Performances at the Ipswich School of Arts | Old Town Hall

The Ipswich Punch 1866; 1870-1871

Although not a performance itself the Ipswich Punch was published by the Ipswich School of Arts in the late 1800s, and the publication often included reviews of the performances put on at the site.

One such review is in the Punch for the All Male Macbeth Burlesque in the Punch's June Issue, 1866.

The All-Male Macbeth Burlesque 1866

The seventeenth performance at the School of the Arts, by the Elocution Club, included the very first production of a burlesque Macbeth, written especially for the class by Mr. Hindmarsh, the manager. The performance was the final part of the production on Tuesday the 29th of May 1866, which had been put on to fundraise for the Ladies' Benevolent Society. Other performances on the evening included the fourth act of the Merchant of Venice, a duet called "Nervous Cures", and a recital of the story of a meeting between an outlaw and King James that resulted in hand-to-hand combat.

During this time a burlesque performance was not what it is today, but rather a comedic rendition of a more serious work. These would sometimes include musical performances. In the case of Macbeth on the 29th of May 1866 it did, indeed, include musical performances, comedic bits and cross dressing by the all-male cast. Unfortunately, no visual representations of this performance are currently available to Picture Ipswich, but newspaper reports of the time describe Lady Macbeth, played by Mr. Gaskarth, to be sporting a nightgown and hair curlers at one point in the performance.

The performance was well received by the town, and was repeated on at least one occasion, in August the same year for a fundraising event for the Elocution Class itself. The August performance had the same cast.

Duncan: Mr. Atkinson

Macbeth: Mr. Harris

Banquo: Mr. Hamilton

Macduff: Mr. Hindmarsh

Doctor: Mr. McQueen

Gentleman: Mr. Charasse

Soldier: Mr. Woodd

Murderer: Mr. Thistlethwaite

Attendants and Soldiers: Members of the Class

Lady Macbeth: Mr. Gaskarth

Three Witches: Mr. Thistlethwaite, Mr. Gilligan and Mr. Grimley

The Zelindra Company 1874

Reportedly having members that are amongst the best performers in their profession the Zelindra Company included trapeze artists, singers, and Zelindra himself was a magician. The performance began with the Julian Brothers, who performed on the trapeze, and then performed on the horizontal bar and singing rings. They were followed by a musical performance. Miss M. Liddle sung several songs, as did Mr. F. Hilton; the final singer was Mr. Jerry Woods who "...sings an Irish song in character, in good style" according to the Queensland Times. The final performance was that of Jean Zelindra, who started on the outside of a locked box, spent a minute and a quarter behind a screen, and was then discovered to be within the box with all the fastenings and locks intact.

The Ipswich Riot 1874

Although not a performance, the riot that occurred at the School of Arts in November 1874 was associated with a lecture series by Reverend D. Porteous held at the Ipswich School of Arts. The lecture series was "The Monk that Shook the World", Martin Luther. The lecture series must have been popular, as the seats were filled long before the advertised starting time, the crowd was uneasy, some were in possession of weapons, and they were loudly against the lecturer when he entered the stage. Porteous explained that his lecture series was historical, should be accessible to all men, and that he was happy to discuss any disagreements with those who held them either privately or publicly. The lecture proceeded, but with interruptions from those in the audience. The riot seemed to be started by prominent members of the Ipswich community, and this was the end of the lecture. Porteous was escorted off the stage by police, and the crowd began to fight amongst themselves. The damage to the location included damage to light fixtures and chandeliers, and chairs and other furniture. The rioters themselves also received damage, with reports of multiple head injuries and at least two stabbings. Although the riot was violent, it was dispersed as quickly as it started upon the arrival of the Police.

Several newspapers reported that the main instigators to the riot were Roman Catholics within the audience, although after the event this was questioned. A member of the public wrote into another newspaper to state that the lecture series had been a historical affair, with no discussion within the series on contemporary issues between the churches, and it was reported that Catholics had disavowed the behaviour of those involved in the riot. The news spread across the country at the time.

Banjo Paterson 1901

Article linked below from Ipswich Libraries.

Banjo Paterson toured several towns throughout the state in 1901, presenting a lecture series about his time in the Boer War. He conducted a lecture at the Ipswich Town Hall on Thursday the 14 March 1901. The lecture was well attended and was very complimentary of the men that he had seen during his time in South Africa. The performance also included lantern slides and music played on the piano by Miss Mapstone.

A Variety Night 1910

Included a variety of weird and wonderful performers.

Hanco - "The Handcuff King"

Miss Ida Berridge - "dainty soubrette"

Harry Linden - "musical and character comedian"

Madame La Belle Cara - "...the fearless and fascinating trapeze artist"

Mr. Herbert Irish - "eminent baritone"

The evening also included some "living pictures". Hanco, born Samuel Phillip Cooke, was an escape artist who had a career that spanned over 20 years, from as early as 1905. A "soubrette" was a woman who played flirtatious roles in theatre performances, so presumably Miss Ida Berridge was one such performer.

