Difference between revisions of "Gordon Dickerson"

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[[Gordon Dickerson]] is a London based theatrical agent.  
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[[Gordon Dickerson]] (19**-) is a London based literary and theatrical agent.  
  
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He studied Modern History and Politics at Southampton University and on graduating began to work in various capacities front of house at The Theatre Royal, Brighton. After 7 months he landed a job as the assistant to the Theatre Producer at The Robert Stigwood Organisation in Brook Street, London, where he worked on shows such as ''[[Jesus Christ Superstar]]'' at the Palace Theatre,  ''[[Evita]]'' at the Prince Edward Theatre, the London premiere of Steven Sondheim’s ''[[Sweeney Todd]]'' at Drury Lane and a very short lived show from Australia at the Phoenix Theatre.
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== Biography ==
  
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As his job became more precarious, he left the company to travel to New York, hoping to land a job there, but a few months later an opportunity arose back in London at the Literary Agency, Fraser and Dunlop Scripts Ltd in Regent Street. After a stint as temporary assistant to the managing director he was offered a full time job as an agent with specific responsibility for promoting the agencies stage plays regionally in the UK and overseas.  
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Born in in Kingston, London, and at the age of 3 months he and his mother joined his father in Libya, where he was working as an air traffic controller. His brother and sister were born in Libya and they then moved to Cyprus and later to Aden. Whilst living in Aden, he started school in Sussex, England at the age of 8, and would re-join the family in Aden and then Kenya during the school holidays. The family returned to the UK and they lived in Northampton where he went to the local comprehensive school. When  they moved to Brighton Gordon attended Varndean Grammar School and, at the age of 18, he went to Southampton University where he gained a BA (Hons) in Modern History and Politics. Whilst at Southampton he directed a production of Anton Chekhov’s ''[[The Seagull]]'' and appeared in several plays including Tom Stoppard's ''[[Rosencrantz and Guildenstern  are Dead]]''.
  
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A few years later the agency merged with another and  the newly combined organisation PFD moved to new offices in Chelsea Harbour. By the early nineteen nineties I felt in need of some kind of change and decided to leave the agency but was persuaded by a number of clients including John Osborne to set up on my own and to represent them. This is what occurred and since 1994 I have operated as an independent literary agent occasionally acquiring new clients but always trying to ensure that I only have as many writers and plays as I can cope with as a one man operation! 
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On graduating began to work in various capacities front of house at The Theatre Royal, Brighton. After 7 months he landed a job as the assistant to the theatre producer at The Robert Stigwood Organisation in Brook Street, London, where he worked on shows such as ''[[Jesus Christ Superstar]]'' at the Palace Theatre,  ''[[Evita]]'' at the Prince Edward Theatre, the London premiere of Steven Sondheim’s ''[[Sweeney Todd]]'' at Drury Lane and a very short lived show from Australia at the Phoenix Theatre.
  
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Retirement beckons in the not to distant future as the work of placing new plays by unknown authors has become much more difficult in the UK. Moreover, in Europe there is still a great demand for well written small cast comedies but there is little outlet for these in the UK certainly not enough to generate an on going income for writers, so there is a fundamental problem about supply and demand. There are opportunities for writers in other areas such as film and television, of course, but apart from the lucky few residuals and up front monies are, in the main, not as good as they used to be making it very difficult for many writers to be able to sustain a career from their writing. Fortunately, I have a number of well known writers whose work continues to be performed around the world but how long that will last is anyone’s guess, the world has moved on so much in the last few years that even terrific plays written in the seventies and eighties let alone those from the fifties and sixties bear little resemblance to the lives we all now lead.
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As his job became more precarious, he left the company to travel to New York, hoping  to land a job there, but a few months later an opportunity arose back in London at the Literary Agency, Fraser and Dunlop Scripts Ltd in Regent Street. After a stint as temporary assistant to the managing director, he was offered a full time job as an agent with specific responsibility for promoting the agencies stage plays regionally in the UK and overseas.  
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It was here he met the literary agent Kenneth Ewing, who would become his life partner. They were together for 27 years.
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In 1988 the agency merged with the venerable literary agency A.D. Peters, to form Peters, Fraser and Dunlop (PFD) and moved to new offices in Chelsea Harbour. By the early nineteen nineties he felt in need of some kind of change and decided to leave the agency, but was persuaded by a number of clients, including John Osborne, to set up on his own and to represent them. He did so in 1994 and has operated as an independent literary agent, since then.
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==Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance==
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Dickerson was introduced to the works of [[Reza de Wet]] by actor [[Steven Stead]], who not only admired De Wet's work, but went ahead to translate two of them. Dickerson set about selling these plays and came to South Africa to meet the author and ended up becoming the international agent for all her work.
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Besides acting as the international agent for [[Reza de Wet]], he also represents several playwrights who have had plays performed in South Africa, inter alia by the various [[Performing Arts Councils]] and the [[Pieter Toerien]] organization.
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In 2018 he concluded a contract with the South African film maker [[Eubulus Timothy]] for him to make a contemporary film of ''[[Look Back in Anger]]'' by John Osborne, set in Durban.
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== Sources ==
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Personal submissions by [[Gordon Dickerson]] (6 & 13 September, 2018)
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https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.obituaries/oJ771DuoIHo
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Go to the [[ESAT Bibliography]]
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== Return to ==
 +
 
