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[page 3]

THE ARTS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA (N.S.W. DIVISION)

Ballet Season - 1950

EMPIRE THEATRE - SYDNEY

(BY ARRANGEMENTS WITH J.C. WILLIAMSON THEATRES LTD.)

Managing Directors:

FRANK S. TAIT, JOHN H. TAIT, J. NEVIN TAIT (London)
General Manager - Harald A. Bowden

THE ARTS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA (N.S.W. DIVISION)

PATRON: His Excellency, Lieutenant-General Sir John Northcott, K.C.M.G, C.B., M.V.O., Governor of N.S.W.
VICE-PATRONS: Sir Benjamin Fuller, K.B., Eugene Goossens, D.Mus., F.R.C.M., Eric Kennedy, Esq., Prof. R.C. Mills, Charles Moses, Esq.
PRESIDENT: MISS DOROTHY HELMRICH
BALLET SEASON MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE REPRESENTING THE EXECUTIVE: Miss Dorothy Helmrich, (State President), L.F. Keller, Esq. (State Deputy-President), L.A. Langsworth, Esq. (State Treasurer), Miss Regina Ridge (State Secretary), The Hon. Mr. Justice Nicholas, Arthur M. Davis, Esq.

THE ARTS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA is a voluntary body whose foundation was inspired by the Arts Council of Great Britain (formerly known as CEMA (Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts). The central purpose of the Art Council of Australia, as of its namesake, is to bring art in all its forms to the people; to encourage them not only to cultivate an appreciation of all that is beautiful in music, painting, sculpture, drama, ballet and so forth, but also to express themselves in some one or other of the arts and crafts.

The Arts Council is based on the belief that art, in the widest sense of the word, is not a luxury for the few, but a necessity for all in a community which aims to develop to the full all the faculties of its citizens and so enable them to make the best of life. In all this, the things on which public attention is chiefly focussed (apart from the security from war) are the fundamental economic freedoms; freedom from fear and want. The emphasis, in public discussions, is upon the hoped-for material benefits - full employment, economic security, good housing and so forth. These are very important and very necessary, but they are not everything. Material comfort and security affords opportunities for happiness and welfare, but they do not by themselves insure them. The idea behind the Arts Council is that to have a better world we must have better citizens - men and women who not only have full employment but are happy in their employment; men and women who not only have abundant leisure but know how to make us of it to develop their bodies and their minds. Post-war reconstruction must take account, not only of the material but also of the cultural and the spiritual. And this is something for which we cannot afford to wait until all the material wants are fully satisfied - it should have equal priority with them.

Starting from nothing a little over six years ago, 1950 finds The Arts Council of Australia with its Federal Council established and its Secretary at the Rural Bank, Sydney with State Divisions in N.S.W. Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, Queensland, Tasmania and the A.C.T. and a "co-opted" division in Papua-New Guinea. Each division functions according to the need of its particular State. But, however this may vary from time to time, the divisions are united in purpose.

The N.S.W. Division is recognised by the State Government, through its Department of Education, as an agent in the field of adult education. For the past five years it has concentrated its efforts in the country districts of the State and has established a number of country branches, from which centres it aims to spread into the outlying areas. The Arts Council competes with no one and with no existing body. It is ready to help and encourage existing organisations wherever help is desired or possible.

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[page 5]

History of
THE NATIONAL THEATRE
MOVEMENT OF AUSTRALIA

The National Theatre Movement of Australia was founded in 1935 by Miss Gertrude Johnson on the lines of the Old Vic., which embraced the three arts of the theatre - Opera, Drama and Ballet.

The first season of Ballet was presented at the Princess Theatre, Melbourne, in 1939, when the leading schools of Ballet were invited to contribute to the programme. The Borovansky School (first public appearance), Jennie Brennan and students from the studio of Jean Alexander were such a success that it was repeated. Then war was declared, and Jean Alexander joined the National Theatre and laid the foundation of what is now the National Theatre Ballet Company. After the visit of the Rambert Ballet Company, a number of the dancers remained in Melbourne, and it was then decided to link the work of our own Ballet Company with the English dancers, under the direction of Miss Joyce Graeme. Mr Leon Kellaway was engaged as ballet master, and auditions were held in different States to as to form a truly National Company of talented young Australian dancers.