-- Queensland Times, 21 July 1910

Dame Nellie Melba 1927

Dame Nellie Melba performed throughout Australia in 1927 as part of a farewell tour, she performed in Brisbane on Monday the 13th of June, then travelled to Ipswich to perform on the 25th before arriving in Toowoomba to perform on the 27th. She then returned to Brisbane via. Warwick.

Her performance in Ipswich was held in the Town Hall, and also included other performers:

Mr. Stuart Robinson, an English baritone who was famous in Australia as well, although this was his first tour of the country.

Mr. Lindlay Evans, a pianist.

Mr. John Lemmone, a flautist who was also completing his final tour.

Dame Melba died in February 1933, almost 5 years after her final performances throughout the country.

Dante, the Magician 1933

One of the finest magical shows seen in Ipswich for many years was presented at the Town Hall last night when Dante made his second appearance. He thoroughly mystified his audience from start to finish and was capably supported by a strong cast of musicians and entertainers, including Sydney F., ventriloquist and character monologist. Among the many illusions presented by Dante were those in which he appeared to cut a woman in halves, and another in which his assistant dissolved into thin air. The passing of live canaries from a cage on the opposite side, by merely firing a pistol, and the escape of an assistant from a steel-lined padlocked trunk, were two other features which left the audience wondering.

Queensland Times, Tuesday 15 August 1933

Dante was a world-famous magician, who was born in Denmark, but spent much of his life in America and performed around the world. He appeared in several films throughout the 1930s to 1950s. His most famous assistant was an Australian woman, Mona Loretta Miller, who was born in Geelong.

World-Class Ballroom Dancers 1939

In 1939 world champion ballroom dancers (Margaret and Maurice) came to the Ipswich Town Hall to demonstrate new dances along side Maryea, who was a Russian performer. They had previously performed in Asia. The music for the evening was performed by Myrtle Trickey's Band, Myrtle Trickey having once partnered a world champion dancer herself.

Premier to Attend Opera Performance in Ipswich 1954

The Premier of Queensland (Mr. V. C. Gair) and Mrs. Gair have accepted an invitation to attend the performance of "Cosi Fan Tutte" by the Victorian National Opera Company in Ipswich Town Hall on October 21.

The tour is being sponsored by the Art Council of Australia (New South Wales Division).

Advice that Mr. and Mrs. Gair will attend the presentation was received in Ipswich yesterday from the Arts Council Secretary (Mr. Gordon Horswell_.

In a letter to eh President of the Little Ipswich Theatre Society (Mr. L. A. Thomas) he said, "We feel this is an indication of the interest being shown in your centre by the Queensland Government, as well as an indication of the interest in the activities of the Arts Council...

It is most likely that other important officials will attend the Ipswich performance by the Victorian company, which is to make a 10 weeks' tour of the country centres in New South Wales and Queensland.

Queensland Times, Friday 8 October 1954

The Ipswich Little Theatre Society 1946-1969

The Ipswich Little Theatre Society held performances throughout their history at both the Burley Griffin Incinerator Theatre (1969-present) and the Ipswich Town Hall (1946-1969). They also promoted other activities, such as music, bridge evenings and art exhibitions; and formed their own orchestra to play during the intervals of their plays.

Their first performance was "The Blue Goose" in October 1946 and from there the Society performed Comedies, Dramas and Farces, as well as a single Pantomime and a performance for the Ipswich Centenary Celebration during their time at the Ipswich Town Hall. Over the 23 years that they performed at the Town Hall the majority of their shows were comedies. During these years they were also instrumental in the popularity of one-act plays; starting with a one-act play writing competition in 1948 and 1953 and leading to an annual festival.

There are images available of some of these performances from as early as 1948.

Bee Gees 1960s

There are local recollections of attending a performance by the Bee Gees at the School of Arts during their early years, possibly as part of a Christmas event held by Hancock's Sawmill, during the 1960s. There are performances that are documented as having occurred at Helidon Spa in Toowoomba in the 1960s that are not included on the official performance lists available online. This means that there are potentially performances at smaller events and locations such as this that have simply been lost to time.

The Limestone Frolic 2023

Although no longer the School of Arts, the old Town Hall (and current Ipswich Art Gallery) hosted a new performances in 2023 when the Limestone Frolic came to town as part of the Galvanized Festival. This event encouraged members of the public to attend, dressed in costume where possible, and to learn the dances that would have been popular during Ipswich's early years. This event has been held during the Galvanized Festival over several years, although the location of the event changes.