Australia’s most iconic live performance legends – from Kylie Minogue to Nick Cave to Archie Roach – are set to take centre stage once again in a major new exhibition celebrating 50 years of Australia’s performing arts history.
Opening at the Australian Museum of Performing Arts on September 16th, ENCORE! 50 Objects. 50 Years. One Collection. will showcase 50 iconic items pulled from the vast Australian Performing Arts Collection, housed at Arts Centre Melbourne. The exhibition will run through to May 9th, 2027.
Among the headline pieces are the gold hot pants worn by Kylie Minogue in the “Spinning Around” video, the original neon-red L’Amour sign created by Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin for Opera Australia’s La Bohème, and the drum kit used by Midnight Oil’s Rob Hirst. Costumes worn by stars including Olivia Newton-John and Hugh Jackman will also feature.
The exhibition marks the 50th anniversary of the Australian Performing Arts Collection, which preserves more than 850,000 items spanning circus, dance, theatre, opera, and music history.
Arts Centre Melbourne CEO Karen Quinlan AM described the exhibition as both a celebration of iconic moments and a rediscovery of overlooked stories from Australia’s cultural past. “Exploring the breadth of performing arts genres and spanning 170 years, ENCORE! is an exclusive backstage pass to 50 incredible moments from Australia’s history. It feels only fitting that our nation’s vibrant stage contributions will be on display at the centre of Australia’s cultural capital, at AMPA in Melbourne,” she said.
Arts Centre Melbourne Dance and Opera Curator Ian Jackson added that several objects have never been publicly displayed before. “Countless performers have contributed to making Australia’s cultural landscape what it is today, this exhibition aims to celebrate them. Some featured objects have never been on display to the public before, so this is the first chance people will have to witness those extraordinary pieces of our history.”
Music fans will find plenty to dive into, including maracas used by Peter Allen during performances of “I Go To Rio”, the Grammy Award won by Helen Reddy for “I Am Woman”, and a personal visual journal compiled by Nick Cave in 1987. Also included are signed pointe shoes worn by Ella Havelka and a dress worn by Judith Durham during The Seekers’ landmark 1967 Sidney Myer Music Bowl concert.
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The exhibition also pays tribute to groundbreaking Indigenous performance works, including a custom-made vest worn by Archie Roach and a costume from Rites (1997), the landmark collaboration between Bangarra Dance Theatre and The Australian Ballet, worn by the late dancer Russell Page.
Australian comedy and cabaret history also gets its due, with costumes worn by performers including Roy Rene, Reg Livermore, Dame Edna Everage, and Denise Scott.
The collection stretches back as far as the 19th century, featuring the original handwritten 1874 script of Struck Oil and a set model from Melbourne Theatre Company’s 1995 production of Summer of the Seventeenth Doll.
For more details, including ticket information, see here.