Mr James Penberthy, the brilliant young composer of Ballet, who had worked with the National Theatre Ballet School for some years, was appointed Musical Director. Many Australian artists have designed décor and costumes - among them are John Rowell, Ann Church, Kenneth Rowell and Frank Kane, also Harold Vyke and Robert Felix. The choreographers who have built the repertoire of the company are Joyce Graeme, Laurel Martin, Jean Alexander, Louise Lightfoot, Rex Reid and M. and Madam Bousloff. Guest artist for last season was the famous Indian dancer, Shivaram, who will appear with the company during its Sydney season in Indra Vijayam.

After the first season last year in Melbourne, the company visited Adelaide, and then toured the country towns of Victoria; they returned to give a second season at the Princess Theatre, and were engaged for "The Glass Slipper". Miss Dorothy Helmrich was so impressed by the work of the company that she approached Miss Gertrude Johnson with the suggestion that the National Theatre Ballet Company should appear in Sydney under the auspices of the Arts Council, and the present season is the result.

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[page 9]

JOHN ANTILL
COMPOSER AND CONDUCTOR OF "CORROBOREE"

Born in Sydney, New South Wales, John Antill commenced early with the study of music, starting off with piano lessons at the age of five years.

His first attempt at composition was a waltz written only a year later. But a career in music was not what had been planned by his parents, and when his father returned from the First World War it was decided to apprentice the boy to the New South Wales Railways as a draughtsman. However, it soon became clear that music continued to be the compelling force in his life, and during this time young John Antill spent all his spare time thinking, playing and composing music. He wrote several operas, for some of them even the libretto as well, and when his apprenticeship eventually came to an end, it was clear that music held his future securely in its grasp. John Antill entered the Sydney Conservatorium and, working round the clock, built up a broad basis of musical knowledge with practical experience in the playing of most musical instruments, but specialising in the Violin and Clarinet, for which he was awarded scholarships.

John Antill always believes in gaining authentic background by personal experience. With this object in view, he obtained positions in several opera companies, acting as conductor, chorus master, and also played clarinet in the orchestra. He conducted a small opera company of his own and toured country districts of Australia. Upon joining the Staff of the Australian Broadcasting Commission, he was made Assistant Musical Editor, and has in turn been Chorus Master, Presentation Officer, and to-day holds the important position of Music Supervisor for New South Wales. His compositions include Film Music, Documentary and successful incidental music to stage plays. In concert performances, his Ballet Suite, "Corroboree", has had sensational success, both in his homeland, England, Europe and America. It is a matter of the deepest gratification that the world premiere of the work in its complete form should take place in his own country.

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[page 11]

STORIES OF THE BALLET

"CORROBOREE' - A BALLET BY JOHN ANTILL

For the Australian aborigines a corroboree is not just an entertainment or amusement; it is a sacred rite. It may be the re-enactment of the myth enshrining the deeds and travels of a "Dreamtime" hero, or a rite to ensure the increase of a certain totemic species, or the culmination of the transition rites marking the stages of a man's progress along the mystic path of life. Or it may be a mourning song for a dead brother, with a single singer to the accompaniment of tapping sticks and droning didgeridoo.

At public corroborees in Central Australia, a group of men sing together their totemic song; and many may join in,. But in Arnhem Land there is only one singer - the hereditary Songman, who sings the songs handed down to him by his father. Others may know the song, but only the Songman has the right to sing them, and unless they are sung they cannot be danced.

At a small performance, the Songman may sit with his assistants on one side of the fire outside his hut tapping two sticks together to keep the time while one of his assistance drones into a didgeridoo with a deep bourdon tone. (A didgeridoo is a hollow piece of wood - perhaps a branch eaten out by white ants - played somewhat like a trumpet.) On the other side of the fire may be seen through the flickering flames, some little children and the dogs. As the Songman sings, the children keep time - the boys with little sticks, the girls by cupping their thighs with their hands, and sometimes several women will get up and dance a few steps silently, inspired by the music.

There are many variant forms of corroboree in different parts of Australia. In the ballet, "Corroboree", Antill has tried to give a more or less typical summary, a composite picture representative of corroborees generally. Aboriginal music is not easy for Western ears to understand. It is micro-tonic, built on the tetrachord, using a natural scale with progression so fine that we have difficulty in appreciating it. The aboriginal is a master musician in many respects, possessing absolute pitch, perfect rhythm and of necessity an uncanny aptitude for memorising. Their expression is subtle and faultless. By our standards they appear to repeat unceasingly, but a twist or a turn or inflection of a phrase to their ears makes a vast difference, whereas to us it would pass unnoticed.

Says Antill himself: "I have endeavoured to preserve, within the confines of our present-day orchestra, the spirit of our native race through the medium of their expressive ceremonial dances."

