Venue |
Royal Victoria Theatre (1838-1880)
|
Address |
189 Pitt Street, between King and Market Streets Sydney NSW 2000 Australia
|
First Date |
26 March 1838 |
Last Date |
22 July 1880 |
Notes
| Opened March 1838, seating 1900 in four tiers.Architect: Henry Robertson. Auditorium rebuilt in three tiers for reopening on 2 December 1865. Destroyed by fire 22 July 1880. |
Map |
|
Latitude | Longitude |
-33.872083 | 151.206033 |
Events |
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VENUE DESTROYED BY FIRE, 22 July 1880
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The New Babylon, 24 April 1880
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Fuss. A Tale of the Exhibition, 5 April 1880
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Amphibio, the Rhine Queen or Harequin Sir Rupert, the Knight, the Naiad and the Little Water Wagtail, 26 December 1879
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Formosa or, The Railroad to Ruin, 31 March 1879
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Drill: A Parade of Girls of the World, 6 October 1877
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All for Gold, or Fifty Millions of Money, 10 March 1877
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Macbeth, 17 February 1877
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Alpine Apples, 23 December 1876
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Fra Diavolo, 23 November 1876
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Masaniello, 9 November 1876
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Ixion, 28 October 1876
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The Steeplechase, 28 October 1876
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Alice, the Shop Girl, or Poor and Proud, 2 September 1876
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La Belle Helene, 31 May 1876
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Anne Bolena, 31 May 1875
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Dinorah, 21 May 1875
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The Shaughraun, 13 March 1875
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Poliuto, 22 October 1873
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The Yellow Dwarf and the King of Hawkin's Hill Gold Mines, 26 December 1872
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Hazard or, Pearce Dyceton's Crime, 15 July 1872
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Wanted 100,000 Miners for the Gulgong Gold Diggings, 29 June 1872
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Prince Dorus or, The Romance of the Nose, 22 June 1872
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The Butcher Baronet, 12 June 1872
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Orpheus, 1 April 1872
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Euchred, 23 March 1872
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Trookulentos, the Tempter or, Harlequin Cockatoo, the Demon of Discontent, 26 December 1871
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The Fatal Gap, 9 December 1871
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Exchange Wives, 2 December 1871
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Buttons or, Wives Exchanged, 24 November 1871
-
Man and Wife, 4 November 1871
-
Foul Play or, The Wreck of the Proserpine, 28 October 1871
-
Colonial Experience, 24 June 1871
-
The Three Bears and Little Silverhair the Charming, 24 December 1870
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Fleeced or The Vultures of the Bush, 4 June 1870
-
Sun and Shadow: or, Mark Stornway's Nephews, 5 March 1870
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Nymph of the Botany Swanps or, The Knight and the Naias, 26 December 1868
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The New Crime or, 'Andsome 'Enery's Mare's Nest, 7 August 1868
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Thirty Years Ago or, Thirty Years Recollections of Sydney, 3 August 1868
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Colonial Experience, 4 July 1868
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The Pilgrim of Love or, the Parrot and the Princess, 27 June 1868
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Anniversary Day or, Helen's Betrothal, 11 June 1868
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Faust D.D.D or, The Demon the Doctor and the Damsel, 18 November 1867
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Did You Ever Send Your Wife to Parramatta?, 5 October 1867
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Faust D.D.D or, The Demon the Doctor and the Damsel, 21 August 1867
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Harlequin Tu-mut-chu, Prince of Wiving-hoe; or Chow-cow-pa, Skidamalink and Jeema-ma-ten, 26 December 1866
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Crohoore Na Bilhoge or, The Echo of the Caves of Dunmore, 14 November 1866
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Did You Ever Send Your Wife to Parramatta?, 18 April 1866
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Masaniello or, the fisherman the prince and the donkey, 26 December 1865
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Faust M.D or, The Doctor, the Damsel, the Demon and the Dragon, 12 December 1865
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Faust M.D or, The Doctor, the Damsel, the Demon and the Dragon, 21 October 1865
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High, Low, Jack and the Game or Harlequin Prince Diamond, 26 December 1864
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The Secrets of Bushranging or, A Match for Morgan, 30 July 1864
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The Two Figaros, 12 April 1864
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The Artist of Florence or, A Family Picture, 17 February 1864
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The Count of Monte Cristo, 29 January 1864
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The Duke's Motto, 25 January 1864
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The Artist of Florence or, A Family Picture, 29 December 1863
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Harlequin Gulliver , the Giants of Brobdignag and the Dwarfs of Lilliput or, The Bee and the Orange Tree, 26 December 1863
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Canowindra or, The Darkey Highwayman and the Settler's Homes on the Abercombie, 11 December 1863
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The Honeymoon or, Caught a Tartar, 3 December 1863
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The Duke's Motto, 2 December 1863
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The Artist of Florence or, A Family Picture, 1 December 1863
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Night and Morning, or The Lights and Shadows of Human Life, 19 November 1863
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The Duke's Motto, 10 November 1863
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The Honeymoon or, Caught a Tartar, 7 November 1863
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The Honeymoon or, Caught a Tartar, 22 October 1863
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Lady Audley's Secret, 16 October 1863
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Fifteen Minutes with Spirits (and water) or, A row with the Ministry, 8 October 1863
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Aurora Floyd, 17 September 1863
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Raymond, Lord of Milan, 14 September 1863
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Australian Aussurance 100 Years Hence, 28 August 1863
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Manfred, 10 July 1863
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The Duke's Motto, 17 June 1863
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The Artist of Florence or, A Family Picture, 24 April 1863
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David Copperfield, 28 April 1862
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Puss in Boots, 21 April 1862
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The Battle of Life its Nightshades and Brightshades, 2 April 1862
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The Picnic or, A trip to Manly Beach, 18 July 1861
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Napoleon I, or The Fortunes of St Aubyn, 8 June 1861
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Little Jack Horner or, The Downfall of Ignorance, 29 May 1861
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The Colleen Bawn or, The Brides of Garryowen, 20 May 1861
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Stephens Defends the Colony, 14 May 1861
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The Pilgrim of Love or Harlequin Prince Ahmed,The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 1 March 1861
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Our Colonial Defences or, The Sydney Yeomanry, 18 January 1861
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The Pilgrim of Love or Harlequin Prince Ahmed,The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 17 January 1861
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The Pilgrim of Love or Harlequin Prince Ahmed,The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 10 January 1861
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The Pilgrim of Love or, Harlequin Prince Ahmed, The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 26 December 1860
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Our Volunteers at The Flower Show, 13 December 1860
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Wealth and Worth, 2 November 1860
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Garibaldi the Hero of Palermo, 16 October 1860
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The Hibernian Father, 28 August 1860
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Our Colonial Cousin, 11 August 1859
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Pizarro, 21 May 1859
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The Will and The Way or, The Vision of Death, 24 March 1859
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Did You Ever Send Your Wife to Parramatta?, 2 June 1858
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The Hibernian Father, 6 April 1858
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The Hibernian Father, 17 March 1858
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The Hibernian Father, 8 February 1858
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Did You Ever Send Your Wife to Parramatta?, 28 September 1857
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Did You Ever Send Your Wife to Parramatta?, 2 September 1857
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The Lady Killer or, The Devil in Sydney, 25 August 1857
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Young Australia, 19 August 1857
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The Birthday or, Fraternal Discord, 5 August 1857
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Henry V, 14 February 1857
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Who's a Traveller or, A Hint for Publicans, 21 October 1856
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Who's a Traveller or, A Hint for Publicans, 10 October 1856
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The Queen of the Thames or, The Anglers, 2 October 1856
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Masks and Faces, or Before and Behind the Curtain, 25 September 1856
