AustLit
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A particular challenge for this project was to find a methodology able to cope with the fact that popular theatre practitioners, and particularly variety artists, moved rapidly from venue to venue in city, suburb, on tour and across the country. In an attempt to chart this dispersal of activity, efforts have been made to search suburban and regional papers and magazines and other non-metropolitan sources, rather than rely only on Sydney and Melbourne daily and weekly newspapers.
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A further challenge was that city-based entrepreneurs (such as Harry Clay, pictured at left) often did not advertise in metropolitan papers, preferring to rely on their own publicity, such as printed flyers distributed in the streets and in letter boxes, advertisements on hoardings, and publicity stunts. The archival records held in the repositories listed below have therefore been invaluable.
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Non-standard sources
A particular characteristic of Australian Popular Theatre is the importance of non-standard sources, such as posters, postcards, and even sound recordings and silent and early sound films. These directly or indirectly recorded the performances of variety artists and thus preserved them for historical re-examination. While considerable caution has to be taken in reading film or audio performance as evidence of live stage acts, nevertheless these survivals are an enormous step forward from the script, review and still photographic evidence on which all studies of earlier Australian stage performances have been based. These include a few 'Stiffy and Mo' sketches c.1928 (the last year of this partnership), comic topical monologues c. 1928-1932 by Pat Hanna, and songs and patter by various local stage artists, female as well as male.
This material allows us, for the first time, to examine the aural aspects of popular performance. Where possible, Australian Popular Theatre will link to this material. Where this is not possible, details of how to access it will be provided.
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Published Sources
Veronica Kelly's Annotated Calendar Of Plays Premiered In Australia, 1850-1869 and Annotated Calendar Of Plays Premiered In Australia, 1870-1890, were a key resource for this project.
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Another significant resource is the National Library of Australia's discovery service Trove, which provides online access to a constantly expanding digital store of Australian regional and metropolitan newspapers.
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