Norah Taylor

Norah Taylor (1909-1999). Speech teacher and director.

Biography

Born Nora Kirby Taylor on 3 March 1909, to Arthur Norman Taylor and Frances Mary Taylor (néé Kirby). She became a highly regarded speech teacher and stage director.

She married to Francis Ingham on 14 December 1951, in Roodepoort, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.

She died on 25 June 1999, in Sandton, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa, at the age of 90.

Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance

She wrote the book Spoken Communication, published by DALRO in 1976. She was the co-author, with Juliet Marais Louw, of Let's pretend to be: plays and playwriting for the primary school, Let's learn to act : plays and playwriting for the primary school and We write and act plays : plays and playwriting for the primary school, all published by Maskew Miller in the late 1970s.

The play's the thing: plays for young people was compiled by Barbara Hönck and Norah Taylor.

She wrote A brief summary of the life and achievements of Dr. P.P.B. Breytenbach with Doris Breytenbach.

She was a member of the South African Guild of Speech Teachers.

The South African Council for English Education (SACEE) offers the Norah Taylor Bursary for speech training, oral communication and English Second Language teaching. It is available to qualified teachers who want to continue their study in Speech training, Oral Communication, and Teaching of English as a first or second language.[1].