Lago Clifford

Lago Clifford (?-?) was a British actor, director and cartoonist.

Biography

Clifford came to South Africa in 1902.

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

As artist

For a time, Clifford was political cartoonist for The Transvaal Critic.

As actor

He was a regular member of Stephen Black's repertory company. He was employed by Stephen Black and Arthur de Jongh to play “Hay-Whotte” in the first production of Black's Love and the Hyphen in 1908. He also appeared in Her Love Against the World (1917).

As broadcaster

He was South Africa's first full-time radio announcer (on JB, South Africa's first broadcast station, Johannesburg Broadcasting Station) in 1924, and was widely known as "Uncle Joe".

As director/manager

In 1908, he had toured a production (the South African Follies) but the show had 'collapsed' in Durban. In 1912, he briefly co-managed the Empire Theatre in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

Productions directed by Clifford include:

1913: Sherlock Holmes (Cape Town Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society)

1916: Dick Whittington and His Wonderful Cat (also designer, Leonard Rayne Company)

1920: Where the Rainbow Ends (Leonard Rayne Company)

1926: Princess Ju Ju

The Bosman connection

He was imprisoned for twelve months in Pretoria Central Prison in 1928 for pederasty. On his release, he published writings about his experience in the colonial penal system, before changing his name and leaving South Africa. During his time in prison he encountered Herman Charles Bosman with whom he became friendly and about whom Clifford also wrote in 1929. Clifford also published work that Bosman had written in prison and passed on for publication without revealing Bosman's identity (as Bosman was prohibited from publishing as part of his prison conditions).

Sources

MacKenzie, Craig. 2014. Four Unknown Prison Poems by H. C. Bosman. English in Africa.

Stephen Gray. 2005. Life Sentence. Human & Rousseau.

http://rhodesianheritage.blogspot.com/2014/03/some-rhodesian-theatres-1911.html#:~:text=The%20Empire%2C%20situate%20on%20Main,from%20the%20proprietors%20by%20Messrs.

Greyvenstein, Walter 1988. The history and development of children's theatre in English in South Africa. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Johannesburg: Rand Afrikaans University.

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