Robert Helpmann: Behind the Scenes with the Australian Ballet, 1963–1965

Robert Helpmann played an influential role in the early development of the Australian Ballet as choreographer and co-artistic director. The first ballets he created for the fledgling company, The Display in 1964 and Yugen in 1965, were seen as a means by which the Australian Ballet could achieve an international profile: the Helpmann name was a powerful one. But the creative development period that brought these ballets to the stage reveals a demanding side of Helpmann's personality and approach—an uncompromising collaborative aesthetic in his dealings with his collaborators.