Tatura Irrigation & Wartime Camps Museum
Work on paper - Scroll, Sergeant Snow White
... A P Schmitz... by Private Erwin Fabian. Others in the cast included Corporal A P... Corporal A P Schmitz (ballet soloist), Sergeant Sigismund Lohde ...
A hand painted paper scroll, which Berthold Irving Meier (Bert. I. Myer, or BIM - a well-known Commercial Artist in Melbourne) had made when a member of the team of set designers and scenery painters, for the 8th Employment Company's production of "Sergeant Snow White", which was performed at the Melbourne University Union Theatre, in April 1943!
It was a Sergeant Doc K Sternberg production, the other set designers being L/Corporal Emil Wittenberg, Private Klaus Friedeberger and Private Friedrich (Fritz) Schoenbach. The show incorporated songs and music by Kurt Kohn (pseudonym Ray Martin), with Erich Liffmann cast as Prince Charming. The masks for the ballet "Ghosts of Europe" were designed by Private Erwin Fabian. Others in the cast included Corporal A P Schmitz (ballet soloist), Sergeant Sigismund Lohde, and Sergeant H Mayer.
The Production was extremely well-received and was called "a colourful and tuneful revue ......... a fine achievement of writing and direction......scenery and stage décor ingenious and amusing." There were write-ups in both "The Age" and "The Argus" Melbourne newspapers at the time.
The scroll was originally housed in a wooden box, with "windows", (since lost) so that when the scroll was wound though, each scene, and the accompanying description from the original programme, could be seen.Two long pieces of paper which originally would have been one and has been rolled into a scroll. The length of paper has been divided into two and then divided into approximately 12 sections. On the left in different colours is bits of information relating to the scene. On the right are different scenes from the play.bert i myer, bim, sergeant snow white, 8th employment company, melbourne university union theatre, doc k sternberg, f schoenbach, kurt kohn, erich liffmann, erwin fabian, a p schmitz, h mayer, kathleen whelan, tatura internment camps, berthold irving meier, klaus friedeberger, emil wittenberg, friedrich (fritz) schoenbach, sigismund lohde