The Melbourne Olympic Arts Festival
Opening filmNovember 1956
Closing filmDecember 1956
LocationMelbourne
LanguageEnglish

The Melbourne Olympic Arts Festival was an arts festival held in conjunction with the 1956 Summer Olympics held in Melbourne, Australia.[1][2] Melbourne was the first Games to have an arts festival as part of the official program.[3]

The Elizabethan Theatre Trust were going to show its presentation of the Douglas Stewart play Ned Kelly as part of the festival.[4] Reception to this production in Sydney however was so poor it was decided to show Summer of the Seventeenth Doll instead.

There were a number of exhibits of Australian art, and sculpture[5] and performances of Australian music.[6][7]

Events include:

Guests included Oscar Hammerstein and his Australian wife Dorothy,[9] and Sir Dallas Brooks.[10] Events not officially part of the festival but held in association with it included:

  • the Australian musical Under the Coolibah Tree
  • the Olympic Follies [11]
  • Thunder Rock by Robert Adrey at the Melbourne Little Theatre[12]

References

  1. ↑ "Museum gets Games "lift"". The Argus (Melbourne). Victoria, Australia. 18 September 1956. p. 3. Retrieved 13 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ↑ "The big Games chief on way". The Argus (Melbourne). Victoria, Australia. 14 November 1956. p. 3. Retrieved 13 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ↑ Olympic Arts Festival, Australian Performing Arts Collection
  4. ↑ "Games visitors will see... NED AT HIS". The Argus (Melbourne). Victoria, Australia. 6 October 1956. p. 3. Retrieved 13 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ↑ "FESTIVAL ART IS A WINNER". The Argus (Melbourne). Victoria, Australia. 20 November 1956. p. 8. Retrieved 13 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ↑ "GREAT MUSIC FOR THE OLYMPICS!". The Argus (Melbourne). Victoria, Australia. 27 November 1956. p. 8. Retrieved 13 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ↑ "ART". Architecture and arts. No. 43. March 1957. Retrieved 13 November 2023 – via Trove.
  8. ↑ "Music goes to gardens". The Argus (Melbourne). Victoria, Australia. 15 November 1956. p. 6. Retrieved 13 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ↑ "What Goes On". The Argus (Melbourne). Victoria, Australia. 19 November 1956. p. 1. Retrieved 13 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ↑ "Arts Festival". The Argus (Melbourne). Victoria, Australia. 19 November 1956. p. 8. Retrieved 13 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. ↑ "Woman's Page 2". The Argus (Melbourne). Victoria, Australia. 2 November 1956. p. 15. Retrieved 13 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. ↑ "... AND AT THE THEATRE A too-wordy play". The Argus (Melbourne). Victoria, Australia. 26 November 1956. p. 8. Retrieved 13 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.

Notes

  • The Arts Festival of the Olympic Games, Melbourne 1956 : programme of the festival of music and drama / presented by The Olympic Civic Committee of the Melbourne City Council. Olympic Arts Festival (1956 : Melbourne, Vic.) Melbourne : The Committee 1956
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