Cirrus@Austlit

'When the influenza pandemic swept across Australia in 1919, the performing arts industry scrambled to survive. Through restrictions, quarantines and closures, one glittering pantomime kept wowing audiences with a cast of 350, thousands of costumes, state-of-the-art theatrical effects, and world-class international acts – including American singing star May de Sousa, in what turned out to be the last performance of her career.'

Source: Production blurb.

'For The Term Of His Natural Life is a 19th century Australian novel about a man transported from England to Van Diemen’s Land for a crime he didn’t commit. Adapted for the stage many times over, it became an epic melodrama that drew huge audiences for over thirty years. Behind the stage show is another story of injustice: of a writer who lost control of his most famous work, theatre makers who exploited it, and two women who fought to get it back.'

Source: Production blurb.

'When world-famous ballerina Anna Pavlova came to Australia in 1926, audiences flocked to see her dance her famous solo, the ‘Dying Swan’. She thrilled a whole generation of young dancers like small-town teenager Adele Hardwick, who refused to let reality get in the way of her dreams. This is the story of the life and death of a career inspired by genius, fueled by ambition and thwarted by circumstance.'

Source: Production blurb.

'The Australian Performing Arts Collection helps us remember performances of the past. While there is a lot to celebrate, perhaps it’s the most uncomfortable chapters in our cultural history that offer the best insight into who we really are. This is the story of a forgotten song, a lost show, and a ruined theatrical empire that built its success on the exploitation of children.'

Source: Production blurb.