Theatreland : a journey through the heart of London’s theatre by Paul Ibell

Continuum, 2009

You can take a stroll through the history of London’s theatre district with this affectionate, informative and opinionated look at the buildings, people and productions that have made the West End of London one of the world’s greatest theatrical centres. Some of the chapter headings are more than enough to whet the appetite: Boys Will Be Girls: West End Women: Theatre Ghosts: Selling the Show: Drama Queens: and so on and so forth. Fabulous stuff darlings…..

Horrible prettiness : burlesque and American culture Robert C. Allen

University of North Carolina Press, 1991

Burlesque has a long history of being sneered at by vaudeville performers and afficionados, who have tended to view it as little better than grindhouse titillation, or worse! Robert Allen charts the introduction of burlesque to America in the 1860s by a visiting English troup, Lydia Thompson and her British Blondes (!!!), and demonstrates how its original, topsy-turvy world of streetwise, masculinity-challenging female performers unsettled middle-class 19th century audiences, and their strict gender stereotypes. Ít’s no wonder that burlesque’s iconoclastic take on sexual politics is being taken up again by a whole new generation of performers.

Tivoli king : life of Harry Rickards vaudeville showman Gae Anderson

Allambie Press, 2009

The name of Harry Rickards was once as famous as Graham Kennedy or Bert Newton to Australian audiences, and whilst the theatrical empire he created in the Tivoli circuit continues to have at least some cultural echo, his name is certainly no longer of the household variety. Which shows you just how unfair time can be, as he is responsible for creating here in Australia one of the most vibrant and successful vaudeville circuits to be found anywhere in the world in the late 19th/early 20th centuries; indeed, the Tivoli Theatre only closed down here in Melbourne in the 1960s. Gae Anderson uncovers just what it meant to be a “showman” when that term actually meant something! Curtain up!

The megamusical by Jessica Sternfeld

Indiana University Press, 2006

Musicals come in all shapes and sizes nowadays but it’s the megamusical that currently hogs the limelight, from Cats to Les Miserables. Jessica Sternfeld knows the business inside and out and puts some of the most prominent shows under the microscope to find out just what makes them tick.

Some “polite” Vaudeville from our Picture Collection:

The World's Entertainers, polite vaudeville, 1901

Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, 2011

Arguably the greatest musical of them all, West Side Story has achieved almost mythic status in the annals of musical-theatre, or indeed music and theatre as separate entities! When it first appeared on Broadway in 1957 it transformed overnight the very idea of what a musical could be, introducing a level of realism and tragedy into an art form not known for its gritty tackling of urban issues. This book looks at its history and influence, as well as how it has been staged, filmed, recorded and reimagined over the years. When you’re a Jet…….

William Etty: art & controversy edited by Sarah Burnage, Mark Hallett and Laura Turner

Philip Wilson Publishers & York Museums Trust, 2011

The English painter, William Etty, is a figure somewhat lost in history due to a rather conflicted reception to his work during his lifetime; which of course makes him rich pickings for contemporary re-evaluation. Famous for his nudes, and unswerving loyalty to the classical principles of the Royal Academy, few people doubted his painterly skills but quite a few found something vaguely troubling (even repulsive) about his subject matter. In his own day his female nudes caused the disquiet, with some critics finding less than exalted attributes in the way they were represented, but perhaps the most interesting chapters in this scholarly re-examination are those that focus on his male nudes and their attendant homoerotic subtexts; which strangely caused few ripples at the time. Go figure…….

The Queen : art & image by Paul Moorhouse

Hardie Grant Books, 2011

You don’t have to be a royalist to find this incredible survey of portraits of Queen Elizabeth II really fascinating. She may well be the most portrayed monarch of all time, and with the rise of the paparazzi and a voracious media desperate for images, royal personages the world over find themselves less and less in control of how they are represented. Here we have images that have become iconic next to those far less familiar, and it’s remarkable to see how flexible the Queen has been in allowing her official portraitists to portray her as they see her.

1001 comics you must read before you die: general editor, Paul Gravett

Universe, 2011

Who said anything about dying? Anyway, you’d better start reading now as this brick-like tome is so chock full of colour and movement that you can literally open it at any page and start making your list! Unfortunately I couldn’t find too much local content (not even Stanley Pitt’s wonderful Silver Starr!), but you can check out Bonzer for a more down-under angle.

Something royal from the Picture Collection:

Queen Elizabeth and Duke of Edinburgh on the verandah of O'Shannessy Lodge Warburton

As always, a selection of books from the collection here shall be on display for those attending the screening. Looking broadly at the musical legacy of the region, Turkish folk music from Asia Minor takes an academic, ethnomusicological approach to understanding the various idiosyncrasies evident within such region-specific styles.

