Entertainment | National Library of Australia (NLA)

Entertainment

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Sir Robert Helpmann as Oberon

Houston Rogers, Portrait of Sir Robert Helpmann as Oberon, 1954, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-136330433

On Stage: Spotlight on Our Performing Arts

There’s no business like show business, and this exhibition brings Australia’s performing arts history into the limelight.

Exhibition
Smiling woman with short black hair and a fringe sitting at a table where several black and white photos of a woman are spread out
Researching a biography of scriptwriter and playwright Eleanor Witcombe

Learn about the fascinating career of Eleanor Witcombe with 2023 National Library Fellow and biographer Eleanor Hogan.

Blog
Eleanor Witcombe portrait

Eleanor Witcombe portrait, 1950, NLA MS 7739, Box 32, nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn2724792

Eleanor Witcombe: Her brilliant career with Dr Eleanor Hogan

Dr Eleanor Hogan presented a lecture on her 2023 National Library Fellowship research into the brilliant career of award-winning dramatist and scriptwriter Eleanor Witcombe.

Event
A row of men in concert dress holding musical instruments

Reg Lewis and the Prince Edwardians at the Prince Edward Theatre, Sydney, c1945, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-147014210

Music performance research guide

The Library has a diverse collection of materials documenting the history of Australian musical performance.

Research guide
A person stands in an empty darkened theatre, illuminated by a single light bulb.

Daniel James Boud, Ange Sullivan, head of lighting, preparing a ghost light at the Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House, 2020, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2976573618, courtesy Daniel James Boud

Performing arts research guide

We hold one of Australia’s largest collections of performing arts materials.

Research guide
A person stands in an empty darkened theatre, illuminated by a single light bulb.

Daniel James Boud, Ange Sullivan, head of lighting, preparing a ghost light at the Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House, 2020, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2976573618, courtesy Daniel James Boud

Theatre and performance music

Our theatre and performance music collections showcase the music Australians were listening to throughout the 20th century.

Research guide
Magazines and books from the 00s and 90s spread out, including the 'Australian Women's Weekly: Children's birthday cake book' and a document titled 'Y2K: State disaster contingency plan'
Discovery video: 90s and 00s nostalgia

Join Madeline and Allister as they dive into our collection and discover items from the '90s and '00s.

Video
Program advertising a play called The Geisha at Sydney's Her Majesty's Theatre

Sidney Jones & Harry G. Musgrove (Firm) & J.C. Williamson (Firm) & Her Majesty's Theatre (Sydney, N.S.W.), "The Geisha" : souvenir programme, 1899, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-69061919

Discovery video: The PROMPT collection

The PROMPT Collection is a collection of collections. It relates to the performing arts industry in Australia from the 1880s until the present.

Video
A man with beard, moustache and long eyebrows looks over his left shoulder.

Rennie Ellis, Sir Robert Helpmann, Melbourne, 1972, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-145149146

On Stage: Hear from the stars

The Oral History and Folklore collection records the voices that describe our cultural, intellectual and social life.

Exhibition
Collection guide
Snell Collection

About 15,500 items of sheet music and about 700 music albums from the late eighteenth century to the 1980s, as well as the personal papers of Snell.

Collection guide
Black and white photo of a television studio from the 1960s, with large cameras, screens and spotlights

Wolfgang Sievers & Hassel (Firm), Television set at Ballarat television station, by architects Hassell & McConnell, Victoria, 1962, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-160888519

Film, television and media

Learn how to find and access the Library's vast and diverse collection around film, television and media history.

Learning activity for adults
Video
Collection guide
Sculthorpe Collection

Personal papers, manuscript scores, literary manuscripts, sound recordings and family photographs of Peter Sculthorpe, plus videos of films for which he wrote the music and television interviews.

Collection guide

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