AustLit

(1885-1948) Theatre entrepreneur, dancer, singer, trick cycling, baton twirler, actor, comic.

George Sorlie came to Australia as a child and grew up in Melbourne and Kalgoorlie. He moved to Sydney ca. 1903 looking to find work as a professional variety performer and initially found regular employment with Harry Clay. Over the next decade he was associated with Harry Rickards, James Brennan, J. C. Bain and Bert Howard, and in 1913 was elected to the position of President of the Australian Vaudeville Artists Federation. Sorlie found much success in a partnership with Billy C. Brown (ex-Hugo's Buffalo Minstrels) on the Fullers circuit between 1914 and 1916. Following Brown's return to America in 1916 Sorlie worked a solo act, and during the years 1918 and 1919 was mostly engaged on Harry Clay's Sydney circuit.

In 1920 Sorlie reached an agreement with Philip Lytton to purchase some of his moving theatre equipment and from then onwards concentrated on touring his own companies (mostly) under canvas. Over the next two decades established himself as Australia's 'Tent Show King,' staging musical comedies, pantomimes, vaudeville and drama productions around the country year in and year out.

During his career Sorlie contributed regularly to a number of theatre magazines, as correspondent, anecdotist and industry observer. He also recorded a number of songs for the Parlophone label in the later 1920s.

[Source: Australian Variety Theatre Archive]