John Hennings | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of John Hennings (about 1869). | |
| Born | Johann Friederich Hennings 6 July 1835 |
| Died | 13 October 1898 (aged 63) Albert Park, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation(s) | theatre scenic artist; artist |
| Spouse(s) | (1) Ellen 'Nellie' Targett (2) Elizabeth Collins (mistress) |
John Hennings (6 July 1835 – 13 October 1898) was a German-born theatrical scene painter and theatre manager active in Melbourne, Australia, from the mid-1850s to the early 1890s.
During a career of over thirty-five years Hennings worked as a scenic artist in a variety of theatres, mainly in Melbourne, but also in Sydney. He worked for a number of theatre managers in productions ranging across opera, drama and pantomime. For much of his career Hennings was closely associated with the Theatre Royal in Melbourne and in 1867 he joined a consortium of actors to take over the lease of the theatre. He was involved in theatre management with various partners until the early 1880s.
Hennings' theatre scenery was popular with the public and favoured by theatrical managers. He was known for his dramatic visual imagination, attention to detail and skillful representation of perspective in the production of backdrops, panoramas and transformation scenes. Hennings' spectacular scenic designs for the various annual productions of the Christmas pantomime in Melbourne were consistently popular with the public and it become a tradition for the audience to call for the scenic artist's appearance on stage during the performances.