Katharine Brisbane

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Katharine Brisbane

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Contributor	Katharine Brisbane
Gender	Female
Nationality	Australian
Functions	Actor, Author, Costume Designer, Designer, Director, Journalist, Producer, Reviewer, Publicist
Events	Date Function Contributor Organisation
	The Bald Prima Donna; The Lesson, The Skinner Galleries, West Perth, WA, 16 May 1965 The Deluge, New Fortune Theatre, Crawley, WA, 28 November 1964 The Fire Raisers; The Play of the Deluge, The Old Dolphin Theatre, Crawley, WA, 19 November 1964 The Bald Prima Donna; The Lesson, The Skinner Galleries, West Perth, WA, 16 May 1960 The Waltz of the Toreadors, The Playhouse Theatre, Perth, WA, August 1959 Waiting for Godot, Assembly Hall, Perth, WA, 7 April 1959 The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 The Browning Version, Assembly Hall, Perth, WA, 29 August 1958 Ondine, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 20 January 1958 Two Gentlemen of Verona, Winthrop Hall, Crawley, WA, 11 June 1955 The Circle of Chalk, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 14 December 1954 St Patrick's Day, Winthrop Hall, Crawley, WA, 11 July 1952 Tom Cobb or Fortune's Toy, The Longest Christmas Dinner, University of Western Australia, University Refectory, Crawley, WA, 11 April 1951 The Duchess of Malfi, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 21 February 1950
	Director The Bald Prima Donna; The Lesson, The Skinner Galleries, West Perth, WA, 16 May 1965 The Deluge, New Fortune Theatre, Crawley, WA, 28 November 1964 The Fire Raisers; The Play of the Deluge, The Old Dolphin Theatre, Crawley, WA, 19 November 1964 The Bald Prima Donna; The Lesson, The Skinner Galleries, West Perth, WA, 16 May 1960 St Patrick's Day, Winthrop Hall, Crawley, WA, 11 July 1952 Producer The Waltz of the Toreadors, The Playhouse Theatre, Perth, WA, August 1959 Waiting for Godot, Assembly Hall, Perth, WA, 7 April 1959 Ondine, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 20 January 1958 The Circle of Chalk, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 14 December 1954 Tom Cobb or Fortune's Toy, The Longest Christmas Dinner, University of Western Australia, University Refectory, Crawley, WA, 11 April 1951 Publicist The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 The Browning Version, Assembly Hall, Perth, WA, 29 August 1958 Actor The Duchess of Malfi, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 21 February 1950 Costume Designer Ondine, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 20 January 1958 Designer Two Gentlemen of Verona, Winthrop Hall, Crawley, WA, 11 June 1955
	Peter Mann - Actor, Costume Designer, Producer The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 The Browning Version, Assembly Hall, Perth, WA, 29 August 1958 Ondine, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 20 January 1958 Two Gentlemen of Verona, Winthrop Hall, Crawley, WA, 11 June 1955 The Circle of Chalk, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 14 December 1954 Brian Heydon - Actor, Properties Master/Mistress, Stage Manager Waiting for Godot, Assembly Hall, Perth, WA, 7 April 1959 The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 Ondine, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 20 January 1958 The Circle of Chalk, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 14 December 1954 Michael Louis - Actor The Bald Prima Donna; The Lesson, The Skinner Galleries, West Perth, WA, 16 May 1965 The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 Ondine, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 20 January 1958 Two Gentlemen of Verona, Winthrop Hall, Crawley, WA, 11 June 1955 Rupert Sadka - Actor Waiting for Godot, Assembly Hall, Perth, WA, 7 April 1959 Ondine, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 20 January 1958 The Circle of Chalk, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 14 December 1954 Philip Scutt - Actor Ondine, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 20 January 1958 Two Gentlemen of Verona, Winthrop Hall, Crawley, WA, 11 June 