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Concert and Theatre Programs, First World War, 1914-1918, Australian War Memorial, Souvenirs 2
Theatre programs
Programs or play bills have long been produced to advertise productions and to serve as a reference for the audience during the show. As a class of document, they have survived in great numbers, as people are naturally inclined to collect mementoes of pleasurable occasions.
Theatre programs in the First World War
The programs in this collection include both amateur and professional productions, and give an indication of the shows and concerts a soldier on leave in London or Paris might see, as well as how soldiers at the front, in hospital or travelling on troop ships were entertained. There are also programs from shows held in Australia, mostly connected to fund raising; they are an interesting counterpoint to the programs produced by the troops.
Concert parties and field theatres flourished in the British Army in the First World War. The English, Scots, Welsh, Irish, Canadian, New Zealanders all had their groups of performers. By late 1917, in the Australian Imperial Force, "every Division now had its concert party, almost every Brigade had its entertainers, while even the Battalions were beginning to organise troupes which were to be set apart to do nothing more than keep up the spirits of the war-weary men..." (Harvey, 1920, p. 202)
The concerts allowed the soldiers respite from the constant threat and the monotony of the trenches, but also reminded them of what life could be like. Siegfreid Sasson describes a show: ..."It wasn't much; a canvas awning; a few footlights....[the performers] were unconscious, it seemed to me, of the intense impact on their audience - that dim brown moonlit mass of men. Row beyond row, I watched those soldiers, listening so quietly, chins propped on hands, to the songs which epitomized their ... longing for the gaiety and sentiment of life." (quoted in Fuller, 1990, p. 104)
Far from being seen as a luxury (although this was a problem in some quarters for a little while (Fuller, 1990, p. 95)), the idea of entertainment for the troops was supported by the authorities. Amongst the Australians, the field theatres were seen as a necessity; they provided "mental recreation" (Aussie, March 8, 1918, p. 4).
Humour, especially that which spoke directly to the soldiers in the front line, and made fun of their situation, as well as songs to sing along with, were very popular, as were the female impersonators. (Morrow, 1934, p. 105). Sentimentality had its place, but the main aim of the field theatres and concert parties was to send men away happy, laughing, and having felt like they had a good time, some respite from the war.
It is clear from the programs in this collection that there was a wide variety of acts, turns, or performances. Those programs produced by units, as opposed to things organised at Division level, seem to be hilarious, even ribald. Fuller states that "the divisional concert parties were held to a standard of propriety; the brigade and battalion troupes much less so." (Fuller, 1990, p. 107)
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