Vol. 1, No. 1, Fall 2002

Concerts, a mixture of instrumental programs, songs, and recitations, were to come into their own during World War I as a form of community solidarity with the war-effort. They borrowed elements of theatricality from the dramatic world and they allowed people who would otherwise have no opportunity of having their skills seen on the stage to perform before a sympathetic audience. On 9 August 1914, the first "Grand Patriotic Concert" was held in the [page 97] Botanic Gardens on a Sunday evening, "after Church hours".(25) The war, then, paved the way for the rise in prominence of the community concert; one which required the efforts of many people from different community groups to band together to create the performance and church groups around the city were prepared to dedicate their time to the creation of entertainment that was for patriotic or charitable causes. The format for this first "Grand Patriotic Concert", and for the many which followed throughout the war, included instrumental items, vocal numbers, dramatic recitations, and patriotic sing-alongs. Church groups did not provide the only source of community interest in public concerts. There were also amateur theatre workers who teamed with charities such as the Red Cross to create public performances but the contribution of church groups was quite considerate.

The threat of failure for the amateur is alleviated when the performances they offer are labelled as being for 'patriotic' purposes. The idea of 'doing what you can' to help 'our boys' made it possible for many people to perform a wide variety of theatrical activities 'all for a good cause' so it didn't matter if the quality of the performances was questionable. The parish community participated in many different social activities including the creation of sporting teams, choirs, instrumental groups, and dramatic societies. Funds raised by performances were often used for charitable or church causes but would sometimes benefit other church community groups. An example here would be the Grand Concert given to benefit the Saint Andrew's Presbyterian Tennis Club. Items on the program included the performance of dramatic scenes, recitations, and songs. Reviews of such amateur performances tended to focus on how clearly the actors spoke their lines; elocution was the flavour of the day. The trial scene from The Merchant of Venice was performed by Ethel Clark and W.P. Sparkes, and the Brisbane Courier recorded that "the former spoke her lines with dignity and intelligence, and the latter brought to his elocutionary task an unusually deep and sonorous voice".(26) The connection between the Church and live theatrical performance was beginning to become important in Brisbane's dramatic scene at this time. The churches were particularly well placed to help foster and encourage live performance in the city because they had facilities such as Church Halls that could be utilised for productions of theatrical events on a modest scale plus they also had the [page 98] human resources to create the performances and a willing crowd of spectators to watch them. The churches, therefore, were providing a threefold benefit to the Brisbane community; they gave amateur performers a chance to perform, they raised valuable funds for important community initiatives, and they promoted a vibrant alternative to the professional theatre industry that was slowly declining in public appeal as a result of the rising popularity of film.

Concerts were regularly held for the entertainment of troops stationed at camps in Brisbane while en route for the Front. These took place either in the camps or in local church halls. Social, political, and cultural groups altered the focus of their club's activities, tailoring them towards the perceived war-effort. For example, the Soldiers' Church of England Help Society organised weekly concerts in various camp locations such as Fraser's Hill Camp, Thompson's Camp, Bell's Paddock Camp, and Alderley Camp. The concerts consisted of musical items, humorous sketches, and dramatic recitations, mostly performed by women. However, sometimes soldiers would be involved in the performances as well. The general public was asked for assistance towards creating these concerts.(27) Other church groups, such as the parishioners from St. Barnabas's Church of England parish in Ithaca, organised one-off special performances designed to entertain the troops. This parish group produced a concert on 8 January 1916 for the soldiers of the 8th Depot Battalion stationed at Bell's Paddock. The evening included Mr Eltham presenting a musical sketch as well as a comical song while Elsie Rudd sang several songs. Soldiers in military costume often featured on the bills of such programs; on this occasion, a recitation was presented by one of the soldiers.(28) Here we see the soldier as entertainer; his uniform is a costume and his artistic ability is intrinsically linked with the patriotic feelings of his audience.