1955 The Circle of Chalk, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 14 December 1954 Alison Barr - Actor The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 Ondine, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 20 January 1958 Roger Bensky - Actor The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 Two Gentlemen of Verona, Winthrop Hall, Crawley, WA, 11 June 1955 Faith Clayton - Actor St Patrick's Day, Winthrop Hall, Crawley, WA, 11 July 1952 The Duchess of Malfi, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 21 February 1950 Deidre Coops - Actor The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 Ondine, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 20 January 1958 Peter Cuffley - Actor The Bald Prima Donna; The Lesson, The Skinner Galleries, West Perth, WA, 16 May 1965 The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 Dominic Donnelly - Actor Ondine, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 20 January 1958 Two Gentlemen of Verona, Winthrop Hall, Crawley, WA, 11 June 1955 John Ferres - Actor The Circle of Chalk, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 14 December 1954 St Patrick's Day, Winthrop Hall, Crawley, WA, 11 July 1952 Tim Fry - Lighting Designer Waiting for Godot, Assembly Hall, Perth, WA, 7 April 1959 Ondine, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 20 January 1958 Yole Gartner - Actor The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 Ondine, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 20 January 1958 Joan Gray - Actor Two Gentlemen of Verona, Winthrop Hall, Crawley, WA, 11 June 1955 The Circle of Chalk, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 14 December 1954 Neil Hunsley - Actor St Patrick's Day, Winthrop Hall, Crawley, WA, 11 July 1952 The Duchess of Malfi, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 21 February 1950 Maurice Jones - Designer, Set Designer Waiting for Godot, Assembly Hall, Perth, WA, 7 April 1959 Ondine, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 20 January 1958 Elizabeth King - Actor The Bald Prima Donna; The Lesson, The Skinner Galleries, West Perth, WA, 16 May 1965 The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 Margaret Maslen - Actor Ondine, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 20 January 1958 Two Gentlemen of Verona, Winthrop Hall, Crawley, WA, 11 June 1955 John McCracken - Actor Two Gentlemen of Verona, Winthrop Hall, Crawley, WA, 11 June 1955 The Circle of Chalk, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 14 December 1954 John Meddemen - Actor The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 Ondine, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 20 January 1958 Philip Parsons - Actor The Bald Prima Donna; The Lesson, The Skinner Galleries, West Perth, WA, 16 May 1965 The Duchess of Malfi, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 21 February 1950 June Pollard - Actor The Bald Prima Donna; The Lesson, The Skinner Galleries, West Perth, WA, 16 May 1965 The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 Lindsay Sedgwick - Actor The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 Ondine, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 20 January 1958 William Shakespeare - Playwright The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 Two Gentlemen of Verona, Winthrop Hall, Crawley, WA, 11 June 1955 Jeana Tweedie - Producer Two Gentlemen of Verona, Winthrop Hall, Crawley, WA, 11 June 1955 The Duchess of Malfi, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 21 February 1950 John Adamson - Actor The Duchess of Malfi, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 21 February 1950 Hilton Anderson - Actor The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 Jean Anouilh - Playwright The Waltz of the Toreadors, The Playhouse Theatre, Perth, WA, August 1959 Teresa Barbara - Actor The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 Samuel Beckett - Playwright Waiting for Godot, Assembly Hall, Perth, WA, 7 April 1959 Diane Bensky - Actor The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 Dennis Bloomfield - Actor Tom Cobb or Fortune's