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Vassily Grigorievich Voskresensky (16 September 1888 – 27 July 1951), usually referred to as Colonel Wassily de Basil, was a Russian ballet impresario. By 1923 Wassily was doing well enough to hire Olga Smimova and Nikolay Tripolitov as his principal dancers on small tours in France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. It was at this point he adopted a "stage name" Wassily de Basil (essentially Basil de Basil) in 1923 and gave the name of his troupe as Ballet Russe directed by W. de Basil.[3] Around 1925, de Basil partnered with Alexey Tsereteli (also Zereteli) and Ignaty Zon to form the artist's agency called Zerbason.[4] In 1929–1930 de Basil's ballet troupe acted together with Tsereteli's opera troupe.[5] De Basil, Tseretelli, and Michel Kachouk, the manager of Feodor Chaliapin, became directors of the Opéra Russe à Paris, a company originally formed by soprano Maria Kousnetsova (also Maria Kuznetsova).[4] De Basil and René Blum, ballet director at the Monte Carlo Opera, along with financier Serge Denham, founded the Ballets Russes de Monte-Carlo in 1931.[6] The ballet gave its first performance in Monte Carlo on January 11, 1932- the national holiday of Monte Carlo. Blum and de Basil did not agree artistically, leading to a 1934 split,[7] after which de Basil formed an arrangement with financier Sol Hurok.[7] Col. de Basil initially renamed the company Ballets Russes de Colonel W. de Basil. De Basil brought the Original Ballet Russe on a tour of Australia in 1939–1940,[6] traveling there aboard the P&O ocean liner RMS Maloja in September 1938. He had earlier organized tours to Australia in 1936–1937 and 1938–1939, although he did not travel with the company. During his visit to Australia, de Basil commissioned work from Australians, especially from designers, who included Sidney Nolan and Kathleen, and Florence Martin. He also instigated a design competition for an original Australian ballet, which was won by Donald Friend with designs for a ballet based on a fictitious event in the life of Ned Kelly. Source; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wassily_de_Basil

The Boggo Road Theatre went through the first of many refurbishments, as the dirt and grime from its time as a clothing factory and goods store were cleaned away and the interior redecorated and fitted with new seats for an impressive 1,200 patrons. Electric lighting replaced the original gas system. The walls were hung with canvasses of “charming scenes” and a picture of the King and the Union Jack surmounted the screen. The renamed Princess Theatre was opened on the first of June 1912, by the mayor of South Brisbane, John Burke. The typical session comprised a number of short films along with other entertainment such as vocal numbers and “illustrated songs” performed by the manager Andrew Kirk, who also accompanied films on the piano. In 1914, the theatre ownership passed to solicitor Herbert Brealy Hemming but it remained leased to West’s. The Princess was used for other purposes. Amateur talent contests were held on Fridays for some years. Through 1917 the Reverend J. Abraham Turner (scientist) gave a series of lectures. In November, his address “Garden of Eden Found” was followed by a vocal recital given by Mrs. Reeding. The theatre was closed for some 6 months in 1919 in accordance with health regulations, as the influenza epidemic spread through the country. By 1920, the Princess was part of the Union Picture Theatre chain which included five Brisbane cinemas. The local area was a rough one, and patrons at times were forced to leave the theatre due to disturbances. On one occasion in 1920, a group of youths described as ‘hoodlums’, took control of the theatre for around a half an hour. A fight broke out and injuries included broken teeth and a nasty cut to the head. Curiously, the film being shown was Mary Pickford’s “The Hoodlum”. In contrast, the Salvation Army continued to use the theatre from time to time for special services. In 1925, the Princess was up for lease and it was refurbished again by new operators. The opening featured the films “Cold Steel” and “Whispering Palms” along with a performance by the newly formed “Princess Own” Orchestra. Friends could meet before or after the show at “The Cosy Theatre” café. Live productions including school concerts and burlesque as well as the occasional public meeting also continued. In 1925, the theatre operators hit on the idea of showing educational films that attracted large school groups. Throughout the silent era, theatre sessions continued to feature a live performance, often vaudeville, in addition to films. By 1931, the Princess had been equipped with the Pacent sound system, allowing “talkies” to be screened. However, the owner Herbert Hemming unsuccessfully advertised the theatre for lease for 4 years. It was finally let in 1934, but to a repertory theatre rather than a cinema operator. Source: highgatehill-historical-vignettes.com/2021/08/01/brisbane...

