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Robert Helpmann (1909-1986)

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Robert Helpmann (1909-1986) AUSTRALIAN EPHEMERA COLLECTION FINDING AID SIR ROBERT HELPMANN (1909-1986) PERFORMING ARTS PROGRAMS AND EPHEMERA (PROMPT) PRINTED AUSTRALIANA JANUARY 2019 This finding aid lists programs and ephemera which document all aspects of Sir Robert Helpmann’s extensive career as dancer, choreographer, director, and actor in Australia and overseas. Robert Helpmann’s extensive career started with ballet, acting from 1930, and he then emerged as a company choreographer in 1942. He also directed and produced, and worked in opera, film, and musical theatre. Helpmann’s career in Australia with the Australian Ballet, other Australian companies, and in the Old Vic. Co. tour of Australia in 1955 are not included: Material relating to these productions are located under the respective names of the companies he worked with. (For instance, programs relating to Helpmann’s Australian and New Zealand tours of Nude with violin are located within the separate J.C. Williamson General files of the PROMPT Collection.) The Australian Ballet performances that are mentioned here are all duplicates of the same programs found in the Australian Ballet PROMPT collection, which features more of his work with them. CONTENT Printed materials in the PROMPT collection include programs, and printed ephemera such as brochures, leaflets, tickets, etc. Theatre programs are taken as the prime documentary evidence of a performance by Helpmann. In a few cases however, the only evidence for a Helpmann performance is a piece of printed ephemera other than a full program. In these cases the details are in italics. Examples of this occur during part of the Sadler’s Wells Ballet seasons at Covent Garden in 1948 and 1949 in which fold-out brochures give basic daily listings for several weeks of the repertoire to be performed and some of the artists appearing. Details of Helpmann’s scheduled appearances have been extracted from these lists, but there is no guarantee that he actually appeared in the performance. In the case of triple bills there is no indication of the role/s he was to have danced. If, at a later stage, a program is acquired for any of those performances it is then taken as the prime document and supersedes the brochure listing as evidence of Helpmann’s actual appearance. The Helpmann files in the PROMPT collection also include miscellaneous ephemera items. The list is based on imperfect holdings, and is updated as gaps in the Library’s holdings are filled. Unless otherwise stated, all entries are based on published programs in the PROMPT collection. ACCESS The Robert Helpmann PROMPT files may be accessed through the Library’s Special Collections Reading Room by eCallslip request: http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn2640459. ARRANGEMENT The list is in four sequences which reflect the arrangement of the Library’s Robert Helpmann PROMPT collection: Theatre [i.e.: Helpmann as actor and director working in drama, comedy, opera, revue] Overseas Ballet Australian Ballet Then individually listed, chronologically by performance as follows: Date (day and month); City Name of production or performer Headline performers etc. This document is keyword searchable. The arrangement within each sequence is chronological by year and then by month, week or day with all dates based on evidence in the programs or ephemera. The listing also notes the number of copies held, autographs, photos, biographies given in the program and significant partners in dance such as Dame Margot Fonteyn. OTHER RESOURCES A collection of personal scrapbooks belonging to Sir Robert Helpmann are held in the Library’s Manuscript Section (MS 7161). The finding aid to the manuscript collection is available from www.nla.gov.au/ms/findaids/7161.html. The Library also holds a number of pictures and photographs of Helpmann which may be accessed through the Pictorial Reading Room. Books about Helpmann, the ballet companies he performed with, the films he acted in, etc., as well as serials and newspapers containing reviews and articles are accessible through the Library’s catalogue. Robert Helpmann (1909-1968) 2 Biographical cuttings on Robert Helpmann are available through the Newspapers and Microforms Reading Room. These and other resources are included in the Library’s publication A full house : the ESSO guide to the Performing Arts Collections of the National Library of Australia / by Michelle Potter. The Australian Dance Collection Directory of Resources also provides a descriptive list of Helpmann material in a variety of formats especially film and video. The National Library’s collection also includes: Oral History recordings and interviews, Pictures of Robert Helpmann THEATRE 1930 14 June; Her Majesty’s Theatre, Sydney (Aus) The Merry Widow – Opening dance and chorus, with Frances Ogilvy 1 photocopied program 1930 28 June; Her Majesty’s Theatre, Sydney (Aus) Katinka – Russian dancers, caberet dancers, with Frances Ogilvy 1 photocopied program 1933 28 February; Gate