Toy, The Longest Christmas Dinner, University of Western Australia, University Refectory, Crawley, WA, 11 April 1951 David Bradley - Actor Waiting for Godot, Assembly Hall, Perth, WA, 7 April 1959 Arnold Braunsdorf - Actor The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 Betty Braunsdorf - Actor The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 Richard Buck - Actor Waiting for Godot, Assembly Hall, Perth, WA, 7 April 1959 Lyn Buttsworth - Actor The Circle of Chalk, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 14 December 1954 Donald Casson - Actor The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 Helene Chudolij - Actor The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 Derryn Clarke - Actor Ondine, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 20 January 1958 Jon Coleman-Doscas - Stage Manager The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 John Conroy - Actor The Duchess of Malfi, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 21 February 1950 Peter Crabtree - Actor The Duchess of Malfi, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 21 February 1950 John Drabble - Lighting Designer Ondine, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 20 January 1958 Jean Dunn - Actor The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 Friedrich Dürrenmatt - Playwright The Fire Raisers; The Play of the Deluge, The Old Dolphin Theatre, Crawley, WA, 19 November 1964 Nigel Eggington - Actor The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 David Farr - Actor Ondine, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 20 January 1958 Andrea George - Actor The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 William Schwenck Gilbert - Playwright Tom Cobb or Fortune's Toy, The Longest Christmas Dinner, University of Western Australia, University Refectory, Crawley, WA, 11 April 1951 Jean Giraudoux - Playwright Ondine, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 20 January 1958 Craig Gough - Actor The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 Susan Halley - Actor The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 Kevin Hammond - Actor Ondine, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 20 January 1958 Bill Heseltine - Actor The Duchess of Malfi, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 21 February 1950 Desmond Warwick Howard - Actor The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 Eugene Ionesco - Playwright The Bald Prima Donna; The Lesson, The Skinner Galleries, West Perth, WA, 16 May 1965 Peter James - Actor Ondine, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 20 January 1958 Murray Johnstone - Lighting Designer The Duchess of Malfi, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 21 February 1950 Pamela Kott - Actor The Duchess of Malfi, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 21 February 1950 Ruth Kott - Stage Manager Ondine, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 20 January 1958 June Langoulant - Actor Ondine, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 20 January 1958 Bruce Lawson - Actor Ondine, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 20 January 1958 Richard Lowe - Actor The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 Marie-Louise Maidment-Laurent - Actor The Bald Prima Donna; The Lesson, The Skinner Galleries, West Perth, WA, 16 May 1965 Les Marchant - Actor St Patrick's Day, Winthrop Hall, Crawley, WA, 11 July 1952 Sally McConnell - Actor Ondine, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 20 January 1958 Neville Morlet - Actor Two Gentlemen of Verona, Winthrop Hall, Crawley, WA, 11 June 1955 Bernadette O'Donovan - Actor Two Gentlemen of Verona, Winthrop Hall, Crawley, WA, 11 June 1955 John Oldham - Stage Manager The Duchess of Malfi, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 21 February 1950 Hugh Owen - Actor Tom Cobb or Fortune's Toy, The Longest Christmas Dinner, University of Western Australia, University Refectory, Crawley, WA, 11 April 1951 Nita Pannell - Actor The Waltz of the Toreadors, The Playhouse Theatre, Perth, WA, August 1959 Jeremy Parkinson - Set Designer