Performing Arts

Behind the curtain: the lives of Dolia and Rosa Ribush

Behind the curtain: the lives of Dolia and Rosa Ribush

January 3, 2023

Ask a librarian, Performing Arts, Theatre:

Dolia and Rosa Ribush arrived in Melbourne from Riga, Latvia in 1928. They played a pivotal role in the theatrical and cultural life of Australia.

Send in the clowns

Send in the clowns

October 31, 2022

Performing Arts, Photography, Theatre:

Happy or sad, straight-faced or bumbling, creepy or cute, there many different kinds of clown. Join us as we take a look at some of the lesser-known clowns in the State Library’s photo collection.

Home page of the 1999 Melbourne Fringe Festival Website

Two Decades of the Melbourne Fringe Festival Website

October 25, 2022

Changing libraries, Our stories, Performing Arts, Theatre:

State Library Victoria has been collecting the website of the Melbourne Fringe Festival since 1999 and will continue into the future. Here are some highlights from our online collection at PANDORA.

New listening in Arts : Autumn selections

New listening in Arts : Autumn selections

April 16, 2019

classical music, Film, Music, Musicals, Performing Arts, Popular music, Rare Books & Arts, Television:

New arrivals include this Autumn selection of popular, jazz, musical theatre, classical and film music on CD. Most are currently showcased on our wonderful listening posts in the Arts Reading… Read More ›

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment South Pacific, c2008, c1992

New Sights: Australian classics and much more

September 10, 2018

Film, Musicals, Performing Arts, Rare Books & Arts:

Some great new arrivals in Arts include classic Australian movies, timeless musical favourites, live rock concerts and opera hits on DVD and Blu-Ray. The Dish. (DVD) They’re a Weird Mob. (DVD)… Read More ›

Chung Ling Soo, the Marvellous Chinese Conjurer ALMA 93.2/34

The life and death of master magician Chung Ling Soo

September 20, 2017

Our stories, Performing Arts, Rare Books & Arts:

Magician William Ellsworth Robinson left behind his plain name and New York background and reinvented himself as the Chung Ling Soo, the Marvellous Chinese Conjurer, complete with an imaginative and fictitious life story, In the great days of vaudeville he achieved world fame and in 1909 embarked on a wildly successful tour of Australia and New Zealand. A decade later, still at the height of his career, Chung Ling Soo was mortally wounded on stage undertaking his sensational bullet catch trick.

Engraved from the "Chandos" portrait by H.S. Sadd, 1860

Shakespeare 400

May 6, 2016

Music, Performing Arts, Rare Books & Arts, Theatre:

The works of William Shakespeare remain so fresh, and so fundamental to our culture, a mere 400 years after his death.

Naxos/Broadway Theatre Archive, 1973

It’s a wonderful world; so many videos to enjoy, here or there!

October 16, 2015

Music, Performing Arts, Rare Books & Arts, Television, Theatre:

Some more great performances and documentaries courtesy of our video streaming services, not to mention a flashmob Choral Symphony to bring a tear to the eye.

William Morrow Publishers, 2014

Strutting and fretting their hour; new books in the performing arts

August 21, 2015

Film, Performing Arts, Rare Books & Arts:

Sometimes the goings on behind the scenes are a whole lot more fascinating than what goes on out the front……

From the Outer Circle to Heavy Metal on DVD

From the Outer Circle to Heavy Metal on DVD

April 9, 2015

Music, Performing Arts, Popular music, Rare Books & Arts:

New DVDs arriving into the collection include releases in rock, opera, ballet, popular music, magic and documentary.