Aboriginal National Theatre Trust Limited - records, 1902-1991

MLMSS 6254
MLOH 246

fonds

1902, 1929, 1968, 1979, 1984-1991

Textual Records, Graphic Materials, Clippings, Photographs, Musical Sound Recordings, Nonmusical Sound Recordings, Moving Images

141261

7.65 metres of textual material (25 boxes) - manuscript, computer printouts, photocopy, typescript, typescript, with manuscript annotations and corrections, typescript, photocopy, typescript, carbon, typescript, processed, and printed
Clippings - some photocopies
Photographs - photoprints, photonegatives, colour slides
Sound Recordings
Moving Images - video recordings

The Aboriginal National Theatre Trust Limited (ANTT) originated from a Steering Committee elected by Aboriginal performing artists, playwrights and technicians at the First National Black Playwrights Conference and Workshop in Canberra, in 1987. The Steering Committee comprised Brian Syron, Kevin Gilbert, Lydia Miller, Rhoda Roberts, Suzanne Butt, Michael Johnson and Lesley Fogarty, with Justine Saunders as adviser. ANTT was constituted as a Company Limited by Guarantee in May 1988. Based in Sydney, it was operated and staffed by Aboriginal artists committed to the promotion and protection of all Aboriginal Performing and Visual Arts. Its achievements included the establishment of a National Aboriginal Theatre, and the cross fertilisation of contemporary Australian art and Aboriginal culture through dramatic workshops and performances. ANTT also acted as a consultative body to diverse Aboriginal and non-indigenous production houses, theatre companies and educational institutions, as well as to individuals.
The first major mainstream play produced by ANTT was The Keepers by Bob Maza at Sydney's Belvoir Street Theatre in May 1988. A signal event in the history of Black Theatre in Australia, it was the first all-Aboriginal production staged in this country. The success of the Second National Black Playwrights Conference in 1989 at Macquarie University gave rise to the broader creative forum, the Corroboree of Aboriginal National Storytellers. In March 1990 the ANTT production, Munjong by Richard Walley and directed by Vivian Walker, had its world premiere at the Victorian Arts Centre.
In June 1991 the ANTT folded following the resignation of its Board of Directors in protest against the lack of financial support from government funding bodies.

Minutes of meetings, with related papers, 1987-1991
Financial records, 1987-1990
Files, 1902-1991
Miscellaneous office records, 1987-1991
Video recordings, 1980, 1988-ca. 1990
Sound recordings, 1986-1989

This collection comprises 6 record series. You may navigate to a more detailed description of each series from this record.