Anthony Farmer
(1953-2006) Actor, stage and set designer, director and entrepreneur.
Contents
CURRENTLY BEING EDITED
Biography
Anthony Farmer was born in Leamington Spa in England, and from an early age did a lot of acting in his early youth. After school, he trained as a draughtsman and engineer. During the 2nd World War, he worked on aircraft engine manufacturing, which enabled him to apply his aptitude for designing and creating.
After the war ended, Anthony worked in the British Film Industry, where his talents were used in the set construction department at the Rank Organisation studios. He later studied acting and production, during which time his enormous talent for stage design came to the fore. He never had any formal training but his talents were recognised and he was asked to work on the set design for the film of Great Expectations which starred John Mills, Martita Hunt and Jean Simmons. Later when he went to work in the West End where he stage managed the hit show Fifty Glorious Years starring Anna Neagle as Queen Victoria.
Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance
He first came to South Africa as part of the Ivor Novello company with Perchance to Dream (1947). In 1953, he was stage manager, understudy and small-part player in Ivor Novello's King's Rhapsody. Whilst he was here, he was interviewed by the Johannesburg Repertory Company to take the position of Resident Director. They staged their plays at the Reps Theatre in Braamfontein (later called the Alexander).
He returned in January 1954 to work with the Johannesburg Reps. In 1956 he returned to England for a while, after his father fell ill, cutting short his contract with the Johannesburg REPS. On his return he went into a flourishing new phase of his career as a freelance practitioner, working for the many companies, including the Johannesburg REPS, East Rand Theatre Club, Children's Theatre, Johannesburg Operatic and Dramatic Society, Adam Leslie, Brian Brooke.
As an actor
As a designer
As designer only, his work includes:
1958: Janus (Brooke Theatre)
1961: The Women (Kushlick-Gluckman)
1962: Wait a Minim! (Leon Gluckman)
1969: Cabaret (Taubie Kushlick)
1970: West Side Story Academy
1976: Comedians (The Company)
1977: Absurd Person Singular (The Company)
1992: A Touch of Webber...A Taste of Rice (Richard Loring)
1999: African Footprint (Richard Loring)
Izidumo (Muzworks SA, date unknown)
As theatre designer
He designed the theatre and the opening production at Sol Kerzner’s Sun City (1979).
In circa 1984, he designed an intimate dinner theatre, La Parisienne, in the place of the old Siegfried Mynhardt Theatre which had been ravaged by fire.
As a director/designer
Farmer designed the sets for the majority of the productions he himself directed.
1954: Figure of Fun (Johannesburg Reps)
1954: Witness for the Prosecution (Johannesburg Reps)
1955: My Three Angels (Johannesburg Reps)
1955: The Wooden Dish (Johannesburg Reps)
1955: Spider's Web (Johannesburg Reps)
1955: Dear Charles (Johannesburg Reps)
1955: Bus Stop (Johannesburg Reps)
1955: Larger than Life (Johannesburg Reps)
1955: I Capture the Castle (Johannesburg Reps)
1956: Dead on Nine (Johannesburg Reps)
1956: The Remarkable Mr Pennypacker (Johannesburg Reps)
1957: Sextet
1957: Peter Pan (Children's Theatre)
1958: Odd Man In
1958/1959: Ever Since Eve
1961: The Dancing Years (JODS)
1961: Naughty Marietta (JODS)
1961: Beauty and the Beast (Children's Theatre)
1962: The Most Happy Fella (JODS)
1965: Guys and Dolls (JODS)
1966: Around the World in 80 Days JODS
1967: Eureka (Civic Theatre)
1967: Music Hall Revue Adam Leslie
1977: A Night to Remember (the opening production of the Alhambra Theatre, now owned by JODS, on 17 April 1977).
1978: New Faces of 1978 (JODS), with choreography by Wendy de la Harpe at the Alhambra Theatre in 1978.
1979: The opening production of the Sun City Theatre, with choreography by Nick Navarro, costume design by Neels Hansen and Adolpho Waitzman leading the musical team. It opened on the 15 December 1979.
1981: Applause (an opening production for the Pretoria State Theatre)
As impressario he staged the Moulin Rouge show from Paris (ACT, 1964), and later became resident producer of revues and extravaganzas at Sun City , including **, Sexy (1995)
As playwright/show-maker
He co-wrote Sextet, a South African revue, with music by Ralph Trewhela and additional material by Adam Leslie (1957).
