Papers relating to Barry Humphries, c. 1956-2000

Component identifier:

Series 5

Content Summary:

O'Shaughnessy and Humphries began corresponding in 1956 when O'Shaughnessy was working with the Independent Theatre and Humphries with the Phillip Street Theatre in Sydney. In 1958 they collaborated on Rock 'n reel revue a 'controversial revue reflecting some of the reality of Australian life'. Humphries' characters of Edna Everage and Sandy Stone originated from this production. O'Shaughnessy and Humphries also wrote and presented the children's musicals The bunyip and the satellite and Mumba Jumba and the bunyip.

This series features 34 original letters and postcards from Humphries to O'Shaughnessy together with writings by O'Shaughnessy regarding Humphries draft fragments of writings by Humphries photographs and other papers. The letters mostly date from Humphries' move to England 1959-1960 although there are also items from Sydney Melbourne Greece Italy New Zealand and New York. Humphries discusses such topics as the Phillip Street Theatre Sydney social life his early days in London and his work on Oliver in New York.

Immediate source of acquisition:

Drafts of The restless years (1968) were donated to the National Library in 1969. Extracts from a transcript of a 1986 interview with O'Shaughnessy were added to the collection in 1986. The bulk of the collection was purchased from O'Shaughnessy in five instalments between November 2000 and May 2001, with a further donation of material in June 2001.

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