Australian Variety Theatre Archive

The Australian Variety Theatre Archive is a research website devoted to popular culture entertainment in the Australasian region between circa 1850 and 1930. This year, 2014, marks its fourth year of publication.

The AVTA went online on 10 May 2011, the 146th anniversary of the birth of Australian vaudeville entrepreneur Harry Clay. Since then the archive has published more than 700 new records, while also updating many entries previously published.

In the past 12 months more than 250 new entries have been added to the AVTA.

Dr Clay Djubal would like to thank all those people who have contributed to the archive during the past 12 months. Without their help the AVTA would be much less enlightened.

He would also like to thank the 17,290 people who have visited the site between 10 May 2013 and 10 May 2014. The busiest month was August 2013 with 1,822 visitors.

2013/14 also saw the introduction of four new sections:

Fads & Fashions

International Tourists

Orchestras & Bands

Works Legitimate

Entrepreneurs:

Nellie Chester • Arthur Garner • Joe Lashwood • G.B. L. Lewis • Marino Lucas • Orpheus McAdoo • George Marlow • Jack O’Donnell • Charles Pollard • James Pollard • Tom Pollard • Happy Harry Salmon • Beaumont Smith • Hugh J. Ward • George Willoughby • Joseph Wyatt

Fads & Fashion

Apache Dance • The Charleston • Clog Dancing • The Tango • Vampire Dance

Industry

Australian Vaudeville Artists’ Federation • Coogee Palace Aquarium • Dalton’s Vaudeville Agency • Footlights • Freemasons • John L. Goodman • Green Room • Hoyts • J. Albert & Son • Just It • Lashwood & Royley’s Star Vaudeville Agency • “Old Programmes” • Frank O’Sullivan• J.J. O’Sullivan • Pas • “Peeps at People” • “Reminiscences of the Stage’ • Sir Joseph Banks Pavilion & Pleasure Grounds • “The Strutter’s Page” • Spencer’s Royal Polytechnic • Summer Continentals • Talma Photographic Studios • Tivoli Tango Teas • Union Theatres • Claude H. Whaite • Zenda

Industry: Trans-Oceanic Circuits

Bandmann Circuit • Grand Theatre (Noumea)

International Tourists

Cyril “Tiny” Douglas • Andrew MacCunn • Sydney Nelson • Jack O’Hagan • Will Quintrell • Bert Rache • T. W. Rhodes • Joe Somers • Charles Von Der Mehden

Orchestras & Bands

Charleston Super Six Symphonists • National Orchestra (Syd) • Will Quintrell & His Tivolians • Royal Squadron Syncopators • Tiny Douglas’s Varsity Boys

Organisations & Partnerships

Fuller-Brennan • Harwood, Stewart, Hennings & Coppin • Coppin, Hennings & Greville • Macmahon Brothers • O’Donnell & Ray • Beaumont Smith & Leslie Hoskins • Wyatt & Knight

Practitioners:

Francie Adler • Mary Andrews • Hilda Attenboro • Yvonne “Fifi” Banvard • Les Bates • Nellie Black • Black Family • Billie C. Brown • Brull & Hemsley • Lawrence Campbell • Jack Cannot • Carlton & Surron • Billy Cass • The Cottiers • Walter C. Cottier • Cusko’s Monkeys • Alice Davenport • Ralph de Tisne • Edgley & Dawe • John Dobbie • Arthur Elliott • Violet Elliott (1) • Violet Elliot (2) • Frank Emery • Era Comedy Four • Pat Finn • Four Ethiopian Serenaders • Charles Fredricksen • Dave Gardner • George Gardner • Joey Gougenheim • Arthur Hemsley • Frank L. Haining • Lola Hunt • The Jazz Band • Ida Jarvis • John Juan • Jules Garrison and His Roman Maids • George Lauri •Lindsay Kemble • Winifred La France • La Milo • Ernest Lauri • Alf Lawton • Bobby Le Brun • Les Theirs • Alf G. Lumsden • Kyrle McAllister • Polly McLaren • Eddie & Decima McLean • Esmee McLennan • A. E. Martin • Carrie Moore • Con Moreni • Maybelle Morgan • Nelson Family • Newmans (Val & Lottie) • Lily Octavia • Octavia & Warne • Odiva& Her Seals • Vera Pearce • Peare Sisters • Olga Pennington • Daphne Pollard • Harry “Snub” Pollard • Pollard family • Harry Quealy • Bert Ray • Billy Romaine • Joe Rox • Dorothy Rudder • Harry Scales • Bebe Scott • Ron Shand • John F. Sheridan • Charles L. Sherman • Clara Spencer • Hector St Clair • Elsa Sylvaney • Athol Tier • Joe Valli • Bert Warne • Ada Walker • Whimsical Walker (2) USA • George H. Ward • Dave Warne • Warne & Davenport • Albert Whelan • Carden Wilson

Practitioners: Other

Walter Bentley • Ella Carrington • John Cosgrove • J. R. Greville • Aggie Kelton • Blanche Lewis • Mrs G.B.W. Lewis (aka Rose Edouin) • Eduardo Majeroni • John “Jack” Ralston • Wybert Reeve • George Rignold • Charles H. Taylor

Repositories

Nat Phillips Collection • Hood Collection

Scenic Artists

John Little • Rege Robins • John Hennings • William Pitt (Snr)

Theatres

Albert Hall (Launceston) • Bijou Theatre (Launceston) • Burlington Picture Grounds (Sydney) • National Theatre (Launceston) • Princess Theatre (Fremantle) • Princess Theatre (Launceston) • Rosebery Theatre (Sydney) • Royal Olympic Theatre (Launceston) • Theatre Royal (Hobart) • Royal Victoria (Sydney) • Theatre Royal (Launceston) • White’s Assembly and Concert Rooms (Adelaide)

Troupes

All Diggers Co • Arthur Hemsley’s Dandies • Buffalo Female Minstrels • Ella Carrington’s Stray Leaves Combination • Ernest Hogan’s Genuine Negro Co • Fisk Jubilee Singers • F. Gayle Wyer’s Bandbox Revue Co • Fitzgerald’s All-Stars • Follies of Pleasure • Fullers’ American Revue Co • Harry Cogill’s New Musical Comedy Co • McAdoo’s Georgia Minstrels & Alabama Cakewalkers • Pollards Lilliputian Opera Co [1] • Pollards Lilliputian Opera Co [2] • Pollards Juvenile Opera Co [3] • Royal Pantomime Company • So and So Costume Comedy Co • Snapshots Revue Co • Th’ Drolls

Works

Quang Fong Fa (1846) • Harlequin Jack Sprat (1846) • The Hag of the Raven Forest (1846) • Harlequin Shrove Tuesday (1849) • King Pippin (1849) • The Fairy of the Golden Regions (1849) • Blue Bell in Fairyland (1908) • Robinson Crusoe (1908) • Aladdin (1914) • Babes in the Wood (1929)

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The AVTA is another publication from