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Paul Clifford, the Highwayman of 1770, or Crime and Ambition, 15 September 1856
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Love's Campaign, 9 July 1856
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The Troubles of Matrimony or, The Musical Family, 15 April 1856
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We Do Not Take Boarders, 29 March 1856
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The Sydney Railway Station, 22 November 1855
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The Sydney Railway Station, 14 November 1855
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The Duchess of Malfi, 26 September 1855
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Did You Ever Send Your Wife to Parramatta?, 3 September 1855
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Harlequin King Bear and His Three Daughters, 26 December 1854
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Much Ado About Nothing, 28 October 1854
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Don Pasquale, 12 October 1854
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Miss Catherine Hayes' Concert, 26 September 1854
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London Assurance, 8 May 1854
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The Ocean of Life / Uncle Tom's Cabin, 24 January 1854
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The Ocean of Life / Uncle Tom's Cabin [Benefit for John Gibbs], 23 January 1854
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Ingomar the Barbarian, 1 July 1853
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Richelieu; Or, The Conspiracy, 28 June 1853
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The Mysteries of Sydney, 11 June 1853
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The Mysteries of Sydney, 8 June 1853
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The Mysteries of Sydney, 6 June 1853
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Rodgers Worried, 3 May 1853
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Rodgers Worried, 19 April 1853
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Rodgers Worried, 1 April 1853
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Rodgers Worried, 30 March 1853
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Rodgers Worried, 26 March 1853
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Rodgers Worried, 24 March 1853
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The Outcast, or The Irish Maniac, 29 July 1852
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The Daughter of St Mark, 31 May 1852
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Norma, 16 February 1852
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Zisca the Avenger or, The Slave's Revenge, 3 November 1851
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La Fille du Régiment, 20 October 1851
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The Enchantress, 23 June 1851
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The Rebel Chief, 31 March 1851
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Rookwood, or the Adventures of Dick Turpin and [Death of] Tom King, 13 February 1851
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Matilda of Hungary, 7 March 1850
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Maritana, 19 April 1849
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The Siege of Rochelle, 31 July 1848
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Lough Deargh's Shrine, or The Cave of Penance, 13 December 1847
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The Night Dancers, 15 November 1847
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Don John of Austria, 3 May 1847
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The Devil's Opera, 3 December 1846
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Giovanni in London or the Libertine Reclaimed, 6 October 1846
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The Bohemian Girl, 13 July 1846
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The Mountain Sylph, 11 May 1846
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Triboulet the King's Jester, 21 April 1846
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St George and the Dragon , or Harlequin and the Seven Champions of Christendom, 13 April 1846
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Rienzi, 2 March 1846
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Zazezizozu , or Harlequin Dominoes and Chess and the King of Card Island, 1846
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Lafitte the Pirate , or The Ocean Scourge, 24 November 1845
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The Queen's Love, 29 September 1845
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True Love or, The Interlude Interrupted, 23 June 1845
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As You Like It, 23 June 1845
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Blanche of Jersey, 9 June 1845
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The Royal Masquer , or The Flower of Clyde, 12 May 1845
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Captain Kyd , or The Rover of the Seas, 3 April 1845
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A Christmas Carol , or Visions of the Past, Present and Future, 3 March 1845
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The Winter's Tale, 3 February 1845
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Sweethearts and Wives, 23 December 1844
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Our First Lieutenant, 28 November 1844
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Coriolanus, 11 November 1844
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Romeo and Juliet / Richard Parker, 3 October 1844
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Corroboree, 29 August 1844
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The Duellist , or The Minsters Daughter, 12 August 1844
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The Last Days of Pompeii , or Nydia the Blind Girl, 29 July 1844
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Shakesperi Conglommorofunnidogammoniae, 1 July 1844
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The Currency Lass or, My Native Girl, 27 May 1844
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Henry VIII, 20 May 1844
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The Hibernian Father, 6 May 1844
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Paul and Virginia, 18 April 1844
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Cinderella or, The Triumph of Goodness, 12 February 1844
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The Slave, 1844
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The Bronze Horse, 23 October 1843
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Desrues, 16 October 1843
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The Barlow Family, 12 October 1843
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Contradiction , or A Wife Upon Sufferance, 6 September 1843
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The Duchess of Chevreuse, or a Duel in the Olden Times, 22 August 1843
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Il Barbiere di Siviglia, 19 June 1843
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The Hunchback, 20 April 1843
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The Stranger / The Loan of a Lover, 18 March 1843
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Ravenswood , or The Bride of Lammermoor, 13 February 1843
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King John, 6 February 1843
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Paul and Virginia / William Tell, 15 November 1842
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Paul and Virginia / Therese, the Orphan of Geneva, 7 November 1842
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Paul and Virginia / The Somnambulsist, 3 November 1842
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La Sonnambula, 10 October 1842
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Isabel of Valois , or The Tyrant of Navarre, 11 August 1842
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Salathiel or The Jewish Chieftain, 4 August 1842
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The Mountaineers/The Mock Catalani in Little Puddleton, 14 June 1842
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The Queer Client , or The Avenger, 16 May 1842
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The Mock Catalani in Little Puddleton, 4 May 1842
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Engagements, 9 February 1842
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The Birthday, 11 February 1841
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The Comedy of Errors, 18 January 1841
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Walter Brand or, The Duel in the Mist, 7 December 1840
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The Merry Wives of Windsor, 14 October 1839
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The Tempest or, The Enchanted Island / The Mummy, 15 July 1839
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The Clerk of Clerkenwell and the Three Black Bottles, 1 July 1839
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The Benefit of Mr Belmore, The Machinist, 20 June 1839
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Midas, 13 May 1839
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Benefit of Mr Belmore, 18 April 1839
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The Lady of Lyons or, Love and Pride, 15 April 1839
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Mr Joseph Simmons' Benefit Night, 24 September 1838
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Der Freischutz, 15 September 1838
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La Muette de Portici, 8 September 1838
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Mrs Clarke's Benefit, 6 September 1838
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Julius Caesar, 4 September 1838
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Cymbeline, 13 August 1838
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Henriette the Forsaken/The Siege of Stralsund, 17 April 1838
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The Merchant of Venice/ No!, 2 April 1838
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Othello / The Middy Ashore, 26 March 1838
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Masaniello or, the fisherman the prince and the donkey, 26 December 1865
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Faust M.D or, The Doctor, the Damsel, the Demon and the Dragon, 12 December 1865
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Faust M.D or, The Doctor, the Damsel, the Demon and the Dragon, 21 October 1865
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Trookulentos, the Tempter or, Harlequin Cockatoo, the Demon of Discontent, 26 December 1871
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The Fatal Gap, 9 December 1871
-
Exchange Wives, 2 December 1871
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Buttons or, Wives Exchanged, 24 November 1871
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Man and Wife, 4 November 1871
-
Foul Play or, The Wreck of the Proserpine, 28 October 1871
-
The Three Bears and Little Silverhair the Charming, 24 December 1870
-
The Count of Monte Cristo, 29 January 1864
-
Harlequin Gulliver , the Giants of Brobdignag and the Dwarfs of Lilliput or, The Bee and the Orange Tree, 26 December 1863
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Lady Audley's Secret, 16 October 1863