Princeton University Press, 1976

Lieder der Türkei is another great title looking at traditional music from the area, this time looking squarely at Turkey, and eschewing in-depth analysis by way of music theory, presenting instead a concise collection of songs in simple musical notation.

Edition Helbling, c1994

The republic of love, however, jumps forward to look at popular music in Turkey, showing how three artists have approached the display of private and intimate thoughts and emotions in the public context of mainstream society.

University of Chicago Press, c2010

All of these titles are easily requestable via the Library’s catalogue.

Video Artists International, c2010

Broadway’s Leading Ladies : Florence Henderson, Shirley Jones features two stars of Broadway, movie musicals and television variety shows before they were iconic TV mums, Carol Brady and Shirley Partridge.  These performances from the Bell Telephone Hour television series showcase their far-ranging talents in a magnificent collection of beloved Broadway favorites.  Includes items from The Sound of Music, Oklahoma, Camelot, Gigi and many more.

Video Artists International, c2010

Kiss Me Kate is a Hallmark Hall of Fame television production of Cole Porter’s much loved Broadway musical.  Originally telecast on November 20, 1958,  this is essentially a filmed version of the original stage musical, loosely adapted from Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.  The program features a stellar cast including Alfred Drake and Patricia Morison from the original cast.  Music and lyrics by Cole Porter ; musical director, Franz Allers; choreography, Ernest Flatt.

The program commences at 12.00 noon and concludes at 2.25 pm approx. It will be held in the Arts Listening-Viewing Room. Enter via the Arts Reading Room and Audio-Visual Centre (from Trescowthick Information Centre). Admission is free. No bookings required, but come early as seating is limited. Enjoy!

Iran by Inge Morath, edited by John P. Jacob

Steidl, 2009

Austrian photographer Inge Morath travelled to Iran in 1956 in order to carry out a photographic assignment for Holiday magazine, and this volume of beautiful black-and-white photographs is the belated result; belated because her black-and-white camera malfunctioned during the trip and most of the images were damaged and therefore not published at the time. Digital technology has fortunately now saved them from this oblivion, and we can only be thankful that they survived because they are truly beautiful, capturing a country still deeply connected to its historic past.

Masters & masterpieces of Iranian cinema by Hamid Dabashi

Mage Publishers, 2007

Iranian film has emerged from the shadows in recent years, thanks mainly to film festival screenings and the rise of the global art-house circuit. Hamid Dabashi takes a close look at 12 of the most important filmmakers from the last 50 years, examining their work within the social and political context of the volatile environment of their country, pre and post revolution.

The complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Pantheon Books, 2007

Marjane Satrapi’s comic book memoir of her life in, and out, of revolutionary Iran has become something of a classic; it has even been turned into a beautiful animated movie.. The charmingly naive images counterpoint the at times grim and complex story of growing up within the furnace of the Iranian revolution. The wonder is that she also manages to inject humour and compassion into her harrowing tale, revealing the human stories that inevitably sit behind these cataclysmic events.

Royal Persian paintings : the Qajar epoch, 1785-1925: edited by Layla S. Diba, with Maryam Ekhtiar

Brooklyn Museum of Art, 1998

This wonderfully illustrated book concentrates on a period of Persian art which saw a flowering of figurative painting, centred on royal portraiture and greatly influenced by European traditions.

The State Library Foundation is curently raising funds to help with the purchase of this lovely illustrated copy of the Khamsa or ‘Quintet’, of the 12th-century Persian poet Nizami.

Plato charming the wild beasts (detail), in Nizami's Khamsa, dated 1509–10

Despite being involved with the space for as long as I have, my role in directly curating shows has been low. I’m one of the only people on the committee without an academic background in fine art, so I’m naturally quite cautious when I find myself in that position, as I’m aware my naivity in the field could all too easily slip out. Case in point: earlier this year when I was discussing artwork plans with one of the artists in an upcoming show I was curating, I let slip that I didn’t know what Documenta was. Shortly after, the artist (rightly) grabbed me by both shoulders, shook me vigoursly, and yelled, “You don’t know what Documenta is?!?” A quick search of our collection, and a flip through The next documenta should be curated by an artist, and I felt (again, rightly) humbled.

Considering said naivity, over the last year or so that I’ve had a hand in curating and/or co-curating shows at the space, I’ve been a bit stumped when queried by friends about what’s involved with curating a show. Does that mean that you’re in it? How do you find the artists? And if you’re NOT in the show… what do you do… really? My short-hand answer was “Lots of emailing”.

