John Wright
John Wright (1906-1991) was a South African born puppeteer.
Contents
Biography
He was born in 1906 in Pietermaritzburg, Natal, South Africa, but became known internationally as puppeteer.
In 1946 he moved to England to study and develop his career as puppeteer and marionette artist. In this period he met and married to Zoë Randall, who would direct some of his puppet shows.
In 1957, while on tour in South Africa with his marionette show, he met a Pretoria art student, Lyndie, who joined his company. She went to England to study at the Central School of Art, where they married and set up Little Angel Theatre in Islington, London.
He died in March 1991. John Wright was born in South Africa in 1906, and tried his hand at farming before studying art in Cape Town.
He worked his passage to England in 1935 and became an assistant stage manager for the Ballet Rambert, where he was inspired by a performance by the famous Podrecca's Piccoli marionette company.
His first performances were given in an old farmhouse in South Africa, and his travelling company gave performances across the continent before reaching England in 1946. He toured again in Europe and southern Africa before settling in London in 1959.
He bought the ruined temperance hall with his life savings, and devoted the last 30 years of his life to the theatre.
The company’s work with marionettes became world-renowned and they have represented Britain at 25 international festivals. John Wright was awarded the MBE by Her Majesty the Queen. He died in March 1991.
"Little Angel Theatre, Dagmar Passage, N1: in honour of founder John Wright" Islington Newsletter[1]
Training
Career
Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance
He performed his first full length puppet play at Stellenbosch in 1941 and toured South Africa in 1943 and 1946, and again in 1955 and 1957 for the National Theatre Organisation (NTO) with his company, John Wright's Marionettes.
His repertoire included Die Klein Meerminnetjie / The Little Mermaid, Mak die Skaapdief / Mak the Sheepstealer (the 14th century miracle play) and a variety program with mr. Bumble as the announcer.
During the 1957 tour the company included Jane Tyson from England, Margaret Marshall, Timothy Heale as stage manager, Aiden Higgins, Jill Aanders, and Johan van Vreden who did most of the Afrikaans voices
His film and TV work in England included puppet making and puppetry for The Forbidden Street (1949, uncredited), The Tales of Hoffmann (1951), Billy Bean and His Funny Machine (BBC, 1954) and Supersonic Saucer (Gaumont, 1956).
He appeared as himself in the TV Series documentary on John Wright Puppets (Associated-Rediffusion Television, 1962) for the series "Here and Now".
Awards, etc
Sources
Lantern, 7(1), 1957.
Vertolkende Kunste, HSRC, 1972.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0942511/
The family that pulls strings , The Guardian, 12 March 2011[2]
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