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Raymond, Lord of Milan, 14 September 1863
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David Copperfield, 28 April 1862
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Puss in Boots, 21 April 1862
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Napoleon I, or The Fortunes of St Aubyn, 8 June 1861
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Little Jack Horner or, The Downfall of Ignorance, 29 May 1861
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The Pilgrim of Love or Harlequin Prince Ahmed,The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 1 March 1861
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The Pilgrim of Love or Harlequin Prince Ahmed,The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 17 January 1861
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The Pilgrim of Love or Harlequin Prince Ahmed,The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 10 January 1861
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The Pilgrim of Love or, Harlequin Prince Ahmed, The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 26 December 1860
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Garibaldi the Hero of Palermo, 16 October 1860
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Napoleon I, or The Fortunes of St Aubyn, 8 June 1861
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Harlequin King Bear and His Three Daughters, 26 December 1854
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The Mysteries of Sydney, 11 June 1853
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The Mysteries of Sydney, 8 June 1853
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The Mysteries of Sydney, 6 June 1853
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Rodgers Worried, 3 May 1853
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Rodgers Worried, 19 April 1853
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Rodgers Worried, 1 April 1853
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Rodgers Worried, 30 March 1853
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Rodgers Worried, 26 March 1853
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Rodgers Worried, 24 March 1853
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The Rebel Chief, 31 March 1851
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Rookwood, or the Adventures of Dick Turpin and [Death of] Tom King, 13 February 1851
-
Giovanni in London or the Libertine Reclaimed, 6 October 1846
-
Macbeth, 17 February 1877
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Henry V, 14 February 1857
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Much Ado About Nothing, 28 October 1854
-
As You Like It, 23 June 1845
-
The Winter's Tale, 3 February 1845
-
Coriolanus, 11 November 1844
-
Henry VIII, 20 May 1844
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King John, 6 February 1843
-
The Comedy of Errors, 18 January 1841
-
The Merry Wives of Windsor, 14 October 1839
-
The Tempest or, The Enchanted Island / The Mummy, 15 July 1839
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Julius Caesar, 4 September 1838
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Cymbeline, 13 August 1838
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Othello / The Middy Ashore, 26 March 1838
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Colonial Experience, 4 July 1868
-
The Pilgrim of Love or, the Parrot and the Princess, 27 June 1868
-
Anniversary Day or, Helen's Betrothal, 11 June 1868
-
Canowindra or, The Darkey Highwayman and the Settler's Homes on the Abercombie, 11 December 1863
-
Night and Morning, or The Lights and Shadows of Human Life, 19 November 1863
-
Lady Audley's Secret, 16 October 1863
-
Aurora Floyd, 17 September 1863
-
Raymond, Lord of Milan, 14 September 1863
-
David Copperfield, 28 April 1862
-
Puss in Boots, 21 April 1862
-
Our Volunteers at The Flower Show, 13 December 1860
-
Wealth and Worth, 2 November 1860
-
Garibaldi the Hero of Palermo, 16 October 1860
-
The Hibernian Father, 28 August 1860
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The Hibernian Father, 6 April 1858
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The Hibernian Father, 17 March 1858
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The Hibernian Father, 8 February 1858
-
Lafitte the Pirate , or The Ocean Scourge, 24 November 1845
-
True Love or, The Interlude Interrupted, 23 June 1845
-
The Royal Masquer , or The Flower of Clyde, 12 May 1845
-
Captain Kyd , or The Rover of the Seas, 3 April 1845
-
A Christmas Carol , or Visions of the Past, Present and Future, 3 March 1845
-
The Last Days of Pompeii , or Nydia the Blind Girl, 29 July 1844
-
The Currency Lass or, My Native Girl, 27 May 1844
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The Hibernian Father, 6 May 1844
-
Ravenswood , or The Bride of Lammermoor, 13 February 1843
-
Pizarro, 21 May 1859
-
The Will and The Way or, The Vision of Death, 24 March 1859
-
The Ocean of Life / Uncle Tom's Cabin, 24 January 1854
-
The Ocean of Life / Uncle Tom's Cabin [Benefit for John Gibbs], 23 January 1854
-
The Mysteries of Sydney, 11 June 1853
-
The Mysteries of Sydney, 8 June 1853
-
The Mysteries of Sydney, 6 June 1853
-
The Outcast, or The Irish Maniac, 29 July 1852
-
Zisca the Avenger or, The Slave's Revenge, 3 November 1851
-
The Rebel Chief, 31 March 1851
-
Rookwood, or the Adventures of Dick Turpin and [Death of] Tom King, 13 February 1851
-
Giovanni in London or the Libertine Reclaimed, 6 October 1846
-
Rodgers Worried, 3 May 1853
-
Rodgers Worried, 19 April 1853
-
Rodgers Worried, 1 April 1853
-
Rodgers Worried, 30 March 1853
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Rodgers Worried, 26 March 1853
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Rodgers Worried, 24 March 1853
-
The Benefit of Mr Belmore, The Machinist, 20 June 1839
-
Benefit of Mr Belmore, 18 April 1839
-
Mr Joseph Simmons' Benefit Night, 24 September 1838
-
Henriette the Forsaken/The Siege of Stralsund, 17 April 1838
-
The Merchant of Venice/ No!, 2 April 1838
-
Othello / The Middy Ashore, 26 March 1838
-
Harlequin Gulliver , the Giants of Brobdignag and the Dwarfs of Lilliput or, The Bee and the Orange Tree, 26 December 1863
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Canowindra or, The Darkey Highwayman and the Settler's Homes on the Abercombie, 11 December 1863
-
Night and Morning, or The Lights and Shadows of Human Life, 19 November 1863
-
Fifteen Minutes with Spirits (and water) or, A row with the Ministry, 8 October 1863
-
Raymond, Lord of Milan, 14 September 1863
-
The Duke's Motto, 17 June 1863
-
Little Jack Horner or, The Downfall of Ignorance, 29 May 1861
-
The Pilgrim of Love or Harlequin Prince Ahmed,The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 1 March 1861
-
The Pilgrim of Love or Harlequin Prince Ahmed,The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 17 January 1861
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The Pilgrim of Love or Harlequin Prince Ahmed,The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 10 January 1861
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The Pilgrim of Love or, Harlequin Prince Ahmed, The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 26 December 1860
-
Wealth and Worth, 2 November 1860
Joseph Raynor
- Actor, Director, Stage Manager
-
Napoleon I, or The Fortunes of St Aubyn, 8 June 1861
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The Pilgrim of Love or Harlequin Prince Ahmed,The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 1 March 1861
-
Our Colonial Defences or, The Sydney Yeomanry, 18 January 1861
-
The Pilgrim of Love or Harlequin Prince Ahmed,The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 17 January 1861
-
The Pilgrim of Love or Harlequin Prince Ahmed,The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 10 January 1861
-
The Pilgrim of Love or, Harlequin Prince Ahmed, The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 26 December 1860
-
Our Volunteers at The Flower Show, 13 December 1860
-
Wealth and Worth, 2 November 1860
-
Garibaldi the Hero of Palermo, 16 October 1860
-
Pizarro, 21 May 1859
-
The Will and The Way or, The Vision of Death, 24 March 1859
-
Did You Ever Send Your Wife to Parramatta?, 3 September 1855
-
The Mysteries of Sydney, 11 June 1853
-
The Mysteries of Sydney, 8 June 1853
-
The Mysteries of Sydney, 6 June 1853
-
Rodgers Worried, 3 May 1853
-
Rodgers Worried, 19 April 1853
-
Rodgers Worried, 1 April 1853
-
Rodgers Worried, 30 March 1853
-
Rodgers Worried, 26 March 1853
-
Rodgers Worried, 24 March 1853
-
The Outcast, or The Irish Maniac, 29 July 1852
-
The Rebel Chief, 31 March 1851
-
Rookwood, or the Adventures of Dick Turpin and [Death of] Tom King, 13 February 1851
Charles Dillon
- Actor, Adaptor, Author, Playwright
-
The Artist of Florence or, A Family Picture, 17 February 1864
-
The Count of Monte Cristo, 29 January 1864
-
The Duke's Motto, 25 January 1864
-
The Artist of Florence or, A Family Picture, 29 December 1863
-
Harlequin Gulliver , the Giants of Brobdignag and the Dwarfs of Lilliput or, The Bee and the Orange Tree, 26 December 1863
-
The Duke's Motto, 2 December 1863
-
The Artist of Florence or, A Family Picture, 1 December 1863
-
Night and Morning, or The Lights and Shadows of Human Life, 19 November 1863
-
The Duke's Motto, 10 November 1863
-
The Duke's Motto, 17 June 1863
-
The Artist of Florence or, A Family Picture, 24 April 1863
-
The Pilgrim of Love or, the Parrot and the Princess, 27 June 1868
-
Harlequin Gulliver , the Giants of Brobdignag and the Dwarfs of Lilliput or, The Bee and the Orange Tree, 26 December 1863
-
The Duke's Motto, 2 December 1863
-
David Copperfield, 28 April 1862
-
Napoleon I, or The Fortunes of St Aubyn, 8 June 1861
-
Little Jack Horner or, The Downfall of Ignorance, 29 May 1861
-
The Pilgrim of Love or Harlequin Prince Ahmed,The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 1 March 1861
-
The Pilgrim of Love or Harlequin Prince Ahmed,The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 17 January 1861
-
The Pilgrim of Love or Harlequin Prince Ahmed,The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 10 January 1861
-
The Pilgrim of Love or, Harlequin Prince Ahmed, The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 26 December 1860
-
Our Volunteers at The Flower Show, 13 December 1860
-
The Ocean of Life / Uncle Tom's Cabin, 24 January 1854
-
The Ocean of Life / Uncle Tom's Cabin [Benefit for John Gibbs], 23 January 1854
-
The Outcast, or The Irish Maniac, 29 July 1852
-
Zisca the Avenger or, The Slave's Revenge, 3 November 1851
-
The Rebel Chief, 31 March 1851
-
Rookwood, or the Adventures of Dick Turpin and [Death of] Tom King, 13 February 1851
-
The Mountaineers/The Mock Catalani in Little Puddleton, 14 June 1842
-
Mr Joseph Simmons' Benefit Night, 24 September 1838
-
Henriette the Forsaken/The Siege of Stralsund, 17 April 1838
-
The Merchant of Venice/ No!, 2 April 1838
-
Othello / The Middy Ashore, 26 March 1838
-
The Yellow Dwarf and the King of Hawkin's Hill Gold Mines, 26 December 1872
-
Prince Dorus or, The Romance of the Nose, 22 June 1872
-
The Butcher Baronet, 12 June 1872
-
Orpheus, 1 April 1872
-
Euchred, 23 March 1872
-
The Artist of Florence or, A Family Picture, 29 December 1863
-
Harlequin Gulliver , the Giants of Brobdignag and the Dwarfs of Lilliput or, The Bee and the Orange Tree, 26 December 1863
-
Canowindra or, The Darkey Highwayman and the Settler's Homes on the Abercombie, 11 December 1863
-
The Artist of Florence or, A Family Picture, 1 December 1863
-
The Duke's Motto, 17 June 1863
-
Puss in Boots, 21 April 1862
-
Wanted 100,000 Miners for the Gulgong Gold Diggings, 29 June 1872
-
