Abstract
Unconfined by Australia’s geography, large children’s troupes toured the Southeast Asia region from 1880 through to 1914, participating in the international transference of recent “hits” from London’s West End—Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic operas (1880s) and Edwardian musical comedies (early 1900s). Most of the child actors of this period were female; many were from middle-class homes without familial links to the entertainment business; and then, as now, professional teachers of dance, singing, and elocution supported their entrée to the entertainment business. This chapter brings the two industrial aspects of touring work and training work into sharp focus through close studies of two child actors: Rosie Fitzgerald and Queenie Williams, both of whom toured Australia and New Zealand in pantomime and musical theatre productions during the first decade of the twentieth century. On the matter of “the centre,” this chapter casts the Australian theatre industry as the centre for training child actors and identifies both the United States and the United Kingdom as centres of aspirational career development for young Australian performers.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.