AustLit

The son of Irish actor Dion Boucicault (originally Dionysius Lardner Boursiquot) and actress Agnes Robertson, Dion Boucicault Jnr came to Australia with his father and sister, Nina, in 1885. The following year he co-founded the Brough-Boucicault Comedy Company in Sydney with Robert Brough. Although he spent only ten years in the country, during that time he set new production standards for professional theatre, particularly in the areas of design, properties, costuming and orchestral arrangements.

The Brough-Boucicault company's reputation was established early on when they attracted the support of many influential people within the upper echelons of the colonial society, but it also suffered several set backs. The first occurred in 1889 when a fire at the Bijou Theatre, Melbourne, destroyed everything. The economic depression which reached a peak in the early 1890s also created severe hardship on the company's fortunes. When Robert Brough temporarily left the company in 1895 Boucicault attempted a season in Melbourne on his own, but the venture was financial failure. He returned to England later that year.

Boucicault returned to Australian in 1923 with the Vanburgh-Boucicault Company, co-founded with his wife, Irene Vanburgh. Following their successful tour (1923-1925) the coupe undertook a second visit (1927-1928). Boucicault died in England the year after his final Australian tour ended.