Christopher Wheeldon’s Oscar© will premiere at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre on September 13.
A team of La Trobe academics led by Emeritus Professor Dennis Altman AM provided their expertise on Wilde, his sexuality and 19th Century Britain to The Australian Ballet as they developed the Oscar© production.
The team, which also included Dr Tim Jones, Dr Alexis Harley and Dr Noel Maloney, provided a White Paper about ‘queer communities’ at this time and Wilde’s life within it, including the impact of his famous trial for indecency.
Ahead of the launch, La Trobe hosted a public panel discussion about Wilde, exploring the cultural influences on his own literary output, and the ways his work has impacted later generations of queer writers, artists, critics and curators.
About 200 people attended the event at the State Library of Victoria, curated by historian Professor Clare Wright OAM in her capacity as Professor of Public Engagement at La Trobe and co-hosted by The Australian Ballet, State Library and Readings.
The panel was hosted by Professor Wright, moderated by Emeritus Professor Dennis Altman AM and featured The Australian Ballet Artistic Director, David Hallberg, award-winning author and Adjunct Research Fellow at La Trobe, Christos Tsiolkas, La Trobe senior lecturer in English and Creative Writing, Dr Alexis Harley, and Classics researcher and postgraduate student, Tobias Fulton.
Professor Altman said The Australian Ballet had taken a bold step in this production that would have an impact far beyond its Melbourne premiere.
“Working with The Australian Ballet has been very rewarding and the panel discussion will highlight the role played by academics working in the Humanities in exploring the importance of Oscar Wilde's writings and his ongoing legacy in a time where there are very different understandings of sexuality and gender,” he said.
La Trobe academics also held a workshop with The Australian Ballet team to help inform character development and historical setting to bring Wilde’s life, times and works to life with integrity and compassion.
Dr Jones, Associate Professor History and expert in histories of sexuality and religion, said: "It was a real joy taking the dancers through the sexual worlds that Oscar Wilde inhabited, helping them to better understand Wilde’s time and their characters’ senses of self.”
The Australian Ballet Artistic Director David Hallberg said: “Our collaboration with La Trobe University has enriched the Company's preparation for our world-premiere of Oscar, helping our dancers develop their characters with compassion and integrity and deepening our understanding of Wilde’s historical context. It has truly elevated our approach to bringing Wilde’s story to life on stage."
To commemorate the collaboration and capture the University’s research, the La Trobe academics have developed a Victorian-style book uncovering the spirit of late nineteenth-century British society that helped shape Oscar©, which will be sent to all event attendees.
As a companion to the unspoken artform of ballet, The Importance of Being Oscar offers carefully considered insights into Oscar Wilde’s story.
A digital version of the book will be made available to the wider public.
All proceeds from the panel discussion went to The Pride Foundation.
The collaboration is part of the longstanding partnership between La Trobe University and The Australian Ballet, which uses the combined skills and expertise of each organisation to offer wide-ranging benefits to diverse audiences.
