Entertainment | National Library of Australia (NLA)

Entertainment

Showing 1 - 12 of 15 results
Text in a retro font reading '1975 Living in the Seventies' on a bright orange background
1975: Living in the Seventies

Look back on life in the 70s including politics, feminism, pop culture, news of the day, and more.

Exhibition
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
Collection guide
State Theatre Collection

12,569 music scores which were used in Australian cinemas in the silent film era (roughly 1896 to 1929).

Collection guide
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
Collection guide
Ryan Collection

More than 1,000 comics, mostly published in Australia and including some overseas titles reprinted in Australia, from the 1940s to 1970s, as well as fanzines and personal papers.

Collection guide
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
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
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
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
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
Collection guide
Mauritius Collection

About 2,100 books, pamphlets, government publications, tourist booklets, magazines and other works about Mauritius and the Indian Ocean. Mostly in French or English, but also a few items in Mauritian Creole.

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

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