Annual performances by some of Brisbane's inner-city Catholic Schools were often reported in the local media. These performances were attended by the Archbishop and other Church dignitaries and they were important social occasions. When the Queensland Catholic Club, which consisted of pupils from All Hallows', St. Stephen's, and Christian Brothers' Schools, presented their "Grand Concert" in Centennial Hall, The Merchant of Venice's trial scene [page 99] once again was applauded in a similar manner to the amateur performance held earlier in the month:

Thus, the critic does not attempt to discuss the artistic merit of the amateur performances. The important critical evaluation extends no further than a statement that the performers knew their lines. From this it can be assumed that the quality of the performance was not the primary concern for the artists and the audience members. Such performances were fulfilling an important social and cultural function by allowing young people to express themselves artistically in a controlled performance environment and the eclectic nature of a concert program gave the people the opportunity to have their otherwise hidden talents observed by a sympathetic audience. That the churches were an integral part of this is indicative of the changed role that the theatre was having within society.

Concerts produced by students from Catholic church schools were regularly featured in the Brisbane Courier; this is probably more an indication of the newspaper's Catholic sympathies rather than a suggestion that other church schools were not making similar community contributions. The St. Joseph's College, Nudgee, performance held in Centennial Hall attracted high praise from the paper which noted that "the Nudgee College students' entertainments in the past have always reached a very high standard, and that which was given last night adds another success to the meritorious roll".(30) The performance, which included Molière's The Upstart as well as a gymnastics display on the parallel bars, dancing, and choral items, attracted [page 100] some high profile community members including a deputation from Government House.(31) This signals the social significance of such community events. Another concert held by the students of the Christian Brothers' College, Gregory Terrace, and St. James's School made the most of the turbulent pre-war atmosphere by presenting their Concert in Centennial Hall and using the theme of "Songs of Wars and of Warriors".(32) Students and audiences were encouraged on such occasions to enter into the popular discourses of patriotism on the stage.

Despite theatre and religion in Brisbane experiencing a chequered relationship throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, as demonstrated by the incidents discussed, church organisations played a major role in nurturing live performance during a period in Australia's history when professional companies were declining in their popularity and some theatres had difficulty maintaining financial viability. By providing opportunities and venues for amateur performers to demonstrate their talents, the churches also fostered a community interest in live performance that otherwise may have been extinguished.

Endnotes

Works Cited

Al. "Brisbane Brevities." Australian Variety 26 Apr. 1916: N. pag.

Al. "Brisbane Brevities." Australian Variety 17 May 1916: N. pag.

Al. "Brisbane Brevities." Australian Variety 23 Aug. 1916: N. pag.

Boland, T.P. James Duhig. St. Lucia (QLD): University of Queensland Press, 1986.

[page 101] "Camp Concerts." Brisbane Courier 23 June 1916: 9.

Entertainments. Advertisement. Brisbane Courier 8 Aug. 1914: 2.

Entertainments. Advertisement. Brisbane Courier 19 Aug. 1914: 2

"Entertainments." Brisbane Courier 6 Apr. 1914: 10.

"Entertainments." Brisbane Courier 16 Apr. 1914: 5.

"Entertainments." Brisbane Courier 18 June 1914: 8.

"Entertainments." Brisbane Courier 19 June 1914: 4.

"Entertainments." Brisbane Courier 27 Nov. 1914: 6.

"Entertainments." Brisbane Courier 2 Mar. 1916: 5.

"Entertainments." Brisbane Courier 1 Jan. 1917: 9.

Fotheringham, Richard. "Brisbane." Companion to Theatre in Australia. Ed. Philip Parsons, Paddington (NSW): Currency, 1995.

"Insulting Womanly Modesty: Unseemly Advertising: Emphatic Protest by Archbishop Duhig." Brisbane Courier 4 Mar. 1918: 4.

"Pantomime Methods." Brisbane Courier 5 Mar. 1918: 5.

[page 102] Program. A Minstrel Entertainment. Holy Trinity Boys' Debating Club. 13 July 1893, 5 Oct. 1893, 28 Mar. 1894.

"Soldiers Entertained." Brisbane Courier 11 Jan. 1916: 8.

Vic Jensen Cutting Book. ms. OM92-182. John Oxley Library, Brisbane.