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Theatres & halls

A mannequin dressed in an elaborate Renaissance-style stage costume stands in a large Perspex-fronted display case . On the rear wall a small screen is showing a scene from the opera Lucrezia Borgia where Dame Joan Sutherland is wearing the same costume.

Dressing Joan Sutherland

One of the most spectacular costumes on display in the exhibition The People’s House: Sydney Opera House at 50 is an extraordinary Renaissance dress designed by Kristian Fredrikson and worn by Dame Joan Sutherland in the part of the notorious Lucrezia Borgia

Sydney Opera House program for the performance of The Magic Flute

Sydney Opera House: Programs in the Spotlight

Our exhibition: The People’s House – The Sydney Opera House at 50 features dozens of programs from the State Archive collection. Join exhibition curator Dr Scott Hill as we dive into an intriguing archive

Sheet music, 'The 77th Galop', by P. Cavallini, published 1858

Reading the score

Since the early 1800s, Australian households have purchased sheet music to enliven their drawing room repertoire

Black and white photo of group on path framed by Norfolk Island pines.
WW1

Cupid camouflaged: a Red Cross silent movie

Cupid camouflaged is a lost film from the era of Australian silent movies, and was produced in 1918 as a fundraiser for the war work of the Australian Red Cross

AArchives Behind the Scenes - Theatres & Public Halls files

Archives behind the scenes - theatres & public halls

These files (1895 to 1922) relate to the licensing of theatres and public halls all over New South Wales