Issue Details: First known date: 2016... 2016 Wendy Blacklock and the Transformation of Australian Theatre
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'Wendy Blacklock is an actor and comedienne who has worked on radio, stage and television. In the first half of her career, Blacklock appeared in revue theatre, pantomime and musical theatre. She played the leading lady in the first Australian musical television play, Pardon Miss Westcott, broadcast on ATN 7 in 1959, and later on, performed in new Australian plays by David Williamson and Dorothy Hewett during the New Wave period in which Australian theatre and drama were undergoing huge transformation. Television audiences also remember Blacklock playing Edie McDonald in Number 96. Later on in her career Blacklock moved into production and worked for the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust. In 1982 she founded Performing Lines, an independent, non-profit organisation dedicated to developing and producing new Australian works in order for them to tour in Australia and internationally. Blacklock’s innovative work with Performing Lines has enriched Australian theatre, extending its reach and empowering local performers and companies. Blacklock has worked with numerous contemporary arts companies. In particular Blacklock’s work has enabled a wide range of Indigenous Australian plays and performers to present their theatrical events to audiences all over the world.' (Introduction)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

  • Appears in:
    y separately published work icon Players : Australian Actors on Stage, Television and Film Anne Pender , St Lucia : AustLit: The Australian Literature Resource , 2016 10628863 2016 selected work biography

    'The Australian theatre, television and film industries are dynamic and creative in ways that could never have been imagined half a century ago. Since the 1950s these industries have expanded and demonstrated extraordinary vitality. Our vibrant Australian performing arts industry would not exist in its current form without the creative contribution of actors. Actors are the public face of the performing arts, carrying the immediate responsibility for the success of each show. Yet they are sometimes left out of theatre history. It is the actors, and often the characters they play, that we remember when we recall a favourite television program, film or play, long after we have seen it. It is the actors who make a play or a television program credible, enjoyable and memorable. The aim of the essays in this series is to document and interpret the specific contributions of actors who have worked in Australia for most of their lives, in order to understand their artistry and their world. The actors profiled in these pages came to maturity in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. They have shaped our ideas and our identity.' (Introduction)

    St Lucia : AustLit: The Australian Literature Resource , 2016
Last amended 16 Jan 2017 13:50:18
Subjects:
  • Don's Party David Williamson , 1971 single work drama
  • Number 96 Lynn Foster , Robert Caswell , David Sale , Ken Shadie , Eleanor Witcombe , Johnny Whyte , 1972 series - publisher film/TV
  • Pardon Miss Westcott Alan Burke , Peter Benjamin , 1959 single work film/TV musical theatre
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