Harriet Jones (died after 1845), also known under her

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

s Mrs Love (1826–1839) and Mrs Knowles (1839–1845) was an Australian stage actor and singer. She was the first female professional performer in Australia.Pamela Payne-Heckenberg, Women of the Australian Theatre, Australasian Drama Studies, Australasian Drama Studies, c/- Department of English, Univ, 12/13, 1988, 125 - 145

Life

Harriet Jones arrived in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

in Australia in 1825. She is known to have performed as a singer in amateur concerts in Sydney from 1826 onward. She played the main female role of Susan in

Douglas Jerrold Douglas William Jerrold (London 3 January 18038 June 1857 London) was an English dramatist and writer. Biography Jerrold's father, Samuel Jerrold, was an actor and lessee of the little theatre of Wilsby near Cranbrook in Kent. In 1807 Dougla ...

's ''

Black Eyed Susan Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have of ...

'' on the temporary stage of Barnett Levey's Theatre Royal, Sydney at the Royal Hotel on 26 December 1832. This was the inauguration performance of the first theater of Australia, the Theatre Royal (which was given its own building the following year), and the first professional theater performance in Australia, thereby making Harriet Jones (then known as "Mrs Love") the first professional actress in Australia alongside the two other actresses participating in the performance: a "Mrs Ward" and a "Mrs Weston" (

Frances Mackay Frances Louise Mackay (born 1 June 1990) is a New Zealand cricketer who currently plays for Canterbury and New Zealand. In January 2019, she was recalled to New Zealand's squad to play in the Women's Twenty20 International (WT20I) series against ...

, later known as Mrs Laverty, Mrs Mackay, Mrs Arabin). Harriet Jones was from the beginning lovers with her colleague and co-player Conrad Theodore Knowles (1810-1844), who acted in the inauguration play with her, and she was from 1839 onward known as Mrs Knowles, though the never formally married. They both belonged to the first pioneer generation of professional Australian actors at the Theatre Royal, the first theater in the colony. When the Olympic Theatre opened in February 1842, she followed Knowles there with other leading players, but they returned just three months later. In 1843, she followed Knowles to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, where she is known to have been active until at least 1845.

References

* http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/86156 * http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/contributor/260387 * G. F. J. Bergman, 'Levey, Barnett (1798–1837)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/levey-barnett-2352/text3075, published first in hardcopy 1967, accessed online 19 August 2017. * H. L. Oppenheim, 'Knowles, Conrad Theodore (1810–1844)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/knowles-conrad-theodore-2315/text3005, published first in hardcopy 1967, accessed online 19 August 2017. ;Specific {{DEFAULTSORT:Knowles, Harriet 19th-century Australian actresses Year of death missing 19th-century Australian women singers Year of birth uncertain