Theatre Studio London (UK) I Hate Men (Godfrey) – Young man 1 program 1934 9 March; Savoy Theatre, London (UK) Precipice (Gregory) - Duval 1 program 1934 5 June; Savoy Theatre, London (UK) Precipice (Gregory) - Duval 1 program 1935 18 March; Adelphi Theatre, London (UK) Clifford Whitely's Revue and Stop Press Stop Press (Whitely) – with others Lovely Heart Column – with Margaret Sande and others Book of the Month “The Beggar’s Dream” - Beggar Revolt in Cuba – with Margaret Sande Robert Helpmann (1909-1968) 3 Echo of Former Romance – with Florence Chumbecos 1 program 1935 8 July; Golders Green Hippodrome (UK) Clifford Whitley’s Revue. Stop Press Stop Press – with others Lonely Heart Column – with Margaret Sande Book of the Month “The Beggar’s Dream” - Beggar Revolt in Cuba – with Margaret Sande Echo of Former Romance – with Florence Chumbecos 1 program 1935 15 July; Streatham Hill Theatre, London (UK) Clifford Whitely’s [Revue]. Stop Press Stop Press – with others Lonely Heart Column – with Margaret Sande Book of the Month “The Beggar’s Dream” – Beggar; Revolt In Cuba – with Margaret Sande Echo of Former Romance – with Florence Chumbecos 1 program 1936 9-16 June; Arts Theatre, Cambridge (UK) Turn Over A New Leaf - Choreographed by RH 1 program 1937 8-15 June; Arts Theatre, Cambridge (UK) The Footlights Dramatic Club. Includes portrait Full Swing- Choreographed by RH. 1 program 1937 27 December; The Old Vic. Sadler’s Wells, London (UK) A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare) – Oberon, King of the Fairies 1 program 1938 6 – 15 January; The Old Vic. Sadler’s Wells, London (UK) A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare) – Oberon, King of the Fairies 1 program 1938 18 – 29 January; The Old Vic. Sadler’s Wells, London (UK) A Midsummer Night's Dream (Shakespeare) - Oberon, King of the Fairies The Old Vic. Company 1 program 1938 27 January – 5 February; The Old Vic. Sadler’s Wells, London (UK) A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare) – Oberon, King of the Fairies Robert Helpmann (1909-1968) 4 The Old Vic. Company 1 program 1938 2 – 5 February; The Old Vic. Sadler’s Wells, London (UK) A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare) – Oberon, King of the Fairies The Old Vic. Company 1 program 1938 April; The People’s National Theatre. The Playhouse Theatre, London (UK) The Insect play (brothers Capek) Felix in Act I ; Mr Cricket in Act II ; Chief of the Yellow Ants in Act III 3 programs, one with cover ill. by Mervyn Peake. One program dated 27 April 1938. 1939 6 – 21 January; The Old Vic. Sadler’s Wells, London (UK) Season 1938-39 A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare) – Oberon, King of the Fairies The Old Vic. Company 1 program 1939 20 – 28 January; The Old Vic. Sadler’s Wells, London (UK) Season 1938-39 A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare) – Oberon, King of the Fairies The Old Vic. Company 1 program 1939 28 March – 29 April The Old Vic, London (UK) The Taming Of The Shrew (Shakespeare) - Gremio, an old gentleman; Nicholas, a servant; a tailor The Old Vic. Company 5 programs 1939 24 April; The Old Vic. London, (UK) Shakespeare Birthday Festival RH as Tailor in Taming of the Shrew 1 program 1939-1945? Princes Theatre, London (UK) Wild Rose - Dances arranged by RH 1 program 1942 Saville Theatre, London (UK) Fine and Dandy – Dances arranged by RH (with Ann Coventry) 3 programs Robert Helpmann (1909-1968) 5 1943 His Majesty’s Theatre, Haymarket, London (UK) The Merry Widow (Lehar) – Choreography 1 program 1944? New Theatre, London, (UK) Peer Gynt (Ibsen) – Arrangements of grouping and movement The Old Vic. Theatre Company 2 programs 1944 12 February; New Theatre, London (UK) Hamlet (Shakespeare) - Hamlet The Old Vic. Company 2 copies 1944 June; Theatre arts (periodical) “A New Hamlet: the London Scene”, References to RH, missing photo page 1 copy 1945 Henry V (Film) (L. Olivier, prod. & dir. in close association with the editor, Reginald Beck) RH as the Bishop of Ely Laurence Olivier’s presentation in Technicolour of Henry V [at] Marble Arch Pavilion. 1 folded sheet ([3] p.) Filed in film folder. 1946 20 May; Palace Theatre. London. The Merry Widow – Choreography arranged by RH 1 program 1946 August; Palace Theatre, London (UK) Song of Norway – Choreography of the Concert Ballet and Freddy and His Fiddle are by RH 1 program 1946 12 December; Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London (UK) The Fairy Queen (Purcell) - Oberon The Covent Garden Opera Trust 1 program 1947 June; Duchess Theatre, London (UK) He Who Gets Slapped (Andreyev) - Prince 2 programs 1947 17 February; Theatre Royal, Brighton (UK) The White Devil (Webster) - Flamineo 1 program Robert Helpmann (1909-1968) 6 1947 24 February; Theatre Royal, Nottingham (UK) The White Devil (Webster) – Flamineo 1 program 1947 March-April; The Duchess Theatre, London (UK) The White Devil (Webster) - Flamineo 5 programs (1 copy autographed by RH) 1948 Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon (UK) 1948 Festival Festival souvenir [20] pp.
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