AUSTRALIAN EPHEMERA COLLECTION FINDING AID SIR ROBERT HELPMANN (1909-1986) PERFORMING ARTS PROGRAMS AND EPHEMERA (PROMPT) PRINTED AUSTRALIANA JANUARY 2015 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, started doing acting in 1930, emerged as a company choreographer in 1942. He also directed and produced productions as well. Helpmann’s career in Australia with the Australian Ballet and other Australian companies, and in the Old Vic Co. tour of Australia in 1955 are not, however, included. Material relating to these aspects of his career may be found under the respective names of the companies. Helpmann’s Australian and New Zealand tours of Nude with violin is such an example where related material is held in the 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Biographical cuttings on Robert Helpmann are available through the Newspapers and Microforms Reading Room. Robert Helpmann (1909-1968) 2 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 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 19 March; Old Vic Theatre, London (UK) Les Sylphides (Chopin) – Mazurka Douanes (Geoffrey Toye) – one of The Three Gendarmes Les Rendezvous (Auber) – various 1 program 1934 5 June; Savoy Theatre, London (UK) Precipice (Gregory) — Duval 1 program 1934 2 October; Old Vic Theatre, London (UK) Fete Polonaise (Glinka) The Haunted Ballroom (Geoffrey Toye) – Master of Treginnis Robert Helpmann (1909-1968) 3 Les Rendezvous (Auber) – various 1 program 1934 9 October; Old Vic Theatre, London (UK) Les Rendezvous (Auber) – various The Jar (Alfred Casello) – Don Lollo Zirafa (a rich farmer) Carnaval (Schuman) – Harlequin Vic-Wells Ballet 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 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 1936 13 October; Sadler’s Wells, London (UK) Carnaval (Schuman) – Florestan Prometheus (Beethoven) – Prometheus Pas de Deux (from Sleeping Princess, Tchaikovsky) – with Fonteyn Robert Helpmann (1909-1968) 4 Vic-Wells Ballet 1 program 1937 5 January; Sadler’s Wells, London (UK) Apparitions (Constant Lambert) – The Poet 1 program 1937 16 January; Sadler’s Wells, London (UK) Casse Noisette (Tschaikowsky) – various The Aurora Pas de Deux (from Sleeping Princess, Tchaikovsky) – with Fonteyn 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 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. Robert Helpmann (1909-1968) 5 1938 26 April; Sadler’s Wells, London (UK) Rake’s Progress (Gordon) – The Rake 1 program 1938 Season commencing 29 August; Princes Theatre, Manchester (UK) Le Lac des Cygnes (Tchaikovsky) – Prince Siegfried Checkmate (Arthur Bliss) – The Red King Apparitions (Liszt) – The Poet The Vic- Wells Ballet 1 program 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 16 February; Sadler’s Wells , London, UK) The Sleeping Princess (Tchaikovsky) – The Prince Charming 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 Tailor in Taming of the Shrew 1 program 1939 16 October; Birmingham Theatre Royal, Birmingham (UK) Checkmate (Arthur Bliss) – The Red King Façade (William Walton) – The