 +
Return to [[ESAT Personalities  D]]
 +
 
 +
Return to [[South_African_Theatre/Personalities|South African Theatre Personalities]]
 +
 
 +
Return to [[The ESAT Entries]]
 +
 
 +
Return to [[Main Page]]

Latest revision as of 17:51, 13 September 2018

Gordon Dickerson (19**-) is a London based literary and theatrical agent.

Biography

Born in in Kingston, London, and at the age of 3 months he and his mother joined his father in Libya, where he was working as an air traffic controller. His brother and sister were born in Libya and they then moved to Cyprus and later to Aden. Whilst living in Aden, he started school in Sussex, England at the age of 8, and would re-join the family in Aden and then Kenya during the school holidays. The family returned to the UK and they lived in Northampton where he went to the local comprehensive school. When they moved to Brighton Gordon attended Varndean Grammar School and, at the age of 18, he went to Southampton University where he gained a BA (Hons) in Modern History and Politics. Whilst at Southampton he directed a production of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull and appeared in several plays including Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.

On graduating began to work in various capacities front of house at The Theatre Royal, Brighton. After 7 months he landed a job as the assistant to the theatre producer at The Robert Stigwood Organisation in Brook Street, London, where he worked on shows such as Jesus Christ Superstar at the Palace Theatre, Evita at the Prince Edward Theatre, the London premiere of Steven Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd at Drury Lane and a very short lived show from Australia at the Phoenix Theatre.

As his job became more precarious, he left the company to travel to New York, hoping to land a job there, but a few months later an opportunity arose back in London at the Literary Agency, Fraser and Dunlop Scripts Ltd in Regent Street. After a stint as temporary assistant to the managing director, he was offered a full time job as an agent with specific responsibility for promoting the agencies stage plays regionally in the UK and overseas.

It was here he met the literary agent Kenneth Ewing, who would become his life partner. They were together for 27 years.

In 1988 the agency merged with the venerable literary agency A.D. Peters, to form Peters, Fraser and Dunlop (PFD) and moved to new offices in Chelsea Harbour. By the early nineteen nineties he felt in need of some kind of change and decided to leave the agency, but was persuaded by a number of clients, including John Osborne, to set up on his own and to represent them. He did so in 1994 and has operated as an independent literary agent, since then.

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

Dickerson was introduced to the works of Reza de Wet by actor Steven Stead, who not only admired De Wet's work, but went ahead to translate two of them. Dickerson set about selling these plays and came to South Africa to meet the author and ended up becoming the international agent for all her work.

Besides acting as the international agent for Reza de Wet, he also represents several playwrights who have had plays performed in South Africa, inter alia by the various Performing Arts Councils and the Pieter Toerien organization.

In 2018 he concluded a contract with the South African film maker Eubulus Timothy for him to make a contemporary film of Look Back in Anger by John Osborne, set in Durban.

Sources

Personal submissions by Gordon Dickerson (6 & 13 September, 2018)

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.obituaries/oJ771DuoIHo

Go to the ESAT Bibliography

Return to

Return to ESAT Personalities D

Return to South African Theatre Personalities

Return to The ESAT Entries

Return to Main Page

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