Theatre Historian - Ivan King

In a boutique space, below His Majesty's Theatre in Perth is a vast collection of arts heritage. It celebrates and recalls the immense cultural past of live performance through Western Australia. The Museum of Performing Arts was founded in 2001 by Perth's living treasure, Mr Ivan King. The seed germinated in the 70's when 'The Maj' closed for refurbishment and Ivan commenced collecting materials. The collection would contribute to an essential story that would inform audiences and practitioners of today. An essential reminder of what had gone before. The Museum of Performing Arts houses more than 40,000 catalogued items of theatre memorabilia and includes costumes, photographs, scripts and scores - the ghostly 'footprints' of artists such as Gladys Moncrieff, Margot Fonteyn, Katherine Hepburn, Anna Pavlova and Dame Nellie Melba echo through the theatre where the museum is home. It takes a unique identity with a keen eye, a huge passion and a broad knowledge of the Arts to gather, curate and maintain such a collection. Ivan King is a most genial host and celebrant. He is a veteran of over 100 plays, musicals and theatre events as actor, writer and director. As the founder of the Museum of Performing Arts he has created to date, 54 exhibitions highlighting the history of entertainment in Perth. Ivan sat down with Stages in Dressing Room Number One at His Majesty's Theatre. The anecdotes flew thick and fast, always demonstrating an enormous passion for the theatre and the people who make it. Stages is available from iTunes, Spotify and Whooshkaa.