Victorian Genealogy
Finding People and Places in Victoria, Australia.
See Biographies.
Also see Film and Video.
FLINDERS UNIVERSITY - THE AUSTRALIAN LIVE PERFORMANCE DATABASE
AusStage provides an accessible online resource for researching live performance in Australia. Development is led by a consortium of universities, government agencies, industry organisations and collecting institutions with funding from the Australian Research Council and other sources.
https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/browse/
AUSTRALIAN VARIETY THEATRE ARCHIVE 1850-1930
This website is devoted to the period of theatrical activity in Australia that might be considered the “golden years” of minstrelsy and vaudeville.
ARTS CENTRE, MELBOURNE - AUSTRALIAN PERFORMING ARTS COLLECTION
Arts Centre Melbourne is the custodian of the Australian Performing Arts Collection which is dedicated to the collection, preservation and interpretation of Australia’s circus, dance, music, opera and theatre heritage.
https://www.artscentremelbourne.com.au/exhibitions-collections/australian-performing-arts-collection
MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY STUDENT THEATRE ARCHIVE
This database documents the history of student theatre at the University of Melbourne.
AUSTRALIAN FILM INSTITUTE RESEARCH COLLECTION
The Australian Film Institute Research Collection is a specialist film and television industry resource open to the public. The Collection has materials encompassing cinema and television from the world over (with particular strengths in screen theory and history and in Australian cinema). The collection features a diverse range of newspaper clippings files, books, journals, film and television scripts, directories, reports, film promotional material, and film festival catalogues.
https://afiresearch.rmit.edu.au/
BONZA - NATIONAL CINEMA AND TELEVISION DATABASE
BONZA is an online collection of national cinema databases (to date French, Australian and New Zealand) prepared by film researchers and students.
https://debverhoeven.com/bonza/
CAARP - CINEMA AND AUDIENCES RESEARCH PROJECT DATABASE
An online encyclopaedia of cinema-going in Australia. This site contains information on film screenings and venues in Australia.
TROVE - MUSIC, SOUND AND VIDEO
NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE OF AUSTRALIA
The National Film and Sound Archive is the custodian of over 2.8 million items that they not only collect, but preserve for future generations and share in many diverse ways.
NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF AUSTRALIA - ABC TALKS DEPARTMENT SCRIPTS
These also include sound recordings.
The following is Fact Sheet 153 from the National Archives of Australia.
https://www.naa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-05/fs-153-abc-talks-department.pdf
INTERNET ARCHIVE
It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials including websites, software applications/games, music, movies/videos, moving images, and nearly three million public-domain (out of copyright or if the copyright owner has given permission) books. Scanned books are mainly from American, Canadian, European and Indian libraries.
NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF AUSTRALIA - ASIO FILES ON WRITERS AND LITERARY GROUPS
The following is Fact Sheet 69 from the National Archives of Australia.
Under the Copyright Act 1869 the colony of Victoria introduced legislation enabling authors and artists to copyright their literary, musical and artistic works. The Registrar of Copyrights (Office of Copyright Registry of Victoria) administered the legislation and maintained registers of copyright.
Under the Copyright Act 1869 and successive acts, material published in Victoria was legally required to be deposited with the State Library of Victoria.
In 1907 the Commonwealth of Australia took control of enforcing copyright laws.
Under the Copyright Act 1968 material published in Australia was legally required to be deposited with the National Library of Australia.
NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF AUSTRALIA - COPYRIGHT RECORDS
The following is Fact Sheet 105 from the National Archives of Australia.
https://www.naa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-05/fs-105-copyright-records.pdf
NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF AUSTRALIA - A NATION'S IMAGINATION: COPYRIGHT RECORDS 1854-1968 BY MERILYN MINELL, 2003.
This guide focuses on fine arts, literary, dramatic and music copyright under colonial and Commonwealth administrations.
TROVE - TABLE TALK 1885-1939
Table Talk was a magazine that was published in Melbourne from 1885 to 1939. The magazine specialised in theatre, painting, music and all the arts.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/
STATE LIBRARY OF VICTORIA - FINDING YOUR ANCESTORS' OCCUPATIONS: PERFORMING ARTS
This lists resources held by the state library relating to the performing arts.
https://guides.slv.vic.gov.au/c.php?g=435343&p=6902126
CINEMA AND THEATRE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA INC.
Prahran Mechanics' Institute holds the collection of the Cinema and Theatre Historical Society.
THEATRE HERITAGE AUSTRALIA INC.
Theatre Heritage Australia Inc. was established in 1995 to foster knowledge and research into the history of Australian theatre. It publishes original articles and books, holds regular events and undertakes a range of special projects with the aim of promoting and encouraging greater understanding of Australia’s rich performing arts history.https://www.theatreheritage.org.au/
NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF AUSTRALIA - SOUND RECORDINGS IN THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES BY HELEN CROSS AND MARGARET CHAMBERS, 2001
The National Archives holds a collection of sound recordings including interviews, speeches, plays, documentaries, music and sports broadcasts.
https://www.naa.gov.au/help-your-research/research-guides/sound-recordings-national-archives
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