Prince Dorus or, The Romance of the Nose, 22 June 1872
-
Orpheus, 1 April 1872
-
Euchred, 23 March 1872
-
Trookulentos, the Tempter or, Harlequin Cockatoo, the Demon of Discontent, 26 December 1871
-
Man and Wife, 4 November 1871
-
Foul Play or, The Wreck of the Proserpine, 28 October 1871
-
Nymph of the Botany Swanps or, The Knight and the Naias, 26 December 1868
-
The New Crime or, 'Andsome 'Enery's Mare's Nest, 7 August 1868
-
Colonial Experience, 4 July 1868
-
The Artist of Florence or, A Family Picture, 17 February 1864
-
The Count of Monte Cristo, 29 January 1864
-
The Duke's Motto, 25 January 1864
-
The Artist of Florence or, A Family Picture, 29 December 1863
-
Harlequin Gulliver , the Giants of Brobdignag and the Dwarfs of Lilliput or, The Bee and the Orange Tree, 26 December 1863
-
The Duke's Motto, 2 December 1863
-
The Artist of Florence or, A Family Picture, 1 December 1863
-
The Duke's Motto, 10 November 1863
-
The Duke's Motto, 17 June 1863
-
The Artist of Florence or, A Family Picture, 24 April 1863
James Simmonds
- Actor, Actor-manager, Lessee, Playwright
-
High, Low, Jack and the Game or Harlequin Prince Diamond, 26 December 1864
-
The Will and The Way or, The Vision of Death, 24 March 1859
-
Did You Ever Send Your Wife to Parramatta?, 2 June 1858
-
The Hibernian Father, 6 April 1858
-
The Hibernian Father, 17 March 1858
-
The Hibernian Father, 8 February 1858
-
Did You Ever Send Your Wife to Parramatta?, 28 September 1857
-
Did You Ever Send Your Wife to Parramatta?, 2 September 1857
-
The Lady Killer or, The Devil in Sydney, 25 August 1857
-
Young Australia, 19 August 1857
-
Prince Dorus or, The Romance of the Nose, 22 June 1872
-
Orpheus, 1 April 1872
-
Trookulentos, the Tempter or, Harlequin Cockatoo, the Demon of Discontent, 26 December 1871
-
The Three Bears and Little Silverhair the Charming, 24 December 1870
-
Masaniello or, the fisherman the prince and the donkey, 26 December 1865
-
High, Low, Jack and the Game or Harlequin Prince Diamond, 26 December 1864
-
The Count of Monte Cristo, 29 January 1864
-
Harlequin Gulliver , the Giants of Brobdignag and the Dwarfs of Lilliput or, The Bee and the Orange Tree, 26 December 1863
-
The Duke's Motto, 17 June 1863
-
The Royal Masquer , or The Flower of Clyde, 12 May 1845
-
The Mountaineers/The Mock Catalani in Little Puddleton, 14 June 1842
-
The Benefit of Mr Belmore, The Machinist, 20 June 1839
-
Benefit of Mr Belmore, 18 April 1839
-
Mr Joseph Simmons' Benefit Night, 24 September 1838
-
Mrs Clarke's Benefit, 6 September 1838
-
Henriette the Forsaken/The Siege of Stralsund, 17 April 1838
-
The Merchant of Venice/ No!, 2 April 1838
-
Othello / The Middy Ashore, 26 March 1838
John L Hall
- Actor, Actor and Singer, Adaptor, Musical Arranger, Stage Director
-
The New Babylon, 24 April 1880
-
Amphibio, the Rhine Queen or Harequin Sir Rupert, the Knight, the Naiad and the Little Water Wagtail, 26 December 1879
-
Faust D.D.D or, The Demon the Doctor and the Damsel, 18 November 1867
-
Faust D.D.D or, The Demon the Doctor and the Damsel, 21 August 1867
-
High, Low, Jack and the Game or Harlequin Prince Diamond, 26 December 1864
-
David Copperfield, 28 April 1862
-
Pizarro, 21 May 1859
-
The Will and The Way or, The Vision of Death, 24 March 1859
-
Harlequin King Bear and His Three Daughters, 26 December 1854
-
High, Low, Jack and the Game or Harlequin Prince Diamond, 26 December 1864
-
Harlequin Gulliver , the Giants of Brobdignag and the Dwarfs of Lilliput or, The Bee and the Orange Tree, 26 December 1863
-
Aurora Floyd, 17 September 1863
-
The Duke's Motto, 17 June 1863
-
The Artist of Florence or, A Family Picture, 24 April 1863
-
Harlequin King Bear and His Three Daughters, 26 December 1854
-
The Mysteries of Sydney, 11 June 1853
-
The Mysteries of Sydney, 8 June 1853
-
The Mysteries of Sydney, 6 June 1853
-
Harlequin King Bear and His Three Daughters, 26 December 1854
-
The Mysteries of Sydney, 11 June 1853
-
The Mysteries of Sydney, 8 June 1853
-
The Mysteries of Sydney, 6 June 1853
-
The Outcast, or The Irish Maniac, 29 July 1852
-
Zisca the Avenger or, The Slave's Revenge, 3 November 1851
-
The Rebel Chief, 31 March 1851
-
Rookwood, or the Adventures of Dick Turpin and [Death of] Tom King, 13 February 1851
-
The Royal Masquer , or The Flower of Clyde, 12 May 1845
-
The Mountaineers/The Mock Catalani in Little Puddleton, 14 June 1842
-
The Benefit of Mr Belmore, The Machinist, 20 June 1839
-
Benefit of Mr Belmore, 18 April 1839
-
Mr Joseph Simmons' Benefit Night, 24 September 1838
-
Henriette the Forsaken/The Siege of Stralsund, 17 April 1838
-
The Merchant of Venice/ No!, 2 April 1838
-
Othello / The Middy Ashore, 26 March 1838
-
David Copperfield, 28 April 1862
-
Little Jack Horner or, The Downfall of Ignorance, 29 May 1861
-
The Pilgrim of Love or Harlequin Prince Ahmed,The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 1 March 1861
-
The Pilgrim of Love or Harlequin Prince Ahmed,The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 17 January 1861
-
The Pilgrim of Love or Harlequin Prince Ahmed,The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 10 January 1861
-
The Pilgrim of Love or, Harlequin Prince Ahmed, The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 26 December 1860
-
Our Volunteers at The Flower Show, 13 December 1860
-
Wealth and Worth, 2 November 1860
-
Colonial Experience, 24 June 1871
-
Sun and Shadow: or, Mark Stornway's Nephews, 5 March 1870
-
The New Crime or, 'Andsome 'Enery's Mare's Nest, 7 August 1868
-
Colonial Experience, 4 July 1868
-
Anniversary Day or, Helen's Betrothal, 11 June 1868
-
Pizarro, 21 May 1859
-
The Will and The Way or, The Vision of Death, 24 March 1859
-
Love's Campaign, 9 July 1856
-
Harlequin Tu-mut-chu, Prince of Wiving-hoe; or Chow-cow-pa, Skidamalink and Jeema-ma-ten, 26 December 1866
-
Harlequin Gulliver , the Giants of Brobdignag and the Dwarfs of Lilliput or, The Bee and the Orange Tree, 26 December 1863
-
Canowindra or, The Darkey Highwayman and the Settler's Homes on the Abercombie, 11 December 1863
-
The Honeymoon or, Caught a Tartar, 3 December 1863
-
Night and Morning, or The Lights and Shadows of Human Life, 19 November 1863
-
The Honeymoon or, Caught a Tartar, 7 November 1863
-
The Honeymoon or, Caught a Tartar, 22 October 1863
-
Rookwood, or the Adventures of Dick Turpin and [Death of] Tom King, 13 February 1851
Mr John Lazar
- Actor, Administrator, Playwright
-
Giovanni in London or the Libertine Reclaimed, 6 October 1846
-
St George and the Dragon , or Harlequin and the Seven Champions of Christendom, 13 April 1846
-
Zazezizozu , or Harlequin Dominoes and Chess and the King of Card Island, 1846
-
Contradiction , or A Wife Upon Sufferance, 6 September 1843
-
The Tempest or, The Enchanted Island / The Mummy, 15 July 1839
-
Mrs Clarke's Benefit, 6 September 1838
-
Henriette the Forsaken/The Siege of Stralsund, 17 April 1838
-
The Merchant of Venice/ No!, 2 April 1838
-
Thirty Years Ago or, Thirty Years Recollections of Sydney, 3 August 1868
-
The Duellist , or The Minsters Daughter, 12 August 1844
-
Salathiel or The Jewish Chieftain, 4 August 1842
-
The Mountaineers/The Mock Catalani in Little Puddleton, 14 June 1842
-
Engagements, 9 February 1842
-
Benefit of Mr Belmore, 18 April 1839
-
Mr Joseph Simmons' Benefit Night, 24 September 1838
-
Mrs Clarke's Benefit, 6 September 1838
Herbert Winning
- Properties Master, Scenic Artist
-
Crohoore Na Bilhoge or, The Echo of the Caves of Dunmore, 14 November 1866
-
Little Jack Horner or, The Downfall of Ignorance, 29 May 1861
-
The Pilgrim of Love or Harlequin Prince Ahmed,The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 1 March 1861
-
The Pilgrim of Love or Harlequin Prince Ahmed,The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 17 January 1861
-
The Pilgrim of Love or Harlequin Prince Ahmed,The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 10 January 1861
-
The Pilgrim of Love or, Harlequin Prince Ahmed, The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 26 December 1860
-
Garibaldi the Hero of Palermo, 16 October 1860
-
The Will and The Way or, The Vision of Death, 24 March 1859
-
Sun and Shadow: or, Mark Stornway's Nephews, 5 March 1870
-
Harlequin Tu-mut-chu, Prince of Wiving-hoe; or Chow-cow-pa, Skidamalink and Jeema-ma-ten, 26 December 1866
-
Crohoore Na Bilhoge or, The Echo of the Caves of Dunmore, 14 November 1866
-
Harlequin Gulliver , the Giants of Brobdignag and the Dwarfs of Lilliput or, The Bee and the Orange Tree, 26 December 1863
-
Canowindra or, The Darkey Highwayman and the Settler's Homes on the Abercombie, 11 December 1863
-
Raymond, Lord of Milan, 14 September 1863
-
The Duke's Motto, 17 June 1863
-
Prince Dorus or, The Romance of the Nose, 22 June 1872
-
The Butcher Baronet, 12 June 1872
-
Orpheus, 1 April 1872
-
Trookulentos, the Tempter or, Harlequin Cockatoo, the Demon of Discontent, 26 December 1871
-
Man and Wife, 4 November 1871
-
Foul Play or, The Wreck of the Proserpine, 28 October 1871
-
High, Low, Jack and the Game or Harlequin Prince Diamond, 26 December 1864
-
The Count of Monte Cristo, 29 January 1864
-
The Duke's Motto, 25 January 1864
-
Harlequin Gulliver , the Giants of Brobdignag and the Dwarfs of Lilliput or, The Bee and the Orange Tree, 26 December 1863
-
The Duke's Motto, 2 December 1863
-
Night and Morning, or The Lights and Shadows of Human Life, 19 November 1863
-
The Duke's Motto, 10 November 1863
-
Fifteen Minutes with Spirits (and water) or, A row with the Ministry, 8 October 1863
James H Rainford
- Actor, Producer, Stage Director, Stage Manager
-
Amphibio, the Rhine Queen or Harequin Sir Rupert, the Knight, the Naiad and the Little Water Wagtail, 26 December 1879
-
Wanted 100,000 Miners for the Gulgong Gold Diggings, 29 June 1872
-
Prince Dorus or, The Romance of the Nose, 22 June 1872
-
The Butcher Baronet, 12 June 1872
-
Orpheus, 1 April 1872
-
Euchred, 23 March 1872
-
Fleeced or The Vultures of the Bush, 4 June 1870
-
Did You Ever Send Your Wife to Parramatta?, 18 April 1866
-
Masaniello or, the fisherman the prince and the donkey, 26 December 1865
-
Faust M.D or, The Doctor, the Damsel, the Demon and the Dragon, 12 December 1865
-
Faust M.D or, The Doctor, the Damsel, the Demon and the Dragon, 21 October 1865
-
The Count of Monte Cristo, 29 January 1864
-
Aurora Floyd, 17 September 1863
-
The Duke's Motto, 17 June 1863
Mr Andrew Torning
- Actor, Actor-manager, Director, Lessee, Scenic Artist
-
Sun and Shadow: or, Mark Stornway's Nephews, 5 March 1870
-
The Will and The Way or, The Vision of Death, 24 March 1859
-
Who's a Traveller or, A Hint for Publicans, 21 October 1856
-
Who's a Traveller or, A Hint for Publicans, 10 October 1856
-
Love's Campaign, 9 July 1856
-
Did You Ever Send Your Wife to Parramatta?, 3 September 1855
-
Harlequin King Bear and His Three Daughters, 26 December 1854
-
Colonial Experience, 24 June 1871
-
Nymph of the Botany Swanps or, The Knight and the Naias, 26 December 1868
-
Harlequin Tu-mut-chu, Prince of Wiving-hoe; or Chow-cow-pa, Skidamalink and Jeema-ma-ten, 26 December 1866
-
Crohoore Na Bilhoge or, The Echo of the Caves of Dunmore, 14 November 1866
-
Aurora Floyd, 17 September 1863
-
Raymond, Lord of Milan, 14 September 1863
-
The Duke's Motto, 17 June 1863
-
Harlequin Tu-mut-chu, Prince of Wiving-hoe; or Chow-cow-pa, Skidamalink and Jeema-ma-ten, 26 December 1866
-
The Count of Monte Cristo, 29 January 1864
-
Harlequin Gulliver , the Giants of Brobdignag and the Dwarfs of Lilliput or, The Bee and the Orange Tree, 26 December 1863
-
Lady Audley's Secret, 16 October 1863
-
Raymond, Lord of Milan, 14 September 1863
-
The Duke's Motto, 17 June 1863
Walter Cooper
- Actor, Director, Playwright
George Darrell
- Actor, Adaptor, Director, Stage Manager
-
Trookulentos, the Tempter or, Harlequin Cockatoo, the Demon of Discontent, 26 December 1871
-
