Difference between revisions of "Margaret Webster"

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(1905-) American born actress, producer and director. Daughter of the British actors Benjamin and May Webster.  Grew up in England, and became particularly famous for her work on and in Shakespeare, initially with the Old Vic and at Stratford-Upon-Avon, and later in America. Perhaps her greatest triumph was  ''Othello'' (1943), starring Paul Robeson in the title role and Jose Ferrer as Iago, which ran for 296 performances, by far the longest run of a Shakespearean production on Broadway, a record that has not been remotely approached since. Author of the book ''Shakespeare Without Tears'' (1942). Visited  South Africa to direct plays for including  [[Eugene O’Neill]]’s ''[[A Touch of the Poet]]'' ([[NTO]], 1961) and [[Robert Bolt]]’s ''[[A Man for All Seasons]]'' ([[Kushlick-Gluckman]], 1962).  
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[[Margaret Webster]] (1905-) was an actress, producer and director.  
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== Biography ==
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Daughter of the British actors [[Benjamin Webster]] and [[May Webster]], she grew up in England, and became particularly famous for her work on and in Shakespeare, initially with the Old Vic and at Stratford-Upon-Avon, and later in America. Perhaps her greatest triumph as director was  ''[[Othello]]'' (1943), starring Paul Robeson in the title role and Jose Ferrer as Iago, which ran for 296 performances, by far the longest run of a Shakespearean production on Broadway, a record that has not been remotely approached since.  
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Author of the book ''Shakespeare Without Tears'' (1942).  
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==Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance==
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She visited South Africa at the start of the 1960s to direct plays for [[NTO]] (including  Eugene O'Neill’s ''[[A Touch of the Poet]]'', 1961) and Robert Bolt’s ''[[A Man for All Seasons]]'' ([[Kushlick-Gluckman]], 1962).  
  
 
== Sources ==
 
== Sources ==
See Hartnoll, 19*; Stead, ,1985; Tucker, 1997
 
  
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See  ''The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre'', edited by Phyllis Hartnoll.
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[[ESAT Bibliography Stea|Rinie Stead]], 1985b.
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[[ESAT Bibliography Tra-Tz|Tucker]], 1997.
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== Return to ==
 
Return to [[ESAT Personalities W]]
 
Return to [[ESAT Personalities W]]
  

Latest revision as of 10:51, 8 March 2022

Margaret Webster (1905-) was an actress, producer and director.

Biography

Daughter of the British actors Benjamin Webster and May Webster, she grew up in England, and became particularly famous for her work on and in Shakespeare, initially with the Old Vic and at Stratford-Upon-Avon, and later in America. Perhaps her greatest triumph as director was Othello (1943), starring Paul Robeson in the title role and Jose Ferrer as Iago, which ran for 296 performances, by far the longest run of a Shakespearean production on Broadway, a record that has not been remotely approached since.

Author of the book Shakespeare Without Tears (1942).

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

She visited South Africa at the start of the 1960s to direct plays for NTO (including Eugene O'Neill’s A Touch of the Poet, 1961) and Robert Bolt’s A Man for All Seasons (Kushlick-Gluckman, 1962).

Sources

See The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre, edited by Phyllis Hartnoll.

Rinie Stead, 1985b.

Tucker, 1997.

Return to

Return to ESAT Personalities W

Return to South African Theatre Personalities

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