The performances

The Recruiting Officer, a comic play by George Farquhar, was the first play performed in Sydney. It was staged by convicts to celebrate the birthday of King George III on June 4, 1789. Until the mid-nineteenth century, Sydney entertainment consisted mainly of popular works from England, brought out by colonists, convicts and military. In the 1850s, the population boom brought on by the gold rushes, meant that styles of entertainment became more diverse. In the second half of the nineteenth century, local and overseas travelling companies of actors performed standards such as Shakespeare and French farces, as well as pantomimes, comic opera and variety shows. The early twentieth century saw the rise of vaudeville, chorus lines and musical comedy, influenced strongly by trends from the United States. The photographs below show some of the various styles of performance enjoyed by Sydney audiences.