The Fatal Gap, 9 December 1871
-
Exchange Wives, 2 December 1871
-
Buttons or, Wives Exchanged, 24 November 1871
-
Man and Wife, 4 November 1871
-
Foul Play or, The Wreck of the Proserpine, 28 October 1871
Bland Holt
- Actor, Actor-manager, Director
William Hoskins
- Actor, Actor-manager, Director, Producer, Stage Manager
-
Sun and Shadow: or, Mark Stornway's Nephews, 5 March 1870
-
The New Crime or, 'Andsome 'Enery's Mare's Nest, 7 August 1868
-
Thirty Years Ago or, Thirty Years Recollections of Sydney, 3 August 1868
-
Colonial Experience, 4 July 1868
-
The Pilgrim of Love or, the Parrot and the Princess, 27 June 1868
-
Anniversary Day or, Helen's Betrothal, 11 June 1868
Myra Kemble
- Actor, Actor and Singer
-
Little Jack Horner or, The Downfall of Ignorance, 29 May 1861
-
The Pilgrim of Love or Harlequin Prince Ahmed,The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 1 March 1861
-
The Pilgrim of Love or Harlequin Prince Ahmed,The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 17 January 1861
-
The Pilgrim of Love or Harlequin Prince Ahmed,The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 10 January 1861
-
The Pilgrim of Love or, Harlequin Prince Ahmed, The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 26 December 1860
-
Our Volunteers at The Flower Show, 13 December 1860
-
The Duke's Motto, 17 June 1863
-
The Pilgrim of Love or Harlequin Prince Ahmed,The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 1 March 1861
-
The Pilgrim of Love or Harlequin Prince Ahmed,The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 17 January 1861
-
The Pilgrim of Love or Harlequin Prince Ahmed,The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 10 January 1861
-
The Pilgrim of Love or, Harlequin Prince Ahmed, The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 26 December 1860
-
Anniversary Day or, Helen's Betrothal, 11 June 1868
-
Harlequin Tu-mut-chu, Prince of Wiving-hoe; or Chow-cow-pa, Skidamalink and Jeema-ma-ten, 26 December 1866
-
Crohoore Na Bilhoge or, The Echo of the Caves of Dunmore, 14 November 1866
-
Night and Morning, or The Lights and Shadows of Human Life, 19 November 1863
-
Lady Audley's Secret, 16 October 1863
-
Sun and Shadow: or, Mark Stornway's Nephews, 5 March 1870
-
The Pilgrim of Love or Harlequin Prince Ahmed,The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 1 March 1861
-
The Pilgrim of Love or Harlequin Prince Ahmed,The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 17 January 1861
-
The Pilgrim of Love or Harlequin Prince Ahmed,The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 10 January 1861
-
The Pilgrim of Love or, Harlequin Prince Ahmed, The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 26 December 1860
-
Sun and Shadow: or, Mark Stornway's Nephews, 5 March 1870
-
The Pilgrim of Love or Harlequin Prince Ahmed,The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 1 March 1861
-
The Pilgrim of Love or Harlequin Prince Ahmed,The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 17 January 1861
-
The Pilgrim of Love or Harlequin Prince Ahmed,The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 10 January 1861
-
The Pilgrim of Love or, Harlequin Prince Ahmed, The Talking Cockatoo and the Enchanted Horse, 26 December 1860
-
Amphibio, the Rhine Queen or Harequin Sir Rupert, the Knight, the Naiad and the Little Water Wagtail, 26 December 1879
-
Harlequin Tu-mut-chu, Prince of Wiving-hoe; or Chow-cow-pa, Skidamalink and Jeema-ma-ten, 26 December 1866
-
Crohoore Na Bilhoge or, The Echo of the Caves of Dunmore, 14 November 1866
-
Masaniello or, the fisherman the prince and the donkey, 26 December 1865
-
High, Low, Jack and the Game or Harlequin Prince Diamond, 26 December 1864
-
The Yellow Dwarf and the King of Hawkin's Hill Gold Mines, 26 December 1872
-
Trookulentos, the Tempter or, Harlequin Cockatoo, the Demon of Discontent, 26 December 1871
-
The Pilgrim of Love or, the Parrot and the Princess, 27 June 1868
-
Crohoore Na Bilhoge or, The Echo of the Caves of Dunmore, 14 November 1866
-
The Duke's Motto, 17 June 1863
Mr Bennett
- Actor, Actor-manager
Mr George Coppin
- Actor-manager, Director, Lessee
Mr Guy
- Scenic Artist
-
Amphibio, the Rhine Queen or Harequin Sir Rupert, the Knight, the Naiad and the Little Water Wagtail, 26 December 1879
-
Prince Dorus or, The Romance of the Nose, 22 June 1872
-
Orpheus, 1 April 1872
-
Trookulentos, the Tempter or, Harlequin Cockatoo, the Demon of Discontent, 26 December 1871
John Renno
- Mechanist, Scenic Artist
-
Amphibio, the Rhine Queen or Harequin Sir Rupert, the Knight, the Naiad and the Little Water Wagtail, 26 December 1879
-
The Yellow Dwarf and the King of Hawkin's Hill Gold Mines, 26 December 1872
-
Sun and Shadow: or, Mark Stornway's Nephews, 5 March 1870
-
High, Low, Jack and the Game or Harlequin Prince Diamond, 26 December 1864
Walter Rice
- Musical Arranger, Musical Director
-
Masaniello or, the fisherman the prince and the donkey, 26 December 1865
-
Faust M.D or, The Doctor, the Damsel, the Demon and the Dragon, 12 December 1865
-
Faust M.D or, The Doctor, the Damsel, the Demon and the Dragon, 21 October 1865
-
High, Low, Jack and the Game or Harlequin Prince Diamond, 26 December 1864
-
Masaniello or, the fisherman the prince and the donkey, 26 December 1865
-
Faust M.D or, The Doctor, the Damsel, the Demon and the Dragon, 12 December 1865
-
Faust M.D or, The Doctor, the Damsel, the Demon and the Dragon, 21 October 1865
-
Faust M.D or, The Doctor, the Damsel, the Demon and the Dragon, 12 December 1865
-
Faust M.D or, The Doctor, the Damsel, the Demon and the Dragon, 21 October 1865
-
The Troubles of Matrimony or, The Musical Family, 15 April 1856
Joe Brown
- Actor, Stage Manager
-
Masaniello or, the fisherman the prince and the donkey, 26 December 1865
-
Faust M.D or, The Doctor, the Damsel, the Demon and the Dragon, 12 December 1865
-
Faust M.D or, The Doctor, the Damsel, the Demon and the Dragon, 21 October 1865
W P Collins
- Actor, Actor-manager
-
Masaniello or, the fisherman the prince and the donkey, 26 December 1865
-
Faust M.D or, The Doctor, the Damsel, the Demon and the Dragon, 12 December 1865
-
Faust M.D or, The Doctor, the Damsel, the Demon and the Dragon, 21 October 1865
Lina Edwin
- Actor, Actor and Singer
George Fawcett
- Actor, Adaptor, Playwright, Scenic Artist
John Gibbs
- Actor-manager, Orchestral Leader
-
Masaniello or, the fisherman the prince and the donkey, 26 December 1865
-
Faust M.D or, The Doctor, the Damsel, the Demon and the Dragon, 12 December 1865
-
Faust M.D or, The Doctor, the Damsel, the Demon and the Dragon, 21 October 1865
-
Masaniello or, the fisherman the prince and the donkey, 26 December 1865
-
Faust M.D or, The Doctor, the Damsel, the Demon and the Dragon, 12 December 1865
-
Faust M.D or, The Doctor, the Damsel, the Demon and the Dragon, 21 October 1865
Mr C Wilson
- Lessee, Scenic Artist
C W Barry
- Actor, Stage Manager
Mr Beaumont
- Actor, Lighting Operator / Technician
Mr Boam
- Musical Arranger
Tilly Earl
- Actor, Actor and Singer
Henry Hodson
- Actor, Actor and Singer
Mr Hunt
- Properties Master, Set and/or Property Maker
C Jones
- Actor, Actor-manager
Mr Kelly
- Properties Master, Properties Master / Mistress
Mr Osborne
- Lighting Operator / Technician
W H Stephens
- Actor, Actor-manager, Adaptor
C Ward
- Director, Properties Master, Properties Master / Mistress
Charles Ward
- Director, Assistant, Mechanist
C Warde
- Properties Master, Properties Master / Mistress
Mr Cetrid
- Properties Master
W H Ford
- Actor, Costume Maker
W B Gill
- Actor, Adaptor, Director
John Hill
- Composer, Musical Director
Mr Hines
- Properties Master
G Kelly
- Lighting Operator / Technician
A Jnr Reiff
- Adaptor, Musical Arranger
Monsieur Rivere
- Lighting Operator / Technician
Mrs Spence
- Costume Co-ordinator
J P West
- Actor, Director, Stage Manager
J Winning
- Properties Master
|
Resources |
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Advertisement:  Advertising , The Australian (Sydney, NSW : 1824 - 1848), 18 April 1839, 3
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Advertisement:  Advertising , The Australian (Sydney, NSW : 1824 - 1848), 8 June 1839, 3
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Advertisement:  Advertising , The Sydney Herald (NSW : 1831 - 1842), 7 June 1839, 3
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Advertisement:  Advertising, Bent's News and New South Wales Advertiser (Sydney, NSW : 1, 8 June 1839, 1
-
Advertisement:  Advertising, Commercial Journal and Advertiser (Sydney, NSW : 1835 - 184, 17 April 1839, 3
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Advertisement:  Advertising, The Sydney Herald (NSW : 1831 - 1842), 12 April 1838, 3
-
Advertisement:  Advertising, The Sydney Herald (NSW : 1831 - 1842), 2 April 1838, 3
-
Advertisement:  Advertising, The Sydney Monitor (NSW : 1828 - 1838), 11 April 1838, 3
-
Advertisement:  Advertising, The Sydney Monitor (NSW : 1828 - 1838), 5 September 1838, 3
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Advertisement:  Classified Advertising , The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 18, 8 June 1839, 3
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Advertisement:  Classified Advertising, The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 18, 12 April 1838, 3
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Article:  Amusements, Evening Journal, 23 August 1880, 3
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Article:  City Council [Royal City Theatre], The Australasian Chronicle, 14 February 1843, 2
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Article:  Destruction of the Victoria Theatre, Sydney Morning Herald, 24 July 1880, 6
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Article:  Helen Oppenheim, Wyatt, Joseph (1788–1860), Australian Dictionary of Biography Online, 1967
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Article:  History of the Victoria Theatre, The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser, 31 July 1880, 209
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On September 7, 1836, was laid the foundation stone of the Victoria Theatre, Pitt-street, with full Masonic honours. It took over 18 months to make the building ready for the public, and to make the opening night a success, Mr. Wyatt, the proprietor, engaged a company specially for the occasion. In those far off days quick passages to England were unheard of, and the 'cable' was not. Mr.Wyatt did the next best thing in the circumstances, he went to Hobart Town, Van Diemen's Land, so known then, and engaged as good performers as could be obtained and the theatre there could spare.
'The Sydney Herald' in 1838 appeared but twice a week, Mondays and Thursdays. The proprietor, Mr. Ward Stephens, of Gloucester-street and Lower George-street, Sydney, paid but little heed to the theatrical events of the town, though Mr. Wyatt advertised freely with him. In the issue of Monday, 26th, March 1838, appeared this advertisement :-
Royal Victoria Theatre.
The Public is now respectfully informed that, the above theatre will reopen for the reception of the public this Evening, 26th March 1838, when will be produced for the first time Shakespeare's Tragedy in five acts,
OTHELLO.
The Duke of Venice. Mr. Collins; Ludovico, Mr. Morton; Brabantio, Mr. Lane; Roderigo, Mr. Simes; Cassio, Mr. Groves Montana. Mr. Falchon; Othello, Mr. Arabin (from the Hobart Town Theatre); Iago, Mr. Spencer; Gratiano, Mr. Allwood; Antonio, Mr. Hollis. Julia, Mr. bnuth ; Daulo, Mr. Gazes ; Marco, Mr.Powell; Giovanni, Mr. Balton; Desdemona, Miss Winstanley ; Emilia, Mrs. Arabin.
As an interlude, Mr. Falchon, 'from the Hobart Town Theatre,' sang the popular song, 'Paddy's Wedding.' '
The evening entertainment concluded with the laughable farce.
