Sean Taylor

(19**-) Actor, director.

Biography

He was married to Gina Benjamin. In 1999 he settled to Australia, where he has continued working on stage, TV and film. He has since returned on several occasions.

Training

Studied drama at the University of Cape Town Drama Department, 1977-1979.

Career

Was a member of CAPAB Drama Permanent company in 1980.

Founding member of Troupe Theatre Company.

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

A highly regarded and versatile performer with a magnificent voice, he worked for many production companies over the years.

Prominent roles in South Africa include Ferdinand Clegg in The Collector (1982), Berkoff's West (1984) and East (198*), He starred in the Troupe Theatre Company’s production of the Brecht-Weill The Threepenny Opera at the Market Theatre in 1981. He starred in the Baxter Theatre production of Julian Mitchell’s Another Country together with Neil McCarthy, Jeremy Crutchley and John Carson, directed by Nikolas Simmonds with lighting design by Pip Marshall in 1983 before it moved to the Market Theatre with minor cast changes in July. He starred in Robin Levetan’s Skyf which originated at the Baxter Theatre before playing at Upstairs at the Market in May 1985. He starred in Robert Kirby’s The Bijers Sunbird together with James Mthoba under Kirby’s direction at Upstairs at the Market in April 1986. He starred in Terrence Shank’s adaptation of Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath together with Erica Rogers, Michael McCabe and James Borthwick, directed by Shank in 1986. He starred in Lucille Gillwald’s production of Sam Shephard’s True West at the Market Theatre in 1985. He starred in William M. Hoffman’s As Is which was directed by Janice Honeyman in 1986. He starred in Double Double at the André Huguenet Theatre in 1987. He starred in David Henry Hwang’s Madame Butterfly at the Alhambra Theatre in October 1989. Leading roles in Another Country (1983), The Collector (1982), Skyf and West in 1984. Lead role in True West (1983) at the Market Theatre; Agamemnon; 1981 Seduced