The ballet is divided into seven sections or movements:-

1. Welcome Ceremony, in which the Witchetty Grub men are assisted by members of the Emu totem.

The persistent rhythmic figure is used to indicate that an event of great importance is impending.

The movements of the Medicine Man are represented by the reiterative figure.

Then the didgeridoo is heard.

2. The Thippa Thippa and Bell Bird people dance to the Evening Star.

3. The Rain Dance is performed by the Frog totem, assisted by the Fish men - a serious ceremony which produces much thunder and lightening, but, as so often happens in Australia, only two drops of rain fall, represented by four notes on the vibraphone at the end of the dance.

4. The Snake Totem demonstrates the Spirit of the Wind.

5. The Kangaroo men pay homage to the Rising Sun.

6. The Morning Star Dance by the Hakea Flower totem.

7. The finale is a procession of totems and the closing Fire Ceremony, in which representatives of the Lace Lizard, Cockatoo, Honey Ant, Wild Cat and Small Fly totems participate.

There is spectacular tableaux and wild dancing. The large torches are ablaze and sway crazily. The air is filled with blazing fragments and thick smoke. The mysterious bull roarer sounds a sinister note. The mass of howling, dancing men grotesquely bedaubed, create an atmosphere that can only be described as fiendish. The curtain falls upon a scene of absolute chaos and prostration.

"LE MARIAGE d'AURORE.'

AURORA'S WEDDING is taken from the Ballet "THE SLEEPING PRINCESS", and was first performed as a one-act Ballet by Diaghilev's company in the Paris Opera House in 1922. It has no developed story, but shows the dances of the Courtiers and Fairy Tale guests at Aurora's marriage feast.

"ROMANTIC SUITE"

The French romantic era has always been one of great appeal and has been the inspiration of this ballet. It is really based on the critiques of the time of the famous French poet and prose writer, Theophile Gautier, who, as a dramatic and art critic, reviewed the most prominent stage performances of his day.

This ballet, though it has no plot, is an attempt to recapture the style and technique of the early nineteenth century dance.

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STORIES OF THE BALLETS

"SWAN LAKE"

In ACT 1, near the end of the festivities celebrating the coming of age of Prince Siegfried, a flight of swans pass overhead and the Prince's friend suggests a hunt. They immediately set off, with their cross-bows, for the lake towards which the swans were flying.

ACT 2 opens at the lakeside. It is just before midnight. A white swan wearing a jewelled coronet leads a group gliding across the lake. On reaching the bank, the swans change into beautiful maidens. Rotbart, a malignant sorcerer, having assumed the shape of an owl, is hovering near. Mistaking the white-clad maidens for their quarry, the hunters corner them and prepare to shoot.. The maiden wearing the coronet pleads with the hunters. She explains that she and her companions are under a wicked enchantment of Rotbart, who has changed them into swans and permits them to assume their human forms only for a few hours at each midnight. Prince Siegfried is fascinated by the beauty and grace of the Queen of the Swan Maidens falls deeply in love with her. He is about to embrace her when Rotbart menacingly separates them. The Prince urges his beloved to flee with him and promises to announce her as his intended bride. She tells that she is powerless until Rotbart's spell is broken.

The faint flush of dawn lights the lake. Helpless, under Rotbart's spell, the maidens become swans once more and they glide away over the lake as Prince Siegfried watches in anguish. This excerpt from Tschaikovsky's four-act masterpiece is pure classical ballet-blanc. To this performance the famous Pas-de-Trois from Act 1 has been added.

"PRINCE IGOR"

These dances are taken from Borodin's Opera "PRINCE IGOR", and are known as the Polovtsian Dances. They depict no story, but are typical of the wild, savage nature of the country. The scene is a Polovtsian camp at dusk. There are warriors asleep around the fire. The chief warrior awakes, arouses his companions, and calls for the Persian Slaves, who, with slow, voluptuous movements, entice the warriors to dance. The Polovtsian boys and girls join in, and the dance then reaches a frenzied climax as the curtain falls.

"THE LISTENERS"

This ballet was suggested by Walter de la Mare's poem.

The Traveller arrives at an abandoned house which holds intimate memories of his past life, and here among "a host of phantom listeners' the conflict of his relationship with two women is re-enacted in his imagination.

Dogged by the relentless interference of circumstances, he tries in vain to weave into an enduring pattern his longing for the women he loves, and his loyalty to the woman who has borne him a child.

The harmony of the pattern is perpetually broken by inexorable forces, and, as in life, his struggles against them prove unavailing.

