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Australia\u2019s most iconic live performance legends \u2013 from Kylie Minogue to Nick Cave to Archie Roach \u2013 are set to take centre stage once again in a major new exhibition celebrating 50 years of Australia\u2019s performing arts history.<\/p>\n
Opening at the Australian Museum of Performing Arts on September 16th, ENCORE! 50 Objects. 50 Years. One Collection.<\/em> 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.<\/p>\n Among the headline pieces are the gold hot pants worn by Kylie Minogue in the \u201cSpinning Around\u201d video, the original neon-red L\u2019Amour sign created by Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin for Opera Australia\u2019s La Boh\u00e8me<\/em>, and the drum kit used by Midnight Oil\u2019s Rob Hirst. Costumes worn by stars including Olivia Newton-John and Hugh Jackman will also feature.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s cultural past. \u201cExploring the breadth of performing arts genres and spanning 170 years, ENCORE!<\/em> is an exclusive backstage pass to 50 incredible moments from Australia\u2019s history. It feels only fitting that our nation\u2019s vibrant stage contributions will be on display at the centre of Australia\u2019s cultural capital, at AMPA in Melbourne,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Arts Centre Melbourne Dance and Opera Curator Ian Jackson added that several objects have never been publicly displayed before. \u201cCountless performers have contributed to making Australia\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Music fans will find plenty to dive into, including maracas used by Peter Allen during performances of \u201cI Go To Rio\u201d, the Grammy Award won by Helen Reddy for \u201cI Am Woman\u201d, 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\u2019 landmark 1967 Sidney Myer Music Bowl concert.<\/p>\n Get your daily dose of everything happening in Australian\/New Zealand music and globally.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The exhibition also pays tribute to groundbreaking Indigenous performance works, including a custom-made vest worn by Archie Roach and a costume from Rites<\/em> (1997), the landmark collaboration between Bangarra Dance Theatre and The Australian Ballet, worn by the late dancer Russell Page.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The collection stretches back as far as the 19th century, featuring the original handwritten 1874 script of Struck Oil<\/em> and a set model from Melbourne Theatre Company\u2019s 1995 production of Summer of the Seventeenth Doll<\/em>.<\/p>\n For more details, including ticket information, see here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\nLove Music?<\/h2>\n