AUSTRALIAN EPHEMERA COLLECTION FINDING AID J.C. WILLIAMSON PANTOMIME PROGRAMS PERFORMING ARTS PROGRAMS AND EPHEMERA (PROMPT) PRINTED AUSTRALIANA JANUARY 2015 James Cassius Williamson was an American actor who immigrated to Australia in the 1870s. Along with business partners, such as William Musgrove, his theatre company became one of the most dominant in colonial Australia. After his death in 1913 the company, now named J.C. Williamson Ltd. continued under the direction of George Tallis and the Tait brothers (who remained involved in the company until the 1970s). J.C. Williamson continued to be one of the biggest theatre companies in Australia throughout the first three quarters of the 20th century. J.C. Williamson held the license for theatres in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and New Zealand (at times more than one theatre in each city). In 1976 the company closed, but the name was licensed until the mid 1980s. This list includes pantomimes held in J.C. Williamson theatres, as well as those produced by J.C. Williamson and performed in other theatres under venue hire arrangements. The list also includes libretti for overseas pantomime productions collected by J.C. Williamson for their corporate archive. 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 staged by the J.C. Williamson company. In a few cases however, the only evidence of a performance is a piece of printed ephemera. In these cases the type of piece is identified, eg, brochure. The list is based on imperfect holdings and is updated as gaps in the Library’s holdings for these artists are filled. Unless otherwise stated, all entries are based on published programs in the PROMPT collection. ACCESS The J.C. Williamson PROMPT files may be accessed through the Library’s Special Collections Reading Room by eCallslip request: http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn3666448. ARRANGEMENT This list has two sections: Pantomimes produced by J.C. Williamson or produced in J.C. Williamson theatres Libretti for overseas productions of pantomimes collected by J.C. Williamson The primary arrangement of this finding aid is chronological based on the start date of each production. The selection of libretti for overseas pantomimes at the end of the list has been arranged alphabetically according to the title of the production. All dates are based on evidence in the programs or ephemera, or have been confirmed by accessing newspaper articles and advertisements through Trove. Entries for each program in the main section are arranged as follows: Year of production Title of Production / creator if known Date (day and month) Theatre/venue Headline performers Brief description of item holdings, ie “2 copies of program” An index to headline performers (listing performer’s name, year of appearance and venue), venue and production title is also provided at the end of the document. OTHER LIBRARY HOLDINGS RELATING TO J.C. WILLIAMSON & CO. The National Library’s collection also includes: . Scrapbooks, journals and personal papers in the Records of J.C. Williamson 1874-1976; . scores for J.C. Williamson productions; . Pictures; . Broadsides relating to specific J.C. Williamson productions . Bound volumes of J.C. Williamson programs; and . Issues of the J.C. Williamson Ltd. Magazine See also separate PROMPT ephemera collection finding aids to: . J.C. Williamson general theatre programs, film related ephemera and overseas productions collected by the company for reference . J.C. Williamson Gilbert and Sullivan operetta programs . J.C. Williamson grand opera, operetta, comic opera and light opera programs See also J.C. Williamson in the TROVE discovery service which includes performance reviews and advertisements in Australian newspaper and magazines as well as other archival and pictorial material. Australian Ephemera Collection Finding Aid (PROMPT): J.C. Williamson (Pantomimes) 2 The Library has related holdings for individual actors who worked with J.C. Williamson & Co. in the performing arts programs and ephemera (PROMPT) sequence. Australian Ephemera Collection Finding Aid (PROMPT): J.C. Williamson (Pantomimes) 3 Pantomimes produced by J.C. Williamson or produced in J.C. Williamson theatres 1885-86 Cinderella Season commencing 26 December Theatre Royal, Sydney (New South Wales) Starring Miss Nellie Stewart 1 souvenir script book See also Australian newspaper and magazine coverage 1886-87 Robinson Crusoe / Alfred Maltby Season commencing 27 December Theatre Royal, Melbourne (Victoria) Starring Miss Alice Jones Also – Mr Arthur Lissant 3 copies of souvenir script book See also Australian newspaper and magazine coverage 1887 Robinson Crusoe / Alfred Maltby Season commencing 26 December Theatre Royal, Sydney (New South Wales) Starring Miss Aggie Kelton 1 cover for souvenir script book (there is no dating information on the cover, but it matches the cover for the previous year’s Melbourne season) 1889 Sinbad the Sailor / E. W. Royce and E. B. Manning Season commencing 20 April Theatre Royal, Sydney (New South Wales) Starring Miss Edith Blande 1 program 1 souvenir book of the script See also Australian newspaper and magazine coverage 1889-90 Cinderella / Frank Emery Season commencing 26 December Theatre Royal, Melbourne (Victoria) Starring Miss Clara Merivale and Mr Walter Marnock 1 souvenir book of the script See also Australian newspaper and magazine coverage 1892-93 Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves Season commencing 24 December Princess Theatre, Melbourne (Victoria) Starring Mr E. J. Lonnen and Miss Kate Barry 1 souvenir book of the script See also Australian newspaper and magazine coverage 1892-93 Little Red Riding Hood / Bert Royle, music by Lovell Phillips Season commencing 27 December Lyceum Theatre, Sydney (New South Wales) Starring Alice Leamar 1 program – incomplete See also Australian newspaper and magazine coverage Australian Ephemera Collection Finding Aid (PROMPT): J.C. Williamson (Pantomimes) 4 1893-94 Beauty and the Beast / Toso Taylor Season commencing 26 December Lyceum Theatre, Sydney (New South Wales) Starring Nellie Stewart and Mr George Lauri Also –Miss Florence Young and Mr Arthur Lissant 1 program See also Australian newspaper and magazine coverage Australian Ephemera Collection Finding Aid (PROMPT): J.C. Williamson (Pantomimes) 5 1894-95 Beauty and the Beast Season commencing 22 December Princess Theatre, Melbourne (Victoria) Starring Miss Alice Saker and Mr Alfred Saker 1 souvenir book of the script See also Australian newspaper and magazine coverage 1894-95 Cinderella / Toso Taylor Season commencing 22 December Lyceum Theatre, Sydney (New South Wales) Starring Miss Ray Jones 1 souvenir program See also Australian newspaper and magazine coverage 1895-96 Djin Djin - the Japanese Bogie-Man! / Bert Royal and J.C. Williamson Season commencing 26 December Princess Theatre, Melbourne (Victoria) Cast includes Florence Young and Mary Weir (who went on to become the 2nd Mrs Williamson) 2 copies of souvenir pictorial program – different colour covers 1 souvenir book of show – incomplete (cover missing) See also Australian newspaper and magazine coverage 1896 Djin Djin - the Japanese Bogie-Man! / Bert Royal and J.C. Williamson Season commencing 28 March Lyceum Theatre, Sydney (New South Wales) Cast includes Florence Young and Mary Weir (who went on to become the 2nd Mrs Williamson) 1 program Pages possibly taken from a newspaper containing program information Photocopy of program information possibly from newspaper See also Australian newspaper and magazine coverage 1896-97 Sinbad the Sailor / Bert Royle and J.C. Williamson Season commencing 24 December Her Majesty’s Theatre, Sydney (New South Wales) Starring Mr Will Crackles and Miss Stella Elsdale 1 souvenir program See also Australian newspaper and magazine coverage 1897-98 Djin Djin - the Japanese Bogie-Man! / Bert Royal and J.C. Williamson Season commencing 27 December Opera House, Wellington (New Zealand) 1 souvenir book of show See also Australian newspaper and magazine coverage 1898-99 The Forty Thieves / Arthur H. Adams Season commencing 26 December Her Majesty’s Theatre, Sydney (New South Wales) Australian Ephemera Collection Finding Aid (PROMPT): J.C. Williamson (Pantomimes) 6 Starring Miss Patti Browne and Mr John Coleman Also – Miss Carrie Moore 1 program Program information – seems to have been cut out of a newspaper See also Australian newspaper and magazine coverage 1899-1900 Little Red Riding Hood / Bernard Espinasse and F.W. Weierter Season commencing 27 December Her Majesty’s Theatre, Sydney (New South Wales) Starring Miss Dorothy Vane, Miss Carrie Moore and Mr George Lauri 1 souvenir program See also Australian newspaper and magazine coverage 1902 Aladdin / Jay Hickory Wood Season commencing 22 February Theatre Royal, Sydney (New South Wales) Starring Miss Rose Hamilton Also – Miss Ada Willoughby, Miss Celia Ghiloni 1 program See also Australian newspaper and magazine coverage 1903-04 The Sleeping Beauty & The Beast / Monty Grover and Alfred Hill Season commencing Theatre Royal, Sydney (New South Wales) Starring Miss Olive Lenton and Miss May Beatty Also - Miss Sara Hyman, Mr Fred Leslie, Miss Aggie Kelton, Mr Fred H. Graham 1 program 1906-07 Mother Goose Season commencing 22 December Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne (Victoria) Starring Harry Phydora and Florence Young Also – Celie Ghiloni, Pressy Preston 2 copies - colours differ See also Australian newspaper