Pollard's Lilliputian Opera Company was series of professional children's troupes, first established in

Launceston, Tasmania Launceston () is a city in the north of Tasmania, Australia, at the confluence of the North Esk River, North Esk and South Esk River, South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River, Tasmania, Tamar River (kanamaluka). As of 2021, the Launc ...

, in May 1880. Established by James Joseph Pollard, over the next thirty years several members of the Pollard family operated troupes under the same or similar names, travelling through Australia and New Zealand and later the Orient and North America.

Juvenile performance troupes

In the mid 1870s, James Pollard, a former organ maker and piano tuner, had formed a local musical group called ''Pollard's Orchestral Union'', based around the musical and performing talents of his 18 children. After 1880, his Lilliputian Opera Company included other juvenile performers and developed an extensive and highly successful program of performances of comic opera and musical items, travelling throughout Australia and New Zealand. Gillian Arrighi and Victor Emeljanow suggest that the genesis of the juvenile performance of opera, of which the Pollard troupe was but one manifestation, can be found in

Richard D'Oyly Carte Richard D'Oyly Carte (; 3 May 1844 – 3 April 1901) was an English talent agent, theatrical impresario, composer, and hotelier during the latter half of the Victorian era. He built two of London's theatres and a hotel empire, while also establi ...

's experiment with a children's performance of '' HMS Pinafore'' over the London Christmas season of 1879–1880. The novelty of talented youngsters performing theatre and variety "transmitted ...ideas about youth and empire, cleverness and the future" and made this form of theatre extremely popular. Dr Clay Djubal suggests it was a Melbourne juvenile performance of ''HMS Pinafore'' that influenced Pollard. Years later, Daphne Trott (who like many of the performers adopted the surname Pollard as a stage name) recalled; "As a child actress... I had to know thirty six operas by heart. Once I played the part of an old sheriff with side-whiskers, although I was only twelve at the time. One of the side whiskers came off before the audience, but that, of course, made it all the funnier."

Later fortunes of the company

Following James Pollard's death in 1884, the Company disbanded, later reforming under the ownership of various family members. After 1896 the company split, with a branch, using the original name and operated by Charles and Nellie Pollard (two of James' children) travelling through "the far east", Canada and the U.S.A. ''Pollard's Juvenile Opera Company'' operated in Australian and New Zealand, run by Tom O'Sullivan, who changed his surname to Pollard after marrying Emily Pollard. In 1909, another member of the family, Arthur Hayden Pollard, raised a juvenile company to tour India via Ceylon and Malaya. However, following complaints about Arthur's treatment of the children and allegations of an inappropriately close association with one young performer, an Indian court withdrew his custody and the tour ended in confusion and chaos. In November 1910, the Australian Government passed legislation that required all children travelling outside the Commonwealth to hold a permit to do so. Despite this, and the bad publicity that the Indian tour had generated, a Pollard's troupe was active in North America as late as early 1916."Pollard Company give clever musical comedy"
California Digital newspaper Collection. ''Press Democrat'', Number 34, 9 February 1916, Retrieved 11 December 2016

Well-known performers

Numerous well-known Australian and New Zealand actors started their careers as child performers with the Pollard troupes, including baritone John Ralston. A number of former child performers who had experience with the Charles and Nellie Pollard troupe ended up staying on in North America and making their careers in Hollywood. These included Mae and Maud Beatty,

Alf Goulding Alfred John "Alf" Goulding (January 26, 1885 – April 25, 1972) was an Australian-born vaudevillian, who became an American film director and screenwriter. He directed more than 180 films between 1917 and 1959 and is credited with having H ...

Snub Pollard Harold Fraser (9 November 1889 – 19 January 1962), known professionally as Snub Pollard, was an Australian-born vaudevillian who became a silent film comedian in Hollywood, popular in the 1920s. Career Born in Melbourne, Australia, on 9 No ...

(Harold Fraser),

Daphne Pollard Daphne Pollard (born Daphne Trott; October 19, 1891 – February 22, 1978) was an Australian-born vaudeville performer and dancer, active on stage and later in American films, mostly short comedies. Between 1928 and 1935 she had almost 60 scree ...

(Daphne Trott),

Billy Bevan Billy Bevan (born William Bevan Harris; 29 September 1887 – 26 November 1957) was an Australian-born vaudevillian who became an American film actor. He appeared in more than 250 American films from 1916 to 1952. He died just before new audie ...

(William Bevan Harris) and

Ted McNamara Edward Joseph McNamara (19 September 1894 – February 1928) was an Australian vaudeville, vaudevillian who made a career on stage in Australia, the United States, and in Hollywood silent films before dying suddenly in 1928. At various times he ...

References

External links

The Pollards, by Peter Downes

Australian Variety Theatre Archive, by Dr Clay Jubal

India Dark
by Kirsty Murray, a novel based on the 1909–1910 tour to India {{DEFAULTSORT:Pollard's Lilliputian Opera Company Theatre companies in Australia Theatre companies in New Zealand 1880 establishments in Australia