JC Williamson: Ibsen and HMS Pinafore

Name: JC Williamson: Ibsen and HMS Pinafore
Uploaded: 2018-06-15T16:18:02+10:00
Channel: Robert Reid
Description: Before the era of government subsidies, Australian colonial theatre was dominated by a production behemoth, JC Williamson Theatres, or "The Firm". Robert Reid lays it all down.

by Robert Reid June 15, 2018 0 comments

Video Histories, Episode 4: The National Commercial Era. Before the era of government subsidies, Australian theatre was dominated by a production behemoth, JC Williamson Theatres, or “The Firm”. Originally a New York actor manager, James Cassius Williamson moved to Australia in the 1880s and launched his career with the first legal production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore. Later highlights included a production of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House a mere three months after its international premiere, and a disatsrous tour by Sarah Bernhardt. Our resident historian Robert Reid lays it all down.

Video editing and production by Sayraphim Lothian

jc williamson theatre history

Robert Reid

Robert Reid is co-editor and co-founder of Witness and runs our educational resources. He is a playwright, director and academic. His award-winning plays have been produced by the Melbourne Theatre Company and his own independent companies. He is artistic director of the games-based performance company, Pop Up Playground, and his Platform Paper on theatre and digital marketing was published by Currency Press in 2011. He recently completed his PhD in Australian Theatre History.

JC Williamson: Ibsen and HMS Pinafore

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