'The Middy Ashore,' or 'A Spree Upon Land.'
The doors were open at half-past 6, and the performance commenced at 7 punctually. The prices of admission were dress boxes (or circle) 5s, upper boxes 4s, pit 2s, gallery 1s. The old world custom of half-price at 9 o'clock, never heard of now, existed then, the pit being the only exception. Boxes could be secured for the night or for the season, to be taken at the box-office from 9 to 11 each day. To prevent disappointment, no box would be kept unless the admission fee was paid at the time of selection. The plan of the dress circle was always on view at the box-office. Children in arms were not admitted, not even at the old country fee of one guinea each. Mr. Joseph Wyatt signed the advertisements as proprietor, and wound up loyally with VIVAT REGINA.
It must be admitted that Mr. Wyatt's company was a generally useful one, Mr. Arabin 'starred' in bills and advertisements, and Miss Winstanley ditto, ditto, not objecting to appear in such a farce as 'The Middy Ashore.' Mr. Wyatt took care to expand the list of characters in 'Othello' in a way that the Divine William never dreamt of. I am under the impression that, in the present day, if 'Othello' were produced in anything like good form, that an Irish comic song would not be tolerated immediately after it. 'Paddy's Wedding,' however, brings back reminiscences of John Drew and Billy O'Neill, who first, I think, introduced the rollicking song to the Melbourne public. The Mr. Morton who played Ludovico was a near relative— brother, I believe— of Mr. Maddison Morton, the dramatic author. On Mr. Morton's decease his widow kept for a time a tobacconist's shop in Market street, combining the business with newsagency and bookselling. The shop was No. 72, within two doors of Pitt-street, and now built over by Farmer and Co. The lady was there in 1878.
Commenting on the performance of Shakespeare's grand tragedy, the first time, I think, of its production in Australia (Arabin may have played the part in Van Diemen's Land), the 'Herald' critic gave the star credit for a 'chaste conception of the character,' his great fault being that he delivered all soliloquies to the audience, a fault not confined to Mr. Arabin, as most of the old time tragedians always took the audience 'into their confidence,' Mr. Spencer "played that pretty rascal lago well but confided all his villainy to the audience," the critic no doubt thinking that Spencer should have kept his villainy well bottled up until the closing scene. I have seen many Iagos, but never yet saw one who could conceal his villainy. Though excellent in comedy, Miss Winstanley and Mrs. Arabin were counted rank failures in tragedy. The critic considered that Mr. Groves misconceived the character of Cassio, and as to the farce, Mrs. Murray, "a petite little lady with a shrill voice, was animated and likely to become a favourite." Strange to say, the critic admitted that he had forgotten the name of the man who sang the comic song, 'but it served to amuse.' The 'Herald's' critic did for the opening night of the Victoria Theatre what John Baldwin Buckstone once said that a critic did for one of his dramas, "Damned it with faint praise."
Mr. Wyatt, anxious to please his patrons, added to his company. He had a monopoly now. After Mr. Barnet Levey's death, the widow continued to direct the Theatre Royal, but the strain appears to have broken her health, as in the issue of the 'Herald' which announces the opening of the Victoria Theatre, she advertises her thanks to those who sympathised with her in her trouble, and attributes her illness to the cares and worries of theatrical management. She was not the first nor the last who suffered worries from theatrical management. Added to Mr. Wyatt's company at the. time were Mr. and Miss Lazar, Mr. and Mrs. Cameron, and Mrs.Clarke.
At one time the name Lazar was a household word In Australian theatricals. Some years ago a son of this old-time actor had the lease of the Theatre Royal, Castlereagh-street. Mr. John Henry Want, now K.C., then a pushing junior barrister and a patron of all legitimate sport, in which may be included the drama, had business relations with Mr. Samuel Lazar. On occasions the 'treasury' required assistance to enable the 'ghost' to walk with comfort, and on such occasions Mr. Want generously came to Mr. Lazar's aid— I think at one time Lazar's indebtedness to Mr. Want amounted to £600, good coin of the realm advanced to keep the theatre going. As some sort of security, Mr. Lazar gave Mr. Want control of the O.P. box for his private use and that of his friends. While Mr. Lazar was in active management Mr. Want and his friends enjoyed the occupation of the O.P. box without let or hindrance. But evil days fell upon Mr. Lazar; he lost his reason, and was confined until his death in one of the asylums. His interest was still maintained in the theatre; his daughter, Miss Victoria Lazar, afterwards Mrs. Moss succeeded to her father's interest in the lease. But the lady questioned Mr Want’s rights and felt disposed to dispute his possession of the O. P. box. Unfortunately for Mr Want, all the documents and memoranda in connection with his transactions with Mr. Sam Lazar were destroyed in a fire which took place on his premises. Mrs. Moss, however, temporised (I am writing entirely from memory), and agreed that Mr. Want should have the box alternate nights, Mrs. Moss and her friends occupying it for the other three. For peace sake, I presume, Mr. Want agreed to this, and for a time things went on amicably enough. But Mrs. Moss tired of the arrangement, and blocked Mr. Want's entry altogether. Then Mr. J. H. Want went to law. He invoked the aid of the Chief Judge in Equity. The matter, like most Chancery matters, dragged its slow length along for many months, if not years. Then Mr. Justice Owen gave his verdict against Mr. Want. The latter was not satisfied; he appealed to the Full Court and again was beaten. But he was not faint-hearted. He had helped Sam Lazar with good coin, and if he could not recover that he would at least have the 'compensation' that Lazar in his time had allowed him the use of the O.P. box. Mr Want appealed to the Privy Council, and, fate of fates, while the appeal was under way, another 'authority' stepped in and ended the proceedings. In 1892 the 'fire fiend' seized the Theatre Royal, and ended not only Jack Want's long-drawn-out suit, but also Miss Victoria Lazar's (Mrs. Moss) interest in the lease. As fire had destroyed the theatre, there was no theatre to lease! The costs, which all fell on Mr. Want, must have been simply enormous. In the last moments of the Theatre Royal Mr. George Musgrove was manager, with Mr. C. L. Goodman as treasurer, Sam Lazar's representative being the lessee.
The management of the Victoria Theatre, as was absolutely necessary, varied its programme to suit its patron’s tragedy, melodrama, comedy, and farce, with good, bad, and indifferent actors, until the beginning of the year 1841, when a new actor of some old country note struck Sydney. This was none other than FRANCIS NESBITT M'CRON, a name yet remembered by some ancient Playgoers. Not many, however, remember him, but those who do remember Nesbitt— his stage name— place him next to G. V. Brooke. My dead friend, Sam Banks, a personal friend and devoted admirer of Mr. Nesbitt's, placed me in possession of much relating to the private history of the actor. M'Cron was a native of Manchester (England), born in 1809. His mother was named Armstrong, his father a captain in the army. Nesbitt M'Cron was educated for the medical profession, but his taste for amateur theatricals led him to the stage. He stood 5ft 10in in height, very erect in gait, and walked as if on parade. His voice was powerful and melodious. My thirty-years' friend, John Bennett, whose life-long experience of actors ought to make him a judge, says that Nesbitt's voice was the most musical that he ever heard.
M'Cron 's resolution to adopt the stage as a profession was distasteful to his family, but he had made his choice and was determined on following it. Under his second name, Nesbitt, he became a member of a travelling company in Ireland, in the course of which he met G.V. Brooke and Barry Sullivan. Of both these great actors Nesbitt spoke in the warmest terms of friendship and affection. After touring England, Nesbitt struck Scotland, where he met Gordon Griffiths, who subsequently came to Sydney. From Glasgow, in 1840, Nesbitt returned to Ireland, at the request of his relatives, who still thought to wean him from the stage. During a visit to Cork he met Miss Annie Mills, the daughter of respectable parents, and wooed her, but the parents objected, not to the man, but to his profession. Failing their consent, Nesbitt eloped with the lady and married her. In 1840 the couple took passages in the ship Marchioness of Bute, and arrived in Sydney on January 7, 1841. Nesbitt brought letters of introduction to several big people. Governor Gipps being among the number. That to the Governor was never delivered; the others secured him a billet as tidewaiter in the Customs, Henry Parkes occupying a similar billet about the same time. A quarrel with a superior officer induced him to throw up the appointment. In checking cargo Nesbitt wished to sit, the superior officer ordered him to stand, and Mr. Nesbitt 'cut and run.' Failing to get other employment, Nesbitt joined the police force, and for a part of one night walked 'a beat' in Sydney streets. He resigned in the morning.
At that time Mr. Joseph Simmons was manager of the Victoria Theatre, and to him went Mr. Nesbitt. As the latter had been brought up in the south of Ireland he had just “the last taste of the brogue” on his tongue, but could, when he pleased, lay, aside the 'accent.' While conversing with Mr. Simmons, Nesbitt unconsciously used the brogue, which set Mr. Simmons, a Hebrew with a "lisp," in roaring laughter. The idea of playing Hamlet with an Irish brogue tickled the fancy of the Hebrew manager. Mr. Nesbitt, however, gave 'Rolla's address to the Peruvians' in a style and in an accent never before heard by Mr. Simmons. There was no trace of brogue, and the Hebrew, who could tell a good thing when he saw it, immediately closed with the new actor, who had dropped unheralded amongst them. The play of 'Pizzaro' was in rehearsal, Mr. Simmons being the Rolla, but he generously gave up the part to Nesbitt. There was but a peer attendance, but by the time half price had arrived the people in the street heard that a genius was playing at the Vic., and the house became crowded. Nesbitt next appeared as Richard III, crowding the house for fourteen nights, an unprecedented run for Shakespeare at such a time, and a distinct tribute to the great merits of the actor. His list of characters during this engagement consisted of William Tell, Rolla, Othello, Macbeth, Richard III, Sir Giles Overreach, Octavian, Sir Edward Mortimer, and Virginius. As indicating Mr. Nesbitt's real character, it may be mentioned that when he accepted the engagement with Simmons, Mr. Conrad Knowles, who had left the pulpit for the staged held such parts as Hotspur, Mercutio, Hamlet, The Stranger, Falconbridge, and such. These Nesbitt would not play, not from any fear of comparison, but from a sense of Justice towards the other actor.
