The Athenaeum or Melbourne Athenaeum at 188 Collins Street is an art and cultural hub in the central business district of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1839, it is the city's oldest cultural institution.
The Princess Theatre, originally Princess's Theatre, is a 1452-seat theatre in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Established in 1854 and rebuilt in 1886 to a design by noted Melbourne architect William Pitt, it is the oldest surviving entertainment site on mainland Australia. Built in an elaborate Second Empire style, it reflects the opulence of the "Marvellous Melbourne" boom period, and had a number of innovative features, including state of the art electric stage lighting and the world's first sliding ceiling, which was rolled back on warm nights to give the effect of an open-air theatre.
Her Majesty's Theatre is a 1,700-seat theatre in Melbourne's East End Theatre District, Australia. Built in 1886, it is located at 219 Exhibition Street, Melbourne. It is classified by the National Trust of Australia and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.
George Selth Coppin was a comic actor, a theatrical entrepreneur, a politician and a philanthropist, active in Australia.
Garnet Walch, was an Australian writer, dramatist, journalist and publisher. The youngest son of Major J. W. H. Walch, of H.M. 54th Regiment, he went on to become the most popular, and arguably the most successful, writer for the Australian stage during the 1870s and 1880s, While many of his works were localised and updated adaptations, it was his ability to tap into the public's mood and desires by expressing sentiments and making satirical allusions that made his works so popular. Walch wrote a wide array of genres and forms, including "serious" dramatic works, comedies, pantomimes, burlesques, melodrama, and comediettas.
Christine Whelan Browne is an Australian performer who has worked extensively in musical theatre as an actress, dancer and singer. She has also appeared on television shows and in films. In March 2012, she married fellow performer, Rohan Browne.
The Theatre Royal was one of the premier theatres for nearly 80 years in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 1855 to 1932. It was located at what is now 236 Bourke Street, once the heart of the city's theatre and entertainment district.
The Queen's Theatre was a playhouse in Melbourne, the capital of Victoria, Australia. Situated on Queen Street, it was Melbourne's first purpose-built venue for staging plays, musicals and opera.
William Hoskins was a Shakespearean actor from England whose later career was mostly in Australia and New Zealand, reputedly "one of the best actors who has ever trod our stage".
Richard Stewart was an English stage actor who settled in Australia. He is best remembered as the father of Nellie Stewart.
John Hennings was a theatrical scene painter and theatre manager in Melbourne, Australia.
Robert James Heir was an actor in Australia, best known as the first husband of the great actress Fanny Cathcart.
Ellen Mortyn was an English actress who died of consumption in Australia under controversial circumstances.
George Benjamin William Lewis commonly referred to as G. B. W. Lewis, or G. B. Lewis, was an English circus performer, later a circus and theatre entrepreneur in Australia. He married in 1864 the actress and playwright Rose Edouin.
The Australasian Dramatic and Musical Association (ADMA) was a friendly society in Australia and New Zealand. It was founded in 1871 at the instigation of George Coppin, and initially was confined to the colony of Victoria.
John Rodger Greville was an Irish-born comic actor, singer, songwriter and stage manager who had a long career in Australia.
Edgar Ray was an English entrepreneur who launched two magazines in Australia, Melbourne Punch and Sydney Punch. On his return to England, he is credited with founding another, named Touchstone or The New Era.
Alexander Christian Habbe was a Danish-born artist in Australia, known for his scene paintings for major theatres in Sydney and Melbourne.
Joseph Charles Lambert, generally referred to as J. C. Lambert, was an English comic actor who had a significant career in Australia.
Henry Richard Harwood was an Australian actor and theatre manager.
