Noël Coward Society

The Noël Coward Society is an international society founded with the agreement of Coward's literary agent and Estate to celebrate the life and work of Sir Noël Coward.

The Noël Coward Society was founded in 1999 to study and promote and enjoy the many aspects of Coward's achievements. It owns an extensive archive of recordings and written works and is attempting to become the official on-line archive of all things "Coward".

The Noël Coward Society is managed by Noël Coward Ltd., a charitable company. It is currently administered from Norwich, Norfolk, UK, and has a membership of just over 700 people worldwide. The day-to-day running of the Society is managed by an organising committee. The Society has representatives in France, Australia and the USA. Each year it celebrates the birth of Noël Coward at the Noël Coward Theatre and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on the nearest Friday to his birthdate. The celebration consists of the AGM of the Society at the Noël Coward Theatre followed by a celebrity from the theatre world laying flowers on the statue of Sir Noël Coward in the foyer of the Theatre Royal. The Annual Lunch follows in the Grand Saloon at the theatre, followed by a cabaret.

In 2002, Ken Starrett was appointed the North American Director of The Noel Coward Society and in 2003, Starrett organized an annual birthday celebration which took place in December in the USA. The event included the flower laying ceremony at The Gershwin Theatre in Manhattan and a special lunch. Among the celebrities who have placed flowers in front of Coward's statue are Tammy Grimes, Keir Dullea, Tony Walton, Kitty Carlisle Hart, Hayley Mills, Marian Seldes, Jim Dale, Victor Garber, Christine Ebersole, Dick Cavett, Stephen Fry, Joan Copeland, Jamie Ross, Penny Fuller, and Dana Ivey. There is also a similar ceremony at Firefly Estate (Coward's home)[1] in Jamaica. On December 31, 2016, Ken Starrett officially stepped down after serving as North American Director of The Noel Coward Society for fourteen years.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.jnht.com/heritage_site.php?id=257 Reference to Coward's home in Jamaica


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