In 1841 Mr. Wyatt went to England in search of talent, and made some engagements. I think he was absent when Nesbitt was engaged, but early in 1842 the first contingent arrived. This consisted of John Gordon Griffiths, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Deering (the parents of Olly Deering and Mrs. W. B. Gill), and Mr. and Mrs. Mereton (the first-named selected as Mr. Simmons' successor in the management). After a time came Madame Carendini, Mrs. Stirling (afterwards Mrs.Guerin, and now the widow of Richard Stewart, and mother of Richard, Docy, Nellie, and Maggie Stewart, who have all reached success upon the colonial stage), and Frank and John Howson. These came from Hobart Town. Then followed Madame Torning, Mr, James and Madame Louise, Mr. and Mrs. George Coppin and others making the Victoria company a particularly strong one. Of all these, but George Coppin, at 85, remains. Long may he remain!
Nesbitt remained with the company, and 'Coriolanus' was put into rehearsal; but Nesbitt's 'weakness' overtook him, and John Gordon Griffiths performed the part. Nesbitt then crossed the Tasman Sea to Van Diemen's Land; and played at the old Albion Theatre, Launceston, and at the Victoria, Hobart Town, for several seasons. He then crossed to Melbourne, where he secured an engagement at the old Queen's Theatre, in Queen-street, built by John Thomas Smith, the Melbourne Whittington, differing only from Dick in as much as Dicky was but thrice Lord Mayor of London, whereas John Thomas Smith was seven times Mayor of Melbourne. Mr. Nesbitt's liking for strong drinks was a source of constant worry to his managers.
(To be continued.)
Article:  Joseph Michael Forde, ANNALS OF THE TURF AND OTHER PASTIMES. IN NEW SOUTH WALES AND ELSEWHERE No. LVII., Sydney Sportsman, 15 June 1904
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To be chronologically correct, it must be mentioned that the opening of the Victoria Theatre was the death warrant of the Theatre Royal. Barnet Levey died before the 'Vic'' was completed, and his widow kept the Royal open for a while, but the theatre suddenly closed on March 22, four days before Joe Wyatt opened his new venture. The Royal remained closed until the big fire removed it in March 1840. The fire originated in a stable on the adjoining premises, belonging to a Mr. Blanch, a mathematical instrument maker. The officers of a regiment then in Sydney, who had been attending a ball, hurried to the fire and assisted to remove goods, etc. In the early forties an Italian opened a canvas show in Hunter-street, and subsequently erecting a stage and scenery, named the concern the Olympic, and commenced in opposition to Wyatt. He got together a good company, but after a time the canvas theatre collapsed.
About the time that Levey opened the Royal in George-street, a theatre was opened in Launceston, and, we read that Mr. Cameron took a company from that town to Hobart Town and opened in "The Stranger." The first theatre named in the northern capital of Tasmania was the Royal Olympic, which formed part of the London Tavern, as did the Royal in George-street, Sydney. Amateur theatricals were popular in those days, chiefly amongst the military, and amongst these military amateurs was our own George Herbert Rogers. There exists a playbill in Launceston of a performance of "Charles II, or the Merry Monarch," given by the men of the 96th Regiment. In 1845 Mr. George Coppin leased the Olympic, and kept it open for a number of years. In 1850 the Lyceum Theatre, in Cameron-street, was opened under the management of Mr. James Melville. The Cornwall Rooms and the Royal Clarence theatre were opened in the same year. At the Rooms Miss Catherine Hayes appeared, the charges being 21s, 10s 6d, and 5s. The Theatre Royal was opened in 1857 it stood where the Empire now stands, and on its stage many Thespians of note appeared. ln 1863 the Lyster Opera Troupe appeared at the Royal. The Royal was closed in 1878.
In Southern Tasmania, Hobart now has one theatre, and that an old one. The De Graves family had something to do with its erection. One of its early managers was Robert Osborne. Later on J. W. Watson and John Davies held the reins. In the early days, at the Freemasons Hotel, in Harrington-street, was a theatre owned or leased by Mr. and Mrs. Clarke. There the soldiers from the barracks congregated, and the townspeople also patronised the show. Tommy Atkins was not then excluded from the theatre. Later on the Tasmanian Hall across the street was devoted to the drama. Mr. Delsarte had some connection with this establishment. Then there was the Hobart Hall in the same street. Next there was the Royal Albert Theatre, chiefly supported by seafaring men. This latter has been transformed into an hotel and is known as the Carlton. Circuses flourished, too, in those early days. Of the old actors in those old Tasmanian theatres one still lives in Sydney, at about 90 years of age— Mr. James Hasker.
Amongst the members of the theatrical profession mentioned in these bygone annals, none occupied a larger space in public affection than GEORGE HERBERT ROGERS, with whose death the Australian stage lost one of its best and brightest ornaments. But very few of his stamp have appeared upon the colonial stage. In London he would have ranked with the elder Farren, who is said yet to have left no successor, and he died in 1861. Mr Rogers was the son of a physician, whose widow married Major Elsey, of the Bank of England. His family was connected with that of Joseph Rogers, whose name appears frequently in volumes of Poetry chiefly of a religious character, and also with the Poet Herbert Rogers, from whom he took his second name. As brothers he had Professor Henry Rogers and John Rogers, and as half-brother Dr. Elsey, of the Port Essington expedition. An unfortunate family squabble drove Rogers when a young man from home, and in a wild moment he entered as a private soldier in the 51st Regiment at Chatham. Before his friends could take steps to purchase his discharge, or effect a reconciliation the, 51st was ordered to Van Diemans Land, and Mr. Rogers went with his company. Though repeatedly invited to return home, Sergeant Rogers as he had become, steadily refused; he had not forgotten, and I believe never did forget, the domestic trouble that drove him from home, and from the probabilities of a distinct position in the best circles of England. In connection with private theatricals at Hobart Town Rogers showed marked ability, even among the professionals with whom he sometimes appeared. The Colonel of the regiment, a patron of the drama, gave Mr. Rogers every latitude, and the lady lessee of the theatre attached to the Freemasons' Hotel, in Harrington-street, Mrs. Clarke, was eager on all occasions to obtain his services. The Colonel was a frequent visitor behind the scenes, and the fair lessee worked her point very adroitly. Though enlisted for 21 years, the term of the service, and though unwilling that the regiment should lose the services of such a steady man as Sergeant Rogers, the Colonel admitted that there was nothing in the regulations to prevent Sergeant - Rogers buying himself out of the army, provided that he (the Colonel) saw no objection. With such a fair pleader the Colonel was brought to see no objection, and Sergeant Rogers became Mr. Rogers, of the Theatre Royal, Hobart Town. I believe the fair lessee found the sovereigns with which to make the novel purchase, but as Mr. Rogers the actor was as great a favourite as was Sergeant Rogers the soldier, the indebtedness was soon wiped out.
In a particular range of old men Mr. Rogers had no compeer in Australia. Mr. J. C. Lambert has been frequently brought into comparison, but, though frequently playing the same characters, no comparison could be made; both excelled, because both gave distinct and widely different readings. In such characters as Sir Anthony Absolute, Mr. Rogers led, while as Sir Peter Teazle, Lambert's rendering was the more refined, the more courtly; yet when you saw Rogers as Sir Peter, you were forced to inquire whether Sheridan meant the baronet to be courtly or ''country," for that is how I distinguish between the pair. Sir Anthony suited Rogers eminently; the choleric old baronet was personified to the life. I remember on one occasion, in the middle of a scene, where Sir Anthony leaves, having "disowned" his son, the Captain, the enthusiasm of the audience rose to such a pitch that the actor was compelled to return and bow his acknowledgments. In such parts as Mr Hardcastle ("She Stoops to Conquer") Grandfather Whitehead, Lord Duberly, Lord Ogelby, and old men in domestic drama and high comedy, his sway with the audience was unbounded. In his acting he was sympathetic to a degree. I recollect, at the Melbourne Theatre Royal, when Lady Don reappeared in the "Daughter of the Regiment," how sympathetic the house was, the sympathy being induced by one little touch of nature on the part of Mr. Rogers, the touch that makes us all kin. Lady Don had left her husband, Sir William, in a Hobart Town grave. It was her first appearance, I think, since his death; certainly it was her first in Melbourne since the sad event. Rogers was the old sergeant of the play. When Lady Don came to the front she completely broke down, and, falling on the shoulders of "old Rogers," she sobbed aloud. It was no stage trick, but the genuine outburst of a heart that had sustained an irreparable loss. The old sergeant took her to his arms, and gently patting her on the shoulder whispered words of condolence. The audience silently awaited the recovery of the lady, and when she was able to speak her first lines, Lady Don had no reason to be other than satisfied with her reception. She was still remembered, and her dead husband had not been forgotten.
Coming to Mr. Rogers' professional career, Mr G. V. Brooke expressed the opinion that he equalled William Farren; and Charles Mathews, when in Australia, expressed his wonder that Rogers had never tried the British stage, as he was sure that he would have been successful. Charles Mathews offered, if Mr. Rogers would go to London, to ensure him an engagement, but Rogers was too deeply rooted in the affections of Australian playgoers to take the trip— not that he had any reason to believe that he would be a failure. Mr. Rogers married a sister of the late Charles Young, comedian (see "Sportsman," 22/6/'04), and left a family of six, three sons and three daughters. Two of the latter adopted their father's profession. One of the sons is Mr. Horace Rogers, reporter, of the "Sydney Morning Herald." Mr. G. H. Rogers died at Melbourne on February 13, 1872, the cause of death being the bursting of a blood vessel, his age being given as 53 years. The genial actor, good citizen and staunch friend, was buried in the Melbourne General Cemetery, in close proximity to a number of players who had "gone before"— Ellen Mortyn, Marie St. Denis, Mrs. Vickery, Hattie Shephard, and many others. On his tombstone are inscribed the lines by Longmore: —
"There is no death; what seems so is transition. This life of mortal breath Is but a suburb of the life Elysian, Whose portal we call death."
