On Stage brings stars back to life

Posted on 6 April, 2022

If you haven’t made it to the theatre or a live music venue in the last few months, don’t worry: the National Library of Australia has brought the vibrance of the stage to life in their new exhibition.

Pulling back the curtain on Australia’s performing arts history, On Stage: Spotlight on Our Performing Arts is running until Sunday 7 August, providing a backstage pass to everything you want to know about the talented people who have graced Australian stages.

An eye-feast of posters, photographs, costume designs, and musical scores from the 1790s until now (including special artifacts like the earliest surviving Australian printed document, Dame Nellie Melba’s fan and a large AC/DC poster for the modern audiophile) it’s the perfect opportunity to celebrate the best in show business.

Hal Williamson, Evie Hayes as Annie Oakley in the J.C. Williamson Production of Annie Get Your Gun, 1950, nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn3508371

Drawing exclusively from the collections of the Library, the exhibition features items that have never before been on display, showcasing a hidden side of history—including faces and names that have been lost to time.

According to Dr Susannah Helman, Curator of Rare Books and Music (who spent two years, on and off, looking through collections to find the 180 objects to display), the Library’s performing arts collections are a testament to how much Australians love live performance.

“It looks back at the history of performing arts in Australia and looks forward to the return of better days…it covers the creatives both off and centre stage and the magic that happens when we go to a live performance,” she says.

“The exhibition is fundamentally about people…and the exhibition is a roll call of famous visitors and homegrown stars and people whose stars have dimmed in our collective memory.”

Portrait of Bessie Campbell with Her Banjo, 1890s, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-137097510

Among those dimmed stars, Bessie Campbell (known as ‘the banjo queen’) and Saharet, a nineteenth-century Australian dancer of Chinese heritage who propelled herself onto the stages of New York, London, Paris and Berlin are just some of the actors, dancers, and musicians who were once household names.

Franz von Lenbach, Saharet: Sensation der Saison mit eigener elite Gesellschaft, 1904, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2632105469

For Susannah, it was important to not only showcase the well-known stars (like Sir Robert Helpmann, Dame Nellie Melba and Dame Joan Sutherland) but also to give a voice to performers who have been lost to time.

“My approach was a combination of serendipity and opening drawers, but also reading as much as I could,” says Susannah “I wanted to feature names that people might have heard of, as well as showcase strengths of the Library’s collections.”

“I wanted to highlight important names in our performing arts history. People such as Lola Montez, who had a huge impact.”

Coming to Australia during the gold rush, Lola was an Irish dancer and actress who became famous as a Spanish dancer, particularly her spider dance.

After Joseph Karl Stieler, Portrait of Lola Montez, c. 1855–1926, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-135569180

By bringing hidden faces like Bessie Campbell and Saharet  into the spotlight, On Stage is the final encore many forgotten artists need—and a chance for Canberrans to learn something new about Australia’s vibrant (if sometimes overlooked) history in the performing arts.

“I think that it’s a very human thing to come together to be entertained, challenged, uplifted, and inspired,” says Susannah.

“There’s a lot of colour and life that comes out in the exhibition and I think there are things that would surprise people but I also think there are things that people will be familiar with…The Library is an amazing resource. It holds many items that were only made for the moment, that night at the theatre. But the impacts of those nights out at a performance, those ephemeral programs, posters and tickets can be long-lasting.”

And with the heroes of magic, comedy, rock, theatre, opera, and ballet on display, there’s something to entertain everyone.

Feature image: Maurice Biais, Wintergarten: Saharet, Berlin: Hollerbaum & Schmidt, 1902, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-355224202