John Counsell (theatre director)

John Counsell
OBE
Born (1905-04-24)24 April 1905
Beckenham, Kent, England
Died 23 February 1987(1987-02-23) (aged 81)
Windsor, Berkshire, England
Occupation Theatre director, actor, and theatre manager

John Counsell OBE (April 24, 1905 – February 23, 1987) was an English actor, director and theatre manager, who (with his wife Mary Kerridge) ran the Theatre Royal, Windsor and its in-house repertory company from the 1930s to the 1980s. His daughter is the actress Elizabeth Counsell, and he was uncle to the actress and painter Jean Miller.[1] Born in Beckenham, to Claud Counsell and Evelyn Fleming, the bulk of Counsell's career was spent in Windsor repertory theatre and the West-end stage.[2][3][4]

Theatre management

Theatre Royal in 2006

In 1930 Counsell served as an apprentice at the Theatre Royal in Windsor, Berkshire, when it reopened as a theatre after a short time as a cinema. In 1933 he took over managing the theatre; the venture lasted only a few months before it went bankrupt, but the future King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II attended one of the last performances, coming from nearby Windsor Castle.[5]:74 Counsell re-opened the theatre in 1938 and was able to establish a viable company that ran without government subsidies.[5]:74, 115 He and his actress wife Mary Kerridge ran the theatre until his retirement in 1986, the year before his death.[6][7][8]

References

  1. ↑ http://sounds.bl.uk/related-content/TRANSCRIPTS/024T-C1142X000216-0100A0.pdf
  2. ↑ "Jean Miller obituary: Telegraph".
  3. ↑ Counsell, John. "Counsell's Opinion" (1963)
  4. ↑ Eric Shorter. "Mary Kerridge". the Guardian.
  5. 1 2 Rowell, G, et al. The Repertory Movement: A History of Regional Theatre in Britain. Cambridge University Press, 1984 ISBN 9780521319195
  6. ↑ Counsell, John. "Counsell's Opinion" Barrie & Rockliff 1963
  7. ↑ http://britishtheatre.com/weekly-rep-returns-to-theatre-royal-windsor/
  8. ↑ "Obituary: Mary Kerridge". The Independent.

External links

Further reading

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