The first show I solo-curated (with an abundance of help by my fellow committee members) was quite a steep learning curve, due not only to my participation in the show as an artist (a collaborative work, which was something of a blessing and a curse), but also due to the amount of tech in the show. After flipping through New media in the white cube and beyond, I realised I had it pretty easy. We had a projector playing a DVD loop, another DVD player playing an audio loop, a couple of looping mini DVD players, and a minidisc player. No computers programmed to respond to people’s shadows. No electronically interactive works at all, in fact. It sounds like a timid statement to make, even after the fact, but… really: Phew.

I’m still not entirely sure how to answer people when they ask for more clarity as to what it is I do in that capacity. There is intervention and direction from an artist perspective, but also a lot of stepping back and letting the artists work in the space, stepping in only when negotiating potential interaction between artists. Then there’s advertising, sitting the space, preparing the space for the opening, etc. I’ve found A brief history of curating to be a great book to refer to when looking at how other curators look at what they do (which is a touch peculiar, as I still don’t directly identify as being a contemporary art practitioner, despite my present involvements in the local scene – so, there’s still distance in the reading). There is so much experience and wisdom in those pages, despite what the title indicates. And it’s casual, which I can relate to. I think it’s hard to put a show together, see everything go up, come down (and sometimes go back up again) without being really down to earth about it all.

Florence Young and the golden years of Australian musical theatre by Frank Van Straten

Beleura (Mornington) 2009

When I had the great pleasure of working on our Theatre Programmes Collection many years ago now, the name Florence Young seemed to pop up constantly on material from around the turn of the 20th century. It was clear that she was a major star of musical comedy, and it’s great to see this marvellous biography of her appear from another icon of Australian theatre, Frank van Straten. Lavishly illustrated, this terrific book brings to life the incredibly vibrant theatrical scene of the day, along with that of one of its very brightest stars. Lovely!

White riot : punk rock and the politics of race: edited by Stephen Duncombe and Maxwell Tremblay

Verso, 2011

We shall not hazard a guess as to what Miss Young might have thought about Punk Rock; the stately star of The Duchess of Dantzig and The Merry Widow might not have taken a shine to groups such as the Sex Pistols or Bad Brains (although I could be doing her a disservice…). Tempus does indeed fugit however, and it’s rather inspiring to see these two books sitting happily side-by-side on the new books shelf! And if the raucous world of Punk is more your thing, this incredible collection of essays and “rants” explores the fraught and often explosive dialogue about race and identity that seemed the very stuff of Punk as it took hold around the world.

The adventures of Herge:  written by Jose-Louis Bocquet and Jean-Luc Fromental ; illustrated by Stanislas Barthelemy

Drawn & Quarterly, 2011

This is a real charmer! For those of you who love the comic book adventures of Tintin the name Herge will be instantly recognisable, as will the style of this Tintinesque telling of his life story. Living through two world wars (and somewhat artistically compromised by one of them), Georges Prosper Remi  (aka. Herge) had a life interesting enough for graphic retelling, and this delightful adventure works as both a whistle-stop life story and charming homage.

50 American artists you should know by Debra N. Mancoff

Prestel, 2011

Sometimes these canonical books (canon-fodder?) can be just plain annoying, but this series from Prestel is shaping up quite nicely. Beautifully illustrated with well chosen examples of each artist’s work, the authors of these two volumes combine an entertaining writing style with perceptive and informative observations that place each subject within clear historical and cultural contexts.

50 British artists you should know by Linda Hawksley

Prestel, 2011

From our Picture Collection: a portrait of Florence Young with sundry other theatricals, and a game of costume-football (I’m not making this up, you know….)

The Dramatic Costume Football Match, 1894

Fred Williams: infinite horizons by Deborah Hart

National Gallery of Australia, 2011

This is the catalogue to the major retrospective of Williams’ work currently on show at the NGV, and a definite must see! Concentrating mainly on the landscape paintings this book charts his progress from the 1940s onwards, and clearly demonstrates his ever deepening affinity with the land. The seascapes, which were certainly less familiar to me, are breathtaking!

Fred Williams 1927-1982 by Patrick McCaughey

Murdoch Books, 2008

No surprise that two of Australia’s pre-eminent state and national gallery directors chose to write major works on Fred Williams, and both of these volumes remain indispensable for an examiniation of the artist’s life and, more importantly, an appreciation of the work itself. James Mollison’s volume, A singular vision: the art of Fred Williams, has been out of print for far too long, which is why libraries are invaluable!