INDRA VIJAYAM

The scene opens on the above of Indra, one of the gods of the ancient Hindus. These gods were said to reside on the summits of the Himalayas.

Apsaras (celestial nymphs symbolic of the mists which appear, dissolve and reappear around the summits of the mountains) dance in ecstasy before the god.

Offerings of holy water, perfume and incense are made by three Ghandaras, and sacred lotus is offered by Menaka.

A voice is hear singing praises of Indra while Debas scatter flowers before him.

Indra descends, describing by gestures the twinkling stars, the rising moon, the lightening flash, the rivers cascading downward, and the sea of clouds. He watches the monsoon cloud approach like a great white elephant. He mounts it and rides in majesty. Suddenly he is disturbed by the noise of mountains flying. The court is alarmed. He orders all away, and, taking his weapon, he seizes the mountains, cuts their wings, and puts them in place over India, and dances in triumph. The court returns to adore.

"LES SYLPHIDES"

Reproduced by Joyce Graeme

In this production of "Les Sylphides", the aim has been to recreate the original spirit of the ballet as conceived by the designer, Alexandre Benois, when the work (which was Folkine's "Chopinian a" under a new name) was first performed by the Russian ballet in Paris. Because later designers have done so far away from this spirit, the conventional moonlit glade ahs come to be accepted as inevitable, but it should be realised that the ballet is an interpretation of the "Romanticism" of the nineteenth century - of its free play of impulse and emotion - of which Chopin's music is the very essence. We must also remember that Romanticism is closely bound up with the earlier movement known as the Gothic Revival, which was a stimulation of interest in the Middle Ages. This implied an idealised vision of a past culture and pre-occupation with death and misty afterlife.

Benois, speaking of the music, says "The sounds should be softened, wrapped, so to speak, in a haze, in order to convey the impression given on the stage - the languid vision of spirits of dead maidens, dancing their dreamy dances among the moonlit ruins and mausoleums . . . . In Chopin's music, through the sad tears of a tormented soul, there appears sometimes the strange and yet infinitely touching image of the pale youth who is danced to death by the spirits of the cemetery . . . . When speaking of Pavlova's and Nijinsky's performance in the ballet, he stated once and for all the impression that the ballet should convey - "Their 'dance-duet' with its high, noiseless, soaring flights, full of a tender, delicate grace, conveyed the impression of a strange romance 'beyond the grave', the hopeless love of bodiless spirits, who knew neither fiery embraces nor the sweetness of kisses, for whom all passion is replaced by sad caresses and soft tremulous flittering . . . ."

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CONTROVERSIAL :

"A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE"

NEXT ATTRACTION FOR THEATRE ROYAL

TENNESSEE WILLIAMS' great and controversial play "A Streetcar Named Desire", will open at the Theatre Royal on Thursday, July 13th. This play received the world-famed Pulitzer Prize in America, the New York Critics' Circle Award for the 1947-48 season, and the annual Donaldson Award for the same year. The Donaldson Award is conducted by The Billboard.

The play was presented in London by Sir Laurence Olivier, with Vivien Leigh in the stark and tragic role of "Blanche". Its presentation in England caused a sensation. The British Art Council gained a tax exemption for its presentation - in itself a fine tribute. "A Streetcar Named Desire" is still a smash hit in London. It has also been presented in Sweden, Denmark, France, Italy and Mexico City, where it established a long run record.

"A Streetcar Named Desire" concerns a group of people in the slums of New Orleans. The play has one set throughout, a sordid tenement room. Clever lighting and stage technique makes its presentation most unusual.

The play derives its name from the fact that there is actually a streetcar with "Desire" on its destination board. "Desire" is the name of a section in New Orleans in which the car operates.

The Australian production has been perfectly cast, and J.C.W. imported from America four of the leading stars. These include Viola Keats (Blanche), Arthur Franz (Stanley), Russell Hardie (Mitch) and Adele Longmire (Stella). The play was produced in Melbourne by Gerald Kirby in association with William Liebling from New York.

STAGE SHOW IN THE MAKING - J.C.W. is a self contained theatrical unit, unique in the world. All scenery, props, wardrobe, costumes, etc., are made in the Company's respective workshops. Above is a picture showing the construction of the spiral stairway leading to the flats above in the dwelling in Vieux Carre in New Orleans used in "A Streetcar Named Desire". This staircase had to be made collapsible into small sections for packing during the many journeys necessary in an Australian Tour.