Referring to Mr. Joseph Wyatt, who built the Victoria Theatre in 1838, I have described him as a leather merchant and ironmonger having his place of business next to the School of Arts in Pitt Street I find that Mr. Joseph Wyatt was a draper carrying on business in the early thirties (and before) at "16 Lower Pitt street," at No. 15 being his brother William, carrying on as a boot and shoemaker or dealer. The number then stood to the north of the School of Arts of today. In 1844 Mr. William Knight was the leasee of the Victoria Theatre, while Mr Joseph Wyatt occupied the Victoria Hotel, attached. On the southern side Mr A. J. Levy kept the Garrick's Head, and on the northern a few feet away, Mr. William Dind, of very healthy memory in connection with theatricals, kept the Star and Garter. On the corner of King-street was the Black Boy Inn afterwards known as the Liverpool Arms and, when kept by Ben Palmer and J B Moore, a house of call for theatrical people. Nearly opposite the Victoria Theatre a little to the north perhaps, was the Clown Inn, kept by no less a personage than George Coppin, then 25 years of age, now with 60 added on, and still hale and hearty and talking of spending £20,000 on alterations end improvements to the Theatre Royal, Melbourne. This Clown Inn was one of Mr. Coppin's unfortunate speculations. He did not, however, risk his all there, but quickly went to Launceston, as seen above, where he showed that he knew more about drawing audiences than he did about drawing beer. I believe the old gentleman, if he once more appeared in the "Spider Dance," or as Jem Baggs in the "Wandering Minstrel," would draw again. With the exception that Mr. Coppin was succeeded in the Clown Inn by Mr. Geo. Skinner, who in the same year removed himself and the name to a house at the corner of Hunter and George streets; that Mr. William Knight had become a landholder; and that John Gordon Griffiths, whose private residence was in Bligh street, had succeeded him as lessee of the theatre, the occupants of 1844 held their positions for some years after. In those days publicans and innkeepers were not "rolling stones." In 1843 Mr. Joseph Simmons, restless when unoccupied, opened the City Theatre in Market-street, where now stands an hotel, two doors from George-street. I am not sure that it is not the actual building with a new front. Associated with Simmons in this venture was a Mr. Bellmore, of whom little is known. The theatre was opened on May 20, Nesbitt M'Cron delivering a prize address. There were three pieces staged, "The Balance of Comfort," "The Painter of Ghent," and "Magnetic Influence." The company included Knowles, Fenton, Belfield, Meredith, Phillips, Madame Goutrot, Senora Ximenes, Mrs. Wallace, and three "Misses" Jones, Taylor, and Thompson. The population was not large enough to support two playhouses, and the smaller went to the wall. For a time the "City" became an auction mart, but in the early seventies Mr. Michael Hegarty, hailing from Melbourne, came along, secured the premises, and opened them as a cafe, the attraction being the waitresses in fancy bloomer costumes. I believe the venture did pay, as Mr. Hegarty enlarged his sphere of operations and removed to the old Adelphi, in York-street, of which more anon.
Of the company performing under Mr. Simmons, one is remembered well in Sydney by the old generation — Mr. P. Belfield, better known by the sobriquet of "Paddy Belfield", though his name was Peter. Mr. Belfield was a tailor by trade, to which he reverted when he left the stage, or the stage left him. My last recollection of Mr. Belfield as an actor was when he played the King in "Hamlet" to Barry Sullivan at the old Royal, in Melbourne, when Sullivan was playing his first engagement in 1862. Truth compels me to say that I had never seen the King so played, before or since. I believe, like dear old "Paddy," Gardner, Mr. Belfield at one time appeared in Irish characters, and I am of opinion that he could play such. In the early seventies Mr. Belfield was in business as a tailor, in partnership with his son Francis, in the now Oxford-street, near the old Robin Hood Inn, between Brisbane and Edward streets. While there he conceived the idea that the Surry Hills and Woolloomooloo should be able to support a theatre of their own, and that that theatre should be "agin his own door." Negotiations were opened up with Mr. Sydney Burdekin, who granted a lease of certain vacant land in Liverpool-street, with a right of entrance from Oxford-street. The site was about midway between the old-time Blind Beggar public-house— now Andy Flanagan's — and the lane leading down to Yurong-street. The shares were £1 each, payable, I think, in shilling subscriptions. The walls got up some feet when the funds ran short, and the scheme collapsed. Sydney Burdekin seized the bricks and built a neat row of cottages on the site. Mr. Belfield subsequently started business in George-street, Brickfield Hill. "One morn I missed him on the accustomed hill," and found that he had become the lessee of the Victoria Hotel, attached to the Victoria Theatre, in Pitt-street. That was in 1878. He played the part of host for a few years, and returned to his trade, this time in Liverpool-street, a few doors from George-street, and here he made his "last stand." In 1889 he was gathered to his fathers, after an extended colonial career, varied by many ups and downs. All said and done, there were many worse men than the old Thespian, "Paddy" Belfield.
(To be continued.)
Article:  Joseph Michael Forde, ANNALS OF THE TURF AND OTHER PASTIMES. In New South Wales and Elsewhere. No. LX., Sydney Sportsman, 6 July 1904, 3
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Article:  Local and Provincial News, Bell's Life in Sydney and Sporting Reviewer, 1 July 1854, 2
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Article:  Memories of Old Sydney Theatres
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Article:  Music and Drama. Obituary of Joseph Wyatt, The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser, 28 July 1860, 5
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Theatre in Pitt Street, 26 March 1838, seating 1900 in four tiers. Architect: Henry Robertson. Auditorium rebuilt in three tiers for reopening on 2 December 1865. Destroyed by fire 22 July 1880.
For most of its existence the Royal Victoria Theatre was Sydney’s largest and most important theatre. Joseph Wyatt decided to build it in mid-1836, shortly after he became sole lessee of Barnett Levey’s Theatre Royal and on 7 September the foundation stone was laid, on the western side of Pitt Street, between King and Market Streets. The architect, Henry Robertson designed a building in the Regency colonial style – a restrained, three-storey façade with pilasters above the ground floor topped by an entablature and modest cornice. His early sketches of the elevation, published prior to construction, have been misinterpreted as representing the Theatre Royal. The front section of the Royal Victoria housed a hotel and a shop. Entry to the more expensive seats was between the hotel bar and the shop, while patrons reached the cheaper seats down a side alleyway. The interior broke with Georgian tradition and heralded the Regency style of theatre design. The Royal Victoria was the first theatre in Australia to have the ground-floor pit extend beneath a dress circle raised above stage level. Above the dress circle were a family circle and a gallery – four tiers in all. There was a splayed-arch proscenium but Georgian proscenium doors for actors’ entry to the stage were retained until 1854, when they gave way to proscenium boxes. The Georgian scene-changing system of wing flats and shutters in sliding grooves was also installed.
Drawings in the Mitchell Library (Sydney) show the auditorium to have been 16.75 metres long by 15 metres wide buy 11.38 metres high. The stage apron was 3.05 metres deep and the depth from the curtain line to the rear stage was 12.42 metres. In 1840, for Edward Fitzball’s play The Flying Dutchman, an opening 4.72 metres wide was made in the rear stage wall to allow scenic vistas for a further 15.24 metres in depth. At first the theatre was lit by Argand oil lamps but in 1841 gas lighting, fed by a private gas generator on site, was installed in the auditorium.
The Royal Victoria opened on 26 March 1838 with Othello followed by the farce The Middy Ashore. Complaints that Wyatt had a monopoly subsided when George Coppin took over the theatre for a season in 1843. Wyatt and his wife Rachael sold the land on which the theatre stood on 5 November 1847 and then leased back the building on 4 January 1849. On 31 December 1851 they sub-leased the hotel part to Andrew Torning. In 1854 Wyatt was unable to renew the lease on favourable terms and Torning became the lessee at the start of September. Wyatt decided to build the Prince of Wales Theatre, which gave the Royal Victoria its first real opposition. Later lessees of the Royal Victoria included Samuel Colville from 1 October 1859, R. Tolano from 2 December 1865 and Coppin for six months in 1867. In 1865 the auditorium was gutted and rebuilt with only three tiers, which reduced the capacity from the original 1900 or more persons and improved comfort and safety. Until its destruction in 1880 the Royal Victoria continued to be upgraded and redecorated – 20 times in all – and to house leading performers. In the 1850’s Clarance Holt and his wife, Richard Stewart and the Australian tragedian H.N. Warner performed there. The 1860s included two seasons by Charles and Ellen Kean, and the 1870s saw William Creswick, Alfred Dampier, George Darrell in his own Transported for Life and other works, Bland Holt and Adelaide Ristori at the Royal Victoria.
Article:  Ross Thorne, Royal Victoria Theatre Sydney, Companion To Theatre In Australia, 1995, 512
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Article:  Ross Thorne, Sydney’s Lost Theatres, Theatre Australia, 4, 1 and 2, August 1979, 14-15, 13-14
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Article:  The Fancy Ball, Sydney Morning Herald, 29 August 1844, 3
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Article:  The Fire at the Victoria Theatre, Sydney Morning Herald, 27 July 1880, 6
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Article:  Theatre Accommodation in Sydney, Australian Town and Country Journal, 30 August 1879, 17
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Article:  Theatre Royal, George Street, Commercial Journal and Advertiser, 24 March 1838, 2
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Article:  Theatre Royal, The Argus, 14 June 1880, 6
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Article:  Theatres and Theatricals, The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser, 4 December 1841, 2
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Article:  Victoria Theatre, Sydney Morning Herald, 27 December 1878, 3
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Artwork:  F Mansell, Interior of the Royal Victoria Theatre, Sydney, Dictionary of Sydney, National Library of Australia, 1849
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Artwork:  Joseph Fowles, Detail of Pitt Street showing Victoria Theatre, Dictionary of Sydney, State Library of NSW, 1848
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Artwork:  The First Appearance of Miss Catherine Hayes at the Victoria Theatre, September 26th, 1854, Dictionary of Sydney, National Library of Australia, 1854
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Book:  Ian Bevan, The Story of the Theatre Royal, Currency Press Pty Ltd, Paddington, NSW, 1993
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Documentary:  Royal Victoria Theatre, Sydney, N.S.W. (1838-1880), YouTube, AusStage, 2018
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Law Report:  Supreme Court of New South Wales, Meredith v Wyatt [1839] NSWSupC 46 (6 July 1839), Australasian Legal Information Institute, 6 July 1839
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Map:  Plans of Sydney (Doves), 1880 Map 9
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Newspaper:  Amusements, Evening News, 24 November 1876, 2
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Newspaper:  Amusements, Evening News, 28 December 1876, 2
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Newspaper:  Amusements, Evening News, 9 November 1876, 2
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Newspaper:  NEWS OF THE DAY, The Sydney Monitor (NSW : 1828 - 1838), Sydney , 7 May 1838, 2
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Newspaper:  Royal Victoria Theatre, Commercial Journal and Advertiser (Sydney, NSW : 1835 - 184, 4 April 1838, 2
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Newspaper:  The Patriotic Association, The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 18, 1 May 1838, 2
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Record:  Royal Victoria Theatre, Dictionary of Sydney
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Review:  Royal Victoria Theatre, Commercial Journal and Advertiser (Sydney, NSW : 1835 - 184, 14 May 1838, 2
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Websites / Online media:  Sydney Architecture - Royal Victoria Theatre, Sydney Architecture
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Venue Identifier |
3847 |
Provide feedback on Royal Victoria Theatre (1838-1880)