Fred Williams : an Australian vision by Irena Zdanowicz, Stephen Coppel

British Museum Press, 2003

Not content at painting his way into the Australian consciousness, Williams was also a master etcher/printmaker and these two books provide a wonderful survey of his works-on-paper, including many of the terrific drawings and prints he made of the London music-halls during the 1950s.

Fred Williams : from music hall to landscape, drawings and prints, selected and compiled by Hendrik Kolenberg and Anne Ryan

Art Gallery of New South Wales, 2001

Two paintings donated to the State Library’s Picture Collection by Lyn Williams

Fred Williams:Westgate Bridge under construction 1, 1974

Fred Williams: Westgate Bridge under construction 2,1974

Tapestry in the Baroque : new aspects of production and patronage edited by Thomas P. Campbell and Elizabeth A.H. Cleland

This book emerged from an exhibition at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2007, titled “Tapestry in the Baroque: Threads of Splendor”. Covering the pivotal era of 1590 through to the early 1700s when master Flemish weavers spread their art across Europe, it focuses on the major centres of tapestry production such as London, Paris, Rome and Munich in order to explore the artistic and technical background to these amazing works, as well as investigating the patrons of these highly prized but labour-intensive works of art.

Out of Australia : prints and drawings from Sidney Nolan to Rover Thomas by Stephen Coppel

The British Museum in London has a remarkable collection of Australian drawings and works on paper, and this lovely book is the catalogue to a major exhibition held there just last year. It’s always good to see unfamiliar works by familiar artists, such as John Brack, Fred Williams, Rick Amor and Charles Blackman (to name just a few), but it’s also great to see lovely drawings from less expected quarters such as sculptor Robert Klippel, or the many beautiful works on paper from indigenous artists such as Rover Thomas, Lucy Napaliarri Kennedy and Dorothy Napangardi (also to name just a few!).

Street photography now by Sophie Howarth & Stephen McLaren

Thames and Hudson, 2010

“Photographing in public keeps me awake and aware, always looking around, in awe at what we humans are up to.” This quote from New York photographer Melanie Einzig is a pretty good summation of what this surprising book of photographs is all about; photographers who recognise and then capture (that’s the magic!) those fleeting moments which we all witness and/or create when we’re out and about every day.

War, politics and superheroes : ethics and propaganda in comics and film by Marc DiPaolo

McFarland, 2011

Art, popular or otherwise, rarely exists in a vacuum, and comic books have always been great at reflecting the times in which they live. Marc DiPaolo loves his superheroes, and over a lifetime of reading and studying has come to his own conclusions about who they are, what they represent and how they respond to the social and political issues of the day, whether it be on the printed page or the silver-screen. Is Superman a Democrat or a Republican, is Batman a fascist, are the X-Men gay-liberationists, etc., etc.? Fascinating stuff for the afficionado, and even those inclined to dismiss this most pointy end of popular culture!

Some very Melbourne street photography from our Picture Collection

Street scene, Swanston Street, Melbourne c. 1930

These & other audiovisual material can be requested through the Library’s online catalogue, for playing on audiovisual equipment in Arts during opening hours.

Julie Gough : we walked on a carpet of stars

Creative Cowboy Films, c2007

A series of visual arts documentaries from local award winning film company, Creative Cowboy Films include:- Julie Gough : we walked on a carpet of stars, and Gwyn Hanssen Pigott : a potters film.

Gwyn Hanssen Pigott : a potters film

Creative Cowboy Films, 2008

Hamlet by William Shakespeare:  David Tennant, Patrick Stewart ; Royal Shakespeare Company

BBC, 2010

The Bard himself, William Shakespeare, features on two titles – Hamlet with David Tennant, Patrick Stewart and the Royal Shakespeare Company, and Richard III with Laurence Olivier.

Richard III by William Shakespeare: Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson

Cole Porter’s Anything Goes: Ethel Merman, Frank Sinatra

Entertainment One, 2011

One of the all-time great musicals Cole Porter’s Anything Goes, features Ethel Merman and Frank Sinatra making their television debuts.  The stage version was last produced in Melbourne by The Production Company in 2011.

More favourites, Volume 2 : selected highlights from the world’s best-loved operas: Opera Australia.

ABC, c2007

Several releases from Opera Australia include a second volume of More Favourites and La Stupenda herself, Dame Joan Sutherland, in starring roles such as Lakme.

Lakme: Joan Sutherland & Opera Australia

ABC, c2006

The Endless Summer: Bruce Brown Films

Monterey Video, c2010

There is also the well known and much shown surf movie classic – The Endless Summer, to remind us that we’re passing through some very warm autumn days.