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

Searching for the 18th-century character in the Library's rare books and music collections.

Explore the crossover of two masters of their crafts with these beautiful sketches and designs.

Explore the dance style of Gertrud Bodenwieser through photographs with 2023 National Library Fellow Wesley Lim.

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

Our collections document the history and development of dramatic and comic theatre in Australia.

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

See how Yvette Grant used the Library’s collections to revive the memory of four women in the story of Australian ballet.

Explore the cultural politics of Australian art music with 2023 National Library of Australia Scholar Stephanie Shon.

Dr Wesley Lim presented a lecture on his 2023 National Library Fellowship research into the papers of dancer and choreographer Gertrud Bodenwieser.

The Library has the largest collection of sheet music in the country, with over 300,000 items. The bulk of the collection relates to Australian composers, performers and music publishing houses.

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