The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 Brian Pope - Actor The Circle of Chalk, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 14 December 1954 Terence Rattigan - Playwright The Browning Version, Assembly Hall, Perth, WA, 29 August 1958 William Raymond - Actor The Circle of Chalk, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 14 December 1954 Robert Reid - Actor The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 Mary Reynolds - Actor Ondine, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 20 January 1958 Alan Richardson - Actor The Duchess of Malfi, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 21 February 1950 David Schneider - Actor The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 Jenepher Scutt - Actor Ondine, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 20 January 1958 Richard Brinsley Sheridan - Playwright St Patrick's Day, Winthrop Hall, Crawley, WA, 11 July 1952 Jill Shier - Actor Tom Cobb or Fortune's Toy, The Longest Christmas Dinner, University of Western Australia, University Refectory, Crawley, WA, 11 April 1951 Bernard Shine - Actor The Waltz of the Toreadors, The Playhouse Theatre, Perth, WA, August 1959 Jim Silsbury - Actor Two Gentlemen of Verona, Winthrop Hall, Crawley, WA, 11 June 1955 Barbara Smith - Actor Two Gentlemen of Verona, Winthrop Hall, Crawley, WA, 11 June 1955 Keith Smith - Actor The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 Robert Smith - Actor Two Gentlemen of Verona, Winthrop Hall, Crawley, WA, 11 June 1955 Ruth Smith - Actor The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 Natalie Sugden - Costume Designer Ondine, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 20 January 1958 Margaret Swan - Actor St Patrick's Day, Winthrop Hall, Crawley, WA, 11 July 1952 Evan Taplin - Actor The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 Neville Teede - Actor The Duchess of Malfi, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 21 February 1950 Michael Thompson - Actor Ondine, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 20 January 1958 Noel Trotter - Actor Two Gentlemen of Verona, Winthrop Hall, Crawley, WA, 11 June 1955 Ian Tweedie - Actor Two Gentlemen of Verona, Winthrop Hall, Crawley, WA, 11 June 1955 Alan Uhe - Actor St Patrick's Day, Winthrop Hall, Crawley, WA, 11 July 1952 Maurice Valency - Adaptor Ondine, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 20 January 1958 Arthur Wainwright - Actor Two Gentlemen of Verona, Winthrop Hall, Crawley, WA, 11 June 1955 Desmond Wake - Actor The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 Frank Waring - Actor The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 John Webster - Playwright The Duchess of Malfi, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 21 February 1950 Lesley Williams - Actor The Circle of Chalk, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 14 December 1954 Wendy Williams - Actor The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959
	GRADS The Deluge, New Fortune Theatre, Crawley, WA, 28 November 1964 The Fire Raisers; The Play of the Deluge, The Old Dolphin Theatre, Crawley, WA, 19 November 1964 Waiting for Godot, Assembly Hall, Perth, WA, 7 April 1959 The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 The Browning Version, Assembly Hall, Perth, WA, 29 August 1958 Ondine, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 20 January 1958 Two Gentlemen of Verona, Winthrop Hall, Crawley, WA, 11 June 1955 The Circle of Chalk, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 14 December 1954 The University of Western Australia, Dramatic Society The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 Ondine, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 20 January 1958 The Circle of Chalk, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 14 December 1954 St Patrick's Day, Winthrop Hall, Crawley, WA, 11 July 1952 Tom Cobb or Fortune's Toy, The Longest Christmas Dinner, University of Western Australia, University Refectory, Crawley, WA, 11 April 1951 The Duchess of Malfi, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 21 February 1950 Festival of Perth The Winter's Tale, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 19 January 1959 Ondine, University of Western Australia, The Sunken Garden, Crawley, WA, 20 January 1958 Undergraduate Dramatic Society (UDS) The Bald Prima Donna; The Lesson, The Skinner Galleries, West Perth, WA, 16 May 1965 The Bald Prima Donna; The Lesson, The Skinner Galleries, West Perth, WA, 16 May 1960 National Theatre Inc. The Waltz of the Toreadors, The Playhouse Theatre, Perth, WA, August 1959 Studio Drama Group The Bald Prima Donna; The Lesson, The Skinner Galleries, West Perth, WA, 16 May 1965
