in the Park concert in the Domain 1982

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Contributed By

City of Sydney Archives

[017\017850]

Dame Joan Sutherland performing in La Traviata at Opera in the Park 1982

full record »

Contributed By

City of Sydney Archives

[017\017851]

Kandy and friends performing at Ken's Karate Klub, Kensington 1981

full record »

By

With kind permission of

National Library of Australia

[nla.pic-vn3097662]

Lea Sonia, Tivoli, July 1941

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By

From the collections of the

State Library of New South Wales

[ON 388/Box 035/Item 245]

Madame Franzina, bicycle performer 1876

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From the collections of the

State Library of New South Wales

[a837002 / PXA 362/v3/28r]

(Mitchell Library)

Playbill for performance of 'The Recruiting Officer' at the Theatre, Sydney, on 8 March 1800

full record »

From the collections of the

State Library of New South Wales

[M SAFE 1/ 107a]

(Mitchell Library)

Culture and Customs

Circus

Dance

Entertainment and Spectacle

Music

Musicals

Opera

Theatre