William Haviland

William Haviland (1860-1917)[1] was a British Shakespearian actor, director and manager.

Biography

Born William Alexander Irwin, he used the stage name William Haviland for most of his life. He began his stage career when he joined the company of Sir Henry Irving in 1882, performing minor and major roles in the thirteen years he played and toured with Irving.

He married Amy Coleridge in Chicago on 18 February 1884. They had two children , and were later divorced, possibly 1901.

He and his family left Irving in 1895 to tour South Africa with W.J. Holloway and his Shakespearean company under the auspices of The Wheelers, and in 1897 he and Gerald Lawrence (1873-1957)[2], founded the William Haviland and Gerald Lawrence Shakespearean Company to tour in South Africa once again.

In 1899 he (or the company) did a season in Cape Town that included David Garrick, The Lyons Mail, Hamlet and The Bells.

On his return to England he joined the company of Johnston Forbes-Robertson and then that of Martin Harvey for his sixth tour of America in 1902.

In 1903 he joined Max Beerbohm Tree’s company and remained with him until 1905, returning to South Africa with Tree for his fourth tour. His final performance in Shakespeare came in a Dublin production of Richard II with Tree in 1913.

He apparently listed “rehearsing” among his recreations.

Contribution to South African theatre

Haviland visited South Africa quite regularly as actor-manager over the years, and had a distinct influence in both capacities.

As actor

Lauded by the Cape Town critic D.C. Boonzaier (1923) as "an extraordinarily gifted actor, capable of playing a wide range of parts." He started out in South Africa to play second lead to W.J. Holloway, but later went on to perform in his own productions.

Among his many roles over time Boonzaier specifically notes his "Svengali" in Trilby, "Iago" in Hamlet, "Matthias" in The Bells, "Macaire" in Robert Macaire, or The Roadside Inn Turned Inside Out and his performance in The Lyons Mail.

As manager

In September of 1896 he and Frank de Jong formed the De Jong and Haviland company and which leased the Cape Town Opera House almost continuously from 1896-1905.

In the period 1897-1898: He and Gerald Lawrence brought their Haviland and Lawrence Shakespearian & Dramatic Company to South Africa. He directed and performed in a large number of plays, including The Taming of the Shrew, The Merchant of Venice, Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing.

In 1899 he was back in Cape Town with inter alia David Garrick, The Lyons Mail, Hamlet and The Bells (Robertson).

During the 1905 season Haviland and his company presented productions of Leah Kleschna (McLellan) and Resurrection (Tolstoy) at the Opera House, Cape Town, and during July and August of 1906 he appeared in another season with productions of The Taming of the Shrew, Hamlet, Macbeth, The Bells and The Man Who Was - according to D.C. Boonzaier (1923), unfortunately with a poor quality company that included Edith Latimer as leading lady.

Sources

https://shakespeare.emory.edu/william-haviland/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Lawrence

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=202183.0

D.C. Boonzaier. 1923. "My playgoing days – 30 years in the history of the Cape Town stage", in SA Review, 9 March and 24 August 1923. (Reprinted in Bosman 1980: pp. 374-439.)

F.C.L. Bosman. 1928. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel I: 1652-1855. Pretoria: J.H. de Bussy. [3]: pp.422, 425

The S.A. Merry-Go-Round, 2(4):28. August 21st, 1929.

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