Resources	Anthology: Katharine Brisbane, Oriel Gray, Plays of the 50s Volume One, Currency Press, Strawberry Hills, NSW, One, 2007 Article: Katharine Brisbane, Actor's Equity, Companion To Theatre In Australia, 1995, 23-24 Article: Katharine Brisbane, An account of four productions at the Festival of Perth incl. The Beaux Strategem; Lysistrata; A Midsummer Night's Dream and Charley's Aunt, Australian Theatregoer, 1, 1 (Winter), 1960, 51-52 Article: Katharine Brisbane, An act of faith, Weekend Australian, 24 June 1978 Article: Katharine Brisbane, An odd duty: to lose money, The Australian, 25 May 1968, 12 Article: Katharine Brisbane, Australia Council, Companion To Theatre In Australia, 1995, 69-70 Article: Katharine Brisbane, Australian national Playwrights' Conference, Companion To Theatre In Australia, 1995, 72-74 Article: Katharine Brisbane, Bread and Butter on the Stage, National Library of Australia Article: Katharine Brisbane, Bring Us a Diaghilev, The Australian, 9 December 1967 Article: Katharine Brisbane, Confusion and Conflict over Culture, The Australian, 7 December 1967 Article: Katharine Brisbane, Democracy and the Trust, The Australian, 26 June 1967 Article: Katharine Brisbane, Entertaining Australia, Scarp, 24 (May), 1994, 31-38 Article: Katharine Brisbane, From Williamson to Williamson: Australia's larrikin theatre, Theatre Quarterly, 7, 26, 1977, 56-70 Article: Katharine Brisbane, Herman Melville's Tragic Vision, The Australian, 23 August 1967 Article: Katharine Brisbane, Investing in authors: a history of Currency Press, Voices, 3/3, Spring, 1993, 38-50 Article: Katharine Brisbane, It's a Mini-boom, The Australian, 9 September 1967 Article: Katharine Brisbane, Looking out from Australia: new directions in the Australian theatre, Island Magazine, 20, Spring, 1984, 36-40 Article: Katharine Brisbane, Mobilising for the Big Arts Battle, The Australian, 9 April 1968 Katharine Brisbane, Music Hall Theatre Restaurant, Companion To Theatre In Australia, 380 Theatre-restaurant in Neutral Bay Junction, Sydney, opened on 8 November 1961 by George and Lorna Miller. Closed 6 September 1980. first production East Lynne. Cast included Barry Creyton. Director: Bette Bailey Stainton. last production East Lynne. At a time when serious theatre was renewing itself in smaller and smaller venues, the Music Hall Theatre Restaurant offered actors a rare opportunity to battle with an audience from the footlights on an almost Shakespearean scale. In its heyday the Music Hall was a red plush affair with stalls and a gallery seating 500 at tables covered with red-checked cloths, and a foyer crammed with Victorian bric-a-brac. Moustachioed waiters in Edwardian waistcoats would serve the hearty patrons while the genial George and Lorna Miller, moved among them, playing violin and accordion. At 8.30 p.m. the musical director, Don Harvie, would begin the overture at the piano and the velvet curtain would rise upon an extravagant setting and an absurdly complicated plot. The audience might choose to attend to it or not. It was a challenge for any actor. The Millers opened the Music Hall in 1961 with the melodrama East Lynne, which they had produced successfully at the Bowl Music Hall in Melbourne. The new Sydney production starred Barry Creyton. The early shows were rough affairs. The villain had to learn to duck not only bread rolls but spoons and other missiles. But it was secure work and as the Music Hall's reputation grew and seasons extended to a year or more, many well-known performers learned new skills there. David Atkins, Pat Bishop, Neva Carr