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"ANNIE GET YOUR GUN"

RETURNING TO SYDNEY

The popular and beloved Irving Berlin musical comedy, "Annie Get Your Gun", will commence a short return season at the Empire Theatre on Thursday, 13 July, 1950.

This scintillating musical triumph, since its premiere in Australia at His Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, in July, 1947, has surpassed all Australian Theatrical records, having played continuously for three years.

"Annie Get Your Gun" is one of the greatest Rodgers-Hammerstein triumphs, and has broken records in every country where it has been staged, including New York, London, Paris, New Zealand and Australia.

"Annie" has already played brief return seasons in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, and will be staged in Sydney for a short season only, after its season in Melbourne, with a cast headed by Evie Hayes still playing the role of the lovable "Annie Oakley", the sharp-shooting girl from "Dark County".

Sydney audiences will welcome back the case which made "Annie" such an outstanding success at the Theatre Royal; it includes Earl Covert as "Frank Butler", Carl Randall, Sydney Wheeler, Marie La Varre, Donald Kirk, Ann Donald, Beth Dean, Victor Carell, Charles Crawford, and Graham Bent, supported by a full ensemble of Singing and Dancing Boys and Girls.

This farewell season as the Empire Theatre will be the final appearance of "Annie Get Your Gun" in Australia, and will undoubtedly add another triumph to the greatest musical show in the history of the contemporary stage.

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[page 24]

J.C.W. ATTRACTIONS IN AUSTRALIA

GILBERT & SULLIVAN

The J.C. Williamson 1949-50 season of Gilbert & Sullivan operas has commenced in great triumph, and are to appear in Adelaide and Perth.

Ivan Menzies, after an absence of many years in England and the U.S.A., heads a cast of seven D'Oyly Carte Artists. His inimitable Duke of Plaza-Toro in "The Gondoliers" will undoubtedly be welcomed by Savoyards.

The G. & S. artists, who have been specially brought from England for this Season, include Helen Roberts, John Dean, Marjorie Eyre, Leslie Rands and Richard Walker. They will be appearing with Evelyn Gardiner, Bernard Manning, Muriel Howard and many others.

The full Operatic Chorus, which has been mainly drawn from the recent Opera Company Chorus, should be one of the finest yet heard in Australia.

The English Producer, Anna Bethel, has been brought out specially from England to handle the presentation, which is superb in every detail. The repertoire will include the following: "The Gondoliers, "The Pirates of Penzance" and "Trial by Jury", "Iolanthe", "The Yeoman of the Guard", "H.M.S. Pinafore" and "Cox and Box", "The Mikado", to be followed by "Ruddigore", "Patience" and "Princess Ida".

"ANNIE GET YOUR GUN"

The popular and beloved "ANNIE GET YOUR GUN", with Evie Hayes and Earl Covert in the leading roles, has recently concluded a most successful tour of New Zealand, and has recommenced a further tour of Australia. "Annie" will return to Sydney for a short farewell season at the Empire Theatre, commencing on Thursday, 13th July.

"HARVEY"

The brilliant New York and London Comedy Success, "Harvey", had its Australian premiere at the Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, on Saturday, 27th May. Heading the cast of imported artists is the popular stage, screen and radio comedian, Joe E. Brown, who has been specially brought out to Australia to play the role of Elwood P. Dowd.

"A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE"

The widely-discussed American play "A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE", by Tennessee Williams, will commence its Sydney season at the Theatre Royal on Thursday, 13th July. J.C.W. have imported four prominent American artists for this attraction. They are Viola Keats (Blanche), Russell Hardie (Mitch), Adele Longmire (Stella) and Arthur Franz (Stanley). They are supported by a specially selected case. "A Streetcar Named Desire" has caused a sensation during its long run in America, and is now repeating its success in London, where it is being presented by Sir Laurence Olivier, with Vivien Leigh in the leading role.

"SONG OF NORWAY"

The spectacular Operetta, "Song of Norway", which is based on the life and music of Edvard Grieg, will have its Australian premiere at His Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, during July.

J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd. Have imported six top-line overseas artists for this production, including Charles Dorning, Doreen Wilson, Robert Ansell, Robert Bernhard, Marjorie Cook and Hendrick de Boer.

Many of Grieg's most popular compositions are featured in this Operetta.

COMING ATTRACTIONS

FURTHER overseas successes contemplated in the near future by J.C.W. will include "BRIGADOON", a musical show with a magnificent Scottish background and setting, "THE LATE EDWINA BLACK", a sensational stage drama, which is now enjoying a big success in London, and London's longest -run comedy, "WORM'S EYE VIEW", by R.F. Delderfield.