Melbourne Olympic Arts Festival Explained

The Melbourne Olympic Arts Festival
Opening:	November 1956
Closing:	December 1956
Location:	Melbourne
Language:	English

The Melbourne Olympic Arts Festival was an arts festival held in conjunction with the 1956 Summer Olympics held in Melbourne, Australia.^{[1] [2]} Melbourne was the first Games to have an arts festival as part of the official program.^[3]

The Elizabethan Theatre Trust were going to show its presentation of the Douglas Stewart play Ned Kelly as part of the festival.^[4] Reception to this production in Sydney however was so poor it was decided to show Summer of the Seventeenth Doll instead.

There were a number of exhibits of Australian art, and sculpture^[5] and performances of Australian music.^{[6] [7]}

Events include:

• A Music for the People concert produced by Hector Crawford^[8]
• the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust presented two operas by Mozart, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll and The Tintookies

Guests included Oscar Hammerstein and his Australian wife Dorothy,^[9] and Sir Dallas Brooks.^[10] Events not officially part of the festival but held in association with it included:

• the Australian musical Under the Coolibah Tree
• the Olympic Follies ^[11]
• Thunder Rock by Robert Adrey at the Melbourne Little Theatre^[12]

Notes

• The 1956 Olympic Arts Festival. Meanjin. Nick . Richardson. Autumn 2019.
• The Arts Festival of the Olympic Games, Melbourne 1956 : programme of the festival of music and drama / presented by The Olympic Civic Committee of the Melbourne City Council. Olympic Arts Festival (1956 : Melbourne, Vic.) Melbourne : The Committee 1956

Notes and References

1. News: Museum gets Games "lift" . . Victoria, Australia . 18 September 1956 . 13 November 2023 . 3 . National Library of Australia.
2. News: The big Games chief on way . . Victoria, Australia . 14 November 1956 . 13 November 2023 . 3 . National Library of Australia.
3. Olympic Arts Festival, Australian Performing Arts Collection
4. News: Games visitors will see... NED AT HIS . . Victoria, Australia . 6 October 1956 . 13 November 2023 . 3 . National Library of Australia.
5. News: FESTIVAL ART IS A WINNER . . Victoria, Australia . 20 November 1956 . 13 November 2023 . 8 . National Library of Australia.
6. News: GREAT MUSIC FOR THE OLYMPICS! . . Victoria, Australia . 27 November 1956 . 13 November 2023 . 8 . National Library of Australia.
7. ART . Architecture and arts . March 1957 . 43 . 13 November 2023 . Trove.
8. News: Music goes to gardens . . Victoria, Australia . 15 November 1956 . 13 November 2023 . 6 . National Library of Australia.
9. News: What Goes On . . Victoria, Australia . 19 November 1956 . 13 November 2023 . 1 . National Library of Australia.
10. News: Arts Festival . . Victoria, Australia . 19 November 1956 . 13 November 2023 . 8 . National Library of Australia.
11. News: Woman's Page 2 . . Victoria, Australia . 2 November 1956 . 13 November 2023 . 15 . National Library of Australia.
12. News: ... AND AT THE THEATRE A too-wordy play . . Victoria, Australia . 26 November 1956 . 13 November 2023 . 8 . National Library of Australia.