Theatre Programmes

The Theatre Programmes Collection takes in the entire spectrum of professional and amateur productions including drama, music, dance, opera, mime, puppetry, lectures and readings - in fact any event that has an element of live performance.

What's in the Theatre Programmes Collection?

This collection contains over 45,000 items from productions that have been staged in Victoria by Australian and overseas artists. While programmes are obviously an important aspect of this collection, there are also many ephemeral items that usually accompany live performances including brochures, handbills and publicity materials.

What's special about this collection?

Mostly dating from 1890 onwards, this collection is particularly strong in programmes from the late 19th century and includes items that record significant cultural events such as Dame Nellie Melba's 1885 Melbourne concert.

The collection also features programmes from a wide range of theatrical and musical productions particularly those staged by Melbourne's Tivoli Theatre, the Australian Ballet, the Victorian State Opera and the Melbourne Theatre Company. Specific items include the Old Vic Theatre Company's tour of 1948 which starred Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh, the first ever production of Ray Lawler's Australian classic Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, and Barry Humphries’ performance of Songs of Australia at the Melbourne Concert Hall in 1983. More contemporary events including fringe theatre performances are also well represented in the collection.

The Theatre Programmes Collection is an invaluable reference for all kinds of researchers providing illustrations of stage sets and costume designs, photographs and illustrations of performers and the performance, biographical information about the writers, composers and performers, and even advertisements from a particular period.

How can I access items in this collection?

The Theatre Programmes Collection is held in storage. It can be searched on the Main Catalogue and items can be ordered at the La Trobe Reading Room information desk. Requested items are then delivered for use in the Heritage Collections Reading Room.