He co-wrote, with Ken Hooper, the book for the musical, Ever Since Eve, with music and lyrics by Ralph Trewhela (1958).
Together with Nick Navarro and Adolpho Waitzman he created the extravaganza called Stars at the Sun City Theatre in 1984.
As producer
1958/1959: Ever Since Eve (in association with Howard Hooper (Pty) Ltd)
Phase two of his South African career
As freelance director/designer
With Ralph Trewhela and Adam Leslie, co-wrote and produced a series of revues (Sextet, 1957 and I Spy, 1959) and musicals (Ever Since Eve, 1958), and began to specialise in directing musicals.
Involvement in the theatre industry
Over the years Farmer has been greatly involved with the industry, e.g. an active founding member of the South African Association of Theatre Managements for the Johannesburg REPS (from 1956) and the South African Institute of Theatre Technology (1969). Besides his theatrical work, he also he started and worked with the company International Advertising in 19**.
TO BE EDITED AND ADDED
FARMER, Anthony. Theatre director and designer. He was part of the Ivor Novell company which did Perchance to Dream in 1947. Directed a production for the East Rand Theatre Club. Starred in Novello's King's Rhapsody in South Africa in 1953 together with Barry Sinclair, Olive Gilbert, Zena Dare and Muriel Barron. He was the stage manager, understudy and small-part player and during this production he was offered the position of resident producer and stage manager of the Reps Theatre from January 1954. He directed and designed the set for Agatha Christie’s Witness for the Prosecution. The set was a replica of the Old Bailey. Robert Griffiths and Sadie Festenstein played in this sell out show. He designed the sets for Dodie Smith’s romantic comedy I Capture the Castle which was staged at the YMCA in 1955. Jimmy Mentis produced and the cast included Shirley Firth. The Reps turned fully prosfessional in 1954 with Farmer in charge. He brought out English actor John Boulter for the British comedy My Three Angels which was staged at the Reps in 1955. He secured all the rights for Agatha Christie’s plays and directed The Spider's Web which starred Yolande Turnbill for the Reps in 1955. He staged Agatha Christie’s Bus Stop at the Reps in 1955, starring Brian Bell. He did a production of Larger than Life for the Reps in 1955. It was based on the novel Theatre by Somerset Maugham, and dramatised by the author with Guy Bolton, with a guest appearance by British star Jessie Matthews. He attended the first meeting of the South African Association of Theatre Managements for the Reps in 1956. He directed the thriller, Dead on Nine for the Reps in March 1956, and followed this with The Remarkable Mr Pennypacker. He then left for England after his father fell ill, cutting short his contract with the Reps, and went into a new phase of a career that flourished on his return. He devised and wrote the review Sextet, with music by Ralph Trewhela. Adam Leslie contributed material to the show. Starring Olive Wright, Olive King, Norma Vorster, Dennis Hale, Jimmy Mentis and Tommy Tucker in 1957. He directed and also designed the set for Children's Theatre Christmas show of 1957, J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, which was stage at the Reps and starred the boyish Evadne Kohler-Baker in the title role. He designed the sets for Janus, a comedy, at the Brooke Theatre in 1958. Brian Brooke directed this play which starred Gordon Mulholland and Margaret Inglis. He wrote the musical Ever Since Eve which received rave reviews when it was staged at the YMCA in 1958. This Anthony Farmer Productions’ offering starred Olive Wright, Maureen Adair, John Boulter, and newcomer Patrick ‘Paddy’ O’Byrne. He joined forces with Adam Leslie and composer Ralph Trewhela to create the satirical revue I Spy in 1959. He was designer for Kushlick-Gluckman’s revival of Clare Boothe’s The Women at the Intimate Theatre with Shirley Firth, Jenny Gratus, Valerie Miller and Diane Wilson in the lead roles in 1961. He directed Ivor Novello’s The Dancing Years and Naughty Marietta for the JODS in 1961.
He started the company International Advertising. He staged the Moulin Rouge show from Paris for ACT at the Empire Theatre in 1964, and designed the sets.
Sources
Obituary: Beeld 26 May 2006.
Du Toit, 1988
Tucker, 1997
Percy Tucker. 'Who was Anthony Farmer?' https://www.iloveza.com/blogs/news/the-anthony-farmer-oakfields-college-trust
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