Acclaimed as the first truly Australian ballet, The Display was composed, choreographed, designed and danced entirely by Australians, and took as its focus an Australian story.  Robert 'Bobby' Helpmann, David Williamson and Sidney Nolan created what is now recognised as an iconic ballet for the company.

​

The ballet includes a group of lads playing Australian Rules Football, (footy), on stage, as well as beer drinking and a drunken brawl between 'The Male', and 'The Outsider'.  'The Female' (the lead female role) is raped in the bush by 'The Outsider' following the brawl, before giving herself, exhausted, to a lyrebird who dances with her in the forest.  Audiences warmly embraced the production, and it toured extensively.

​

A 1983 remount was made with new costumes by Australian fashion designer Adele Weiss which were entirely contrary to Nolan's original designs.  In celebration of The Australian Ballet's 50th Anniversary in 2012 a reproduction of the original was commissioned and new costumes were made.  However, the only costume from the original production which survived the test of time is the lyrebird, which now resides in The Australian Performing Arts Collection.  Therefore the costumes for the 2012 production were remade from a small number of original production photographs, limited documentation, and memory.

​

​

​