Glyn, Beryl Cheers, Linda Cropper, Ron Haddrick, Alexander Hay, Sheila Kennelly, Frank Lloyd and John Unicomb were among them. Barry Lovett, a versatile actor, was the much-loved master clown; he spent ten years with the company Alton Harvey was the longest-running villain. The designs, created by opera designers like Tom Lingwood, became more extravagant year by year. The mood gradually changed after John Faassen, an actor and singer, took over as director in 1966 and began writing his own shows. The plays became more sophisticated burlesques of musical and dramatic genres, particularly opera. By 1968 nationalism was making its mark. Her Only Mistake was the first show set in colonial Australia. Stanley Walsh replaced Faassen in 1970 and his first show, The Trials of Hilary Pouncefortt, tapped the new preoccupation with Australian history. It was a melodrama, critical of military authority, set in colonial Sydney in 1850. Walsh in turn was succeeded by Michael Boddy as director and resident playwright. He mounted two successful shows in 1977-78 but when he retired in 1979 the Music Hall returned to revivals. It had run out of energy by 1980, when, despite protests by loyal supporters, it closed after a two-year battle with the local council and the state government over fire safety. Article: Katharine Brisbane, Music Hall Theatre Restaurant, Companion To Theatre In Australia, 380 Article: Katharine Brisbane, Not wrong - just different, The Australian, 20 March, 1971 Article: Katharine Brisbane, Perth Festival: Blasts of Stage Discord, The Australian, 24 February 1968 Article: Katharine Brisbane, Perth in perspective: a review of the events of the Festival of Perth including the Film Festival 1961, Australian Theatregoer, 1, 3 (Feb/Apr), 1961, 52-53 Article: Katharine Brisbane, Preserving the disreputable, Hemisphere, 15, 2, March 1971, 30-35 Article: Katharine Brisbane, Tangible assets: 10 years of Australian drama publishing, Overland, 86, December, 1981, 32-38 Article: Katharine Brisbane, The Australian, 19 January 1974, 0 Article: Katharine Brisbane, The battler, the larrikin and the ocker, Commonwealth, 11, 1 (Autumn), 1988, 13-21 Article: Katharine Brisbane, The changing face of Australian theatre, Landfall, 37/1, 1983, [no pages] Article: Katharine Brisbane, The Future in Black and White: Aboriginality in Recent Australian Drama, Currency Press, 1998 Article: Katharine Brisbane, The Independent Repertoire, The Australian, 19 August 1967 Article: Katharine Brisbane, The late flowering of Ray Lawler, The Bulletin, 99/5049, 19 March, 1977, 47-48 Article: Katharine Brisbane, The Most Secret Shakespeare, Elizabethan Trust News, The Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust, Autumn, 1972, Number 2, 1972, 2-5 Article: Katharine Brisbane, The Old Tote: A Duty to Lose Money, The Australian, 25 May 1968 Article: Katharine Brisbane, The Wind of Change is Blowing, The Australian, 12 July 1967 Article: Katharine Brisbane, The young lions: playwrights leading the new nationalism, The Australian, 18 May, 1973, 7 Article: Katharine Brisbane, Theatre bigger and healthier, The Australian, 14 June 1974, 11 Article: Katharine Brisbane, Theatre in Australia, Hemisphere, 25/3, 1980, 145 Article: Katharine Brisbane, True Territorian Theatre, New Theatre Australia, July/August, 6, July 1988, 28-31 Article: Sharon Verghis, Great currency, The Australian, 19 November 2011, 6 Book: John Allen, Robert Walker, Entertainment Arts in Australia, Paul Hamlyn, Sydney, 1968 Book: Katharine Brisbane, Australian Plays of the 50s Volume One, Currency Press, Strawberry Hills, New South Wales, The University of Queensland, Fryer Library, 1, 2004 Book: Katharine Brisbane, Australian Plays of the 60s Volume One, Currency Press, Strawberry Hills, NSW, University of New England, 1, 1998 Book: Katharine Brisbane, Entertaining Australia: An Illustrated History, Currency Press, Sydney, 1991 Book: Katharine Brisbane, Not Wrong Just Different: Observations on the Rise of Contemporary Australian Theatre, Currency Press, Strawberry Hills, N.S.W., 2005 Book: Katharine Brisbane, Plays of the 60s Volume 3, Currency Press, Sydney, The