The people

Many well-known performers have trodden the boards in Sydney. Over the years, these have included local stars like Gladys Moncrieff, visiting international celebrities such as Russian dancer, Anna Pavlova, and those who came to Australia to perform and stayed, like English-born Harry Rickards. Behind the scenes are hundreds of theatre workers who make an essential contribution to every production, like costume makers, set builders and painters. And no theatre could function without entrepreneurs and financial backers, such as the powerful and successful manager and theatre magnate, J.C. Williamson. The photographs below celebrate some of the known and unknown faces of the Sydney theatre scene from the late 19th to the mid 20th centuries.