HOCKEY GIRLS REVUE WENT WITH A SWING THE 1936 Hockey Girls' Revue went with a swing from open- ing chorus to the finale at the Princess Theatre last night. More than 200 girls took part. In the final number the winner of the Popular Hockey Girl Competition, Miss Eileen Connelly, Taxation Club's candidate, was proclaimed. A song, "Popular Girl," composed for the occasion, was sung, and the Sash of Popularity was presented to Miss Connelly by Mrs. S. E. Travill, patroness of the Brisbane Women's Hockey Association. The voting in the competition was: Miss Connelly (Taxation) 8640 votes, Miss Jean Kerr (Clayfield) 6000, Miss Cynthia Grice (Saint Andrews) 5760, Miss Azubah Somerville (Neptune) 3240, Miss Jess Clarke (Metropolitan) 1800, Miss Elsie Mumford (Valley) 1440. Altogether £112 was collected for the 1937 inter-State fund, with which Queensland will entertain teams from all the other States. One of the prettiest numbers in the revue was "The Story of the Willow Pattern," in which Miss Gwen Barker sang particularly well. Thrills and screams punctuated Taxation's item, "Death Attends the Rehearsal." "College Days," by the Neptune Hockey Club was a tuneful number, with Miss Lena Rusky, the singing teacher, and Miss Ann Congleton the pupil. Plantation songs were introduced by the Metropolitan Club in "Way Down South." Other Items were "Dashing Away With The Smoothing Iron," by Y.W.C.A.; a physical culture displayed by Kelvin Grove, "The Lost Dress," by Saint Andrews; and song and dance numbers by the Social Institute. Those present included Miss Freda Bage (patroness, Queensland Women's Hockey Association), Dr. Alison Wright, Misses Mildred Wilson, Dorothy Rae, Mrs. S. E Travill. MISS Dorothy Barker's party were: Mr. and Mrs. G. H. Barker, Misses Shirley Chuter, Edna Clark, Messrs. Dudley Grant-Thompson, Harry Ferrett. With Miss Sophie Rusky were Mesdames E. M. Carr, H. Simpson, W. Carr, Messrs. M. and W. Rusky, Mrs. H. J. Fogg. Misses A. Fogg, M. Cotham, and S.O'Gorman were with Miss Hazel Fogg. Miss Ina Goleby's party included Misses B. and M. Julius, N. Slattery, Z. Eales, A. Adams, B. and N. Young, and Mrs. A. Young. Miss Somerville had with her Misses O. Buckley, O. Glover, J. Somerville, L. Kiss, Messrs. F. Colborne, W. Somerville. Miss Dulcie Pinn's party included Misses C. Richardson, V. Gibbins, I. Smith, and C. Smith. Others noted were Mrs. F. J. Marshall, Miss P. Ferguson, and Mr. R. Marshall, Mr. and Mrs. P. L. Perry. Miss Grace Thomson, Mr. George Haughan. Source: 29 Oct 1936 The Courier-Mail, Brisbane trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/37000630/1968109

In the 1940s Brisbane was just a big country town and the thousands of Australian and American servicemen who suddenly poured into the camps and bases around the city and the other major centres provided an audience for mass entertainment and gave the experience a new intensity, whether it was ballroom dancing at Cloudland, cutting a rug at the Trocadero or enjoying vaudeville at the Cremorne. Source: www.ww2places.qld.gov.au/homefront/entertainment