University of Queensland, Fryer Library, 1998 Book: Katharine Brisbane, The Parsons Lectures: The Philip Parsons Memorial Lectures on the Performing Arts 1993-2003, Currency House, Sydney, 2003 Book: Ross Honeywill, Wasted: The True Story of Jim McNeil, Violent Criminal and Brilliant Playwright, Viking, 2010, 312pp Record: Katharine Brisbane, AustralianPlays.org, 2009 Review: Eric Irvin, Review: Katharine Brisbane, Entertaining Australia: An Illustrated History, Australasian Drama Studies, Australasian Drama Studies, c/- Department of English, Univ, 21, October 1992, 193 - 196 Review: Katharine Brisbane, '...the rare confidence of the production...takes the play by the forelock', Theatre Australia, The University of Adelaide, Library Special Collections, August 1977, 31 Review: Katharine Brisbane, 'Man And Superman' - A Period Piece, The West Australian, 27 October 1959 Review: Katharine Brisbane, A historical surprise, The Australian, 10 May 1968, 8 Review: Katharine Brisbane, A human's defiance of God, Theatre Australia, The University of Adelaide, Library Special Collections, May 1978, 24-25 Review: Katharine Brisbane, A Look at the World Outside, The Australian, 12 June 1967 Review: Katharine Brisbane, A pair of aliens, The Australian, 28 November 1970 Review: Katharine Brisbane, A sharper O'Malley, The Australian, 15 August 1970 Review: Katharine Brisbane, After 10 years, The One Day still stands up, The Australian, 18 April 1970, 21 Review: Katharine Brisbane, An Australian Strindberg, The Bulletin, 99, 5055, April 1977, 65-66 Review: Katharine Brisbane, An exultant debut, Theatre Australia, March 1979, 21-22 Review: Katharine Brisbane, Come out fighting: The Case of Fortune and Mens Eyes, The Australian, 29 February 1968 Review: Katharine Brisbane, Flowers for a lady, The Australian, 23 February 1979 Review: Katharine Brisbane, Hedda as a Young Woman, The Australian, 25 September 1967 Review: Katharine Brisbane, Incoming and outgoing, The Australian, 28 November 1968, 10 Review: Katharine Brisbane, Investigating the ethos, The Australian, 30 May 1970, 19 Review: Katharine Brisbane, It should be a cell-out, The Australian, 29 February 1968, 7 Review: Katharine Brisbane, New Nimrod: see how it runs, The Australian, 8 June 1974, 21 Review: Katharine Brisbane, Perilous Production, 25 October 1974 Review: Katharine Brisbane, Perilous Production, National Library of Australia, 25 October 1974 Review: Katharine Brisbane, Pictures without a story, The Australian, 5 March 1979, 10 Review: Katharine Brisbane, Playwright's perilous journey, The Australian, 27 January 1971, 10 Review: Katharine Brisbane, Rum doings, The Australian, 25 April 1970, 17 Review: Katharine Brisbane, Saved by a new image, The Australian, 5 August 1970, 17 Review: Katharine Brisbane, Seeking universal truth, The Age, 19 April 1980 Review: Katharine Brisbane, Students score a spectacular premiere success, The Australian, 30 September 1970, 14 Review: Katharine Brisbane, The Australian, 11 October 1971 Review: Katharine Brisbane, The Australian, 18 October 1974, 10 Review: Katharine Brisbane, The Australian, 20 June 1970 Review: Katharine Brisbane, The Australian, 8 February 1974, 0 Review: Katharine Brisbane, The Australian, 8 July 1970, 0 Review: Katharine Brisbane, The Australian, Almost not a play at all, 29 March 1968, 8 Review: Katharine Brisbane, The invincibility of Major Biggles, The Australian, 12 December 1970, 25 Review: Katharine Brisbane, The men behind the camp humour, The Australian, 11 November 1967 Review: Katharine Brisbane, The Valiant and the avenging angel, The Australian, 15 June 1971, 9 Review: Katharine Brisbane, Theatre for the Space Age, The Australian, 14 October 1967 Review: Katharine Brisbane, Triumph for Two Plays and One Man, The Australian, 19 June 1967 Review: Katharine Brisbane, Two hard blows at man's inhumanity, The Australian, 5 February 1968, 6 Review: Katharine Brisbane, Windmill girls at Tivoli, Sydney Morning Herald, 26 July 1965, 6 Review: Katharine Brisbane, [On Stage Vietnam], The Australian, 17 June 1967
Data Set	AusStage
Contributor Identifier	255552

Researching Australian live performance