Melbourne Olympic Arts Festival
| Opening film | November 1956 |
|---|---|
| Closing film | December 1956 |
| Location | Melbourne |
| Language | English |
The Melbourne Olympic Arts Festival was an arts festival held in conjunction with the 1956 Summer Olympics held in Melbourne, Australia.[1][2] Melbourne was the first Games to have an arts festival as part of the official program.[3]
The Elizabethan Theatre Trust were going to show its presentation of the Douglas Stewart play Ned Kelly as part of the festival.[4] Reception to this production in Sydney however was so poor it was decided to show Summer of the Seventeenth Doll instead.
There were a number of exhibits of Australian art, and sculpture[5] and performances of Australian music.[6][7]
Events include:
- A Music for the People concert produced by Hector Crawford[8]
- the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust presented two operas by Mozart, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll and The Tintookies
Guests included Oscar Hammerstein and his Australian wife Dorothy,[9] and Sir Dallas Brooks.[10] Events not officially part of the festival but held in association with it included:
- the Australian musical Under the Coolibah Tree
- the Olympic Follies [11]
- Thunder Rock by Robert Adrey at the Melbourne Little Theatre[12]
References[edit]
- ^ "Museum gets Games "lift"". The Argus (Melbourne). Victoria, Australia. 18 September 1956. p. 3. Retrieved 13 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "The big Games chief on way". The Argus (Melbourne). Victoria, Australia. 14 November 1956. p. 3. Retrieved 13 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Olympic Arts Festival, Australian Performing Arts Collection
- ^ "Games visitors will see... NED AT HIS". The Argus (Melbourne). Victoria, Australia. 6 October 1956. p. 3. Retrieved 13 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "FESTIVAL ART IS A WINNER". The Argus (Melbourne). Victoria, Australia. 20 November 1956. p. 8. Retrieved 13 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "GREAT MUSIC FOR THE OLYMPICS!". The Argus (Melbourne). Victoria, Australia. 27 November 1956. p. 8. Retrieved 13 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "ART". Architecture and arts. No. 43. March 1957. Retrieved 13 November 2023 – via Trove.
- ^ "Music goes to gardens". The Argus (Melbourne). Victoria, Australia. 15 November 1956. p. 6. Retrieved 13 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "What Goes On". The Argus (Melbourne). Victoria, Australia. 19 November 1956. p. 1. Retrieved 13 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Arts Festival". The Argus (Melbourne). Victoria, Australia. 19 November 1956. p. 8. Retrieved 13 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Woman's Page 2". The Argus (Melbourne). Victoria, Australia. 2 November 1956. p. 15. Retrieved 13 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "... AND AT THE THEATRE A too-wordy play". The Argus (Melbourne). Victoria, Australia. 26 November 1956. p. 8. Retrieved 13 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
Notes[edit]
- Richardson, Nick (Autumn 2019). "The 1956 Olympic Arts Festival". Meanjin.
- The Arts Festival of the Olympic Games, Melbourne 1956 : programme of the festival of music and drama / presented by The Olympic Civic Committee of the Melbourne City Council. Olympic Arts Festival (1956 : Melbourne, Vic.) Melbourne : The Committee 1956