A study of Australia's most popular internationally-known comedian, Barry Humphries. This project will offer a fully researched biographical study of Barry Humphries in the context of Australian cultural history from the 1950s to the present. The study will illuminate Australian literature, theatre and cultural politics, and the way it intersects with both British and American cultural history and the development of global entertainment culture since the 1960s. It will fill a gap in the underst ....A study of Australia's most popular internationally-known comedian, Barry Humphries. This project will offer a fully researched biographical study of Barry Humphries in the context of Australian cultural history from the 1950s to the present. The study will illuminate Australian literature, theatre and cultural politics, and the way it intersects with both British and American cultural history and the development of global entertainment culture since the 1960s. It will fill a gap in the understanding of Humphries' life and his immense contribution to the Australian psyche and to the global export of Australian cultural products in the post-imperial era.Read moreRead less
A History of the Theatre in Late Georgian Britain: Spaces, Sociability and Cultural Networks. The Romantic period in Britain was formative in the history of Australia and the reconfiguring of Romantic period culture which this project entails will be of relevance to the understanding of our history. The ideologies and practices of Enlightenment sociability underpinned the early years of the colony, as much as they influenced metropolitan culture. In 2005, when many of the achievements of Enlig ....A History of the Theatre in Late Georgian Britain: Spaces, Sociability and Cultural Networks. The Romantic period in Britain was formative in the history of Australia and the reconfiguring of Romantic period culture which this project entails will be of relevance to the understanding of our history. The ideologies and practices of Enlightenment sociability underpinned the early years of the colony, as much as they influenced metropolitan culture. In 2005, when many of the achievements of Enlightenment modernity have been questioned or are perceived to be under threat, it is also worth re-examining the egalitarianism underlying the ideals if sometimes not the practice of Georgian sociability. This research will also enhance Australia's overseas reputation in the field of eighteenth-century and Romantic studies.Read moreRead less
Scripts without a stage: Roman comedy in the Early Italian Renaissance. In the early Italian Renaissance at a time when theatrical infrastructure was still lacking, rapid advances in learning and technology helped scholars to show how the Latin plays, which had only survived as teaching texts, were in fact works to be performed, eventually leading to stage revivals. This project proposes to build on the successes of an Australian team working on the Roman playwright Terence, and demonstrate the ....Scripts without a stage: Roman comedy in the Early Italian Renaissance. In the early Italian Renaissance at a time when theatrical infrastructure was still lacking, rapid advances in learning and technology helped scholars to show how the Latin plays, which had only survived as teaching texts, were in fact works to be performed, eventually leading to stage revivals. This project proposes to build on the successes of an Australian team working on the Roman playwright Terence, and demonstrate the importance of humanist scholars to intellectual history. It intends to utilise a range of historical resources, many only available in recent years through digitisation.Read moreRead less
The rediscovery of Senecan tragedy in 14th century Europe. This project aims to provide a new understanding of the emergence of classical tragedy by reassessing how classical Latin drama was revived in 14th century Europe after a long period of neglect. Classical tragedy, which incorporates the myths of the Graeco-Roman world in its fabric, was virtually unknown from late antiquity until the high middle ages when the tragedies of Seneca became popular. In the early 14th century, commentaries by ....The rediscovery of Senecan tragedy in 14th century Europe. This project aims to provide a new understanding of the emergence of classical tragedy by reassessing how classical Latin drama was revived in 14th century Europe after a long period of neglect. Classical tragedy, which incorporates the myths of the Graeco-Roman world in its fabric, was virtually unknown from late antiquity until the high middle ages when the tragedies of Seneca became popular. In the early 14th century, commentaries by Albertino Mussato and Nicholas Trevet allowed a new readership access to these complex ancient works; this analysis also provides new insights into trends of popularity across the ages. Using recent advances in digitisation technology and scholarship, the project will establish a model for research into the history of the book, the image, and text.Read moreRead less
Theatre in the Asia-Pacific: Regional Culture in a Modern Global Context. This project contributes to Australian understandings of other countries in its region and promotes an Asia-literate society. Its focus on theatre and performance cultures of the Asia-Pacific deepens our understanding of the issues, both social and aesthetic, that characterise regional-specific responses to a shared global context. With its focus on innovative theatre and performance, that both conserve the region's rich c ....Theatre in the Asia-Pacific: Regional Culture in a Modern Global Context. This project contributes to Australian understandings of other countries in its region and promotes an Asia-literate society. Its focus on theatre and performance cultures of the Asia-Pacific deepens our understanding of the issues, both social and aesthetic, that characterise regional-specific responses to a shared global context. With its focus on innovative theatre and performance, that both conserve the region's rich cultural heritage and express its creativity, the project analyses recent trends in performing arts in the region. The outcomes will inform the academic community and future cultural policies of national organisations including Asialink and the Australia Council. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0775619
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$350,000.00
Summary
AustLit: Phase Two - humanities research infrastructure development, augmentation and expansion. With ARC support, the university and library collaborators will deliver a unique national information service revealing the wealth of Australian's literary and cultural endeavours over time. Enquirers from across the research, education and library sectors will be able to access the results of decades of scholarship in Australian literary, theatre, critical and Indigenous culture. Senior and emerging ....AustLit: Phase Two - humanities research infrastructure development, augmentation and expansion. With ARC support, the university and library collaborators will deliver a unique national information service revealing the wealth of Australian's literary and cultural endeavours over time. Enquirers from across the research, education and library sectors will be able to access the results of decades of scholarship in Australian literary, theatre, critical and Indigenous culture. Senior and emerging researchers will be able to continue building AustLit over time, using the infrastructure as a source of existing information to interrogate, and as a repository for new data that can be analysed and enhanced as research in new areas is pursued. Read moreRead less
SONG LYRICS FOR THE ENGLISH THEATRE 1660-1700: A PERFORMATIVE ANALYSIS. Restoration plays preserve the lyrics of over 1500 songs, ranging from sophisticated pieces set by Purcell to words written to popular ballad tunes. The project will collect the entire corpus of these lyrics and use them as the subject for a performance-oriented analysis, integrating words, music (when it survives) and what can be discovered about stage presentation. Cultural meanings will be established through close contex ....SONG LYRICS FOR THE ENGLISH THEATRE 1660-1700: A PERFORMATIVE ANALYSIS. Restoration plays preserve the lyrics of over 1500 songs, ranging from sophisticated pieces set by Purcell to words written to popular ballad tunes. The project will collect the entire corpus of these lyrics and use them as the subject for a performance-oriented analysis, integrating words, music (when it survives) and what can be discovered about stage presentation. Cultural meanings will be established through close contextualisation. Rhetorical theory and the concept of 'musical wit' will be used to relate verbal meanings to musical procedures and both to theatrical presentations of the body.Read moreRead less
Players: the lives and work of the actors who created the national theatre of Australia between 1950-2012. The transformation of Australian theatre since the 1950's is explored through the lives and work of 80 actors working in Australia during a critical phase of Australian cultural history. This study will extend knowledge of the creative achievements of these actors and enrich understanding of our national culture and creative industries.