John Counsell (theatre director)
| John Counsell | |
|---|---|
 John Counsell | |
| Born |
1905 United Kingdom |
| Died |
23 February 1987 United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Theatre director, actor, theatre manager |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Kerridge |
| Children | Elizabeth Counsell |
John William Counsell OBE[1] (24 April 1905–23 February 1987)[2][3] 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.[4] 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.[5][6]
Theatre management
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.[7]:74 Counsell re-opened the theatre in 1938[8] and was able to establish a viable company that ran without government subsidies.[7]:74, 115 He and his actress wife Mary Kerridge ran the theatre until his retirement in 1986, the year before his death.[9]
John William Counsell was awarded the OBE in 1975 for services to The Theatre Royal in Windsor.[1]
References
- 1 2 Award of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) to John William Counsell - Supplement to The London Gazette 1st January 1975
- ↑ Birth of John William Counsell in the England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 - Ancestry.com (subscription required)
- ↑ Obituary for John Counsell - The Times 25 February 1987 - Archive of the National Library of Australia
- ↑ Theatre Archive Project, British Library. Jean Miller – interview transcript Interviewer: Emily Blakey. 14 May 2008
- ↑ "Jean Miller obituary: Telegraph".
- ↑ Eric Shorter. "Mary Kerridge". the Guardian.
- 1 2 Rowell, G, et al. The Repertory Movement: A History of Regional Theatre in Britain. Cambridge University Press, 1984 ISBN 9780521319195
- ↑ Douglas Mayo for Britishtheatre.com 22nd December 2014 Weekly Rep Returns To Theatre Royal Windsor
- ↑ "Obituary: Mary Kerridge". The Independent.
External links
Further reading
- Counsell, John. "So Who Needs Subsidy, Anyway?", Scottish Theatre, Inverkeithing, Scottish Theatre, Vol.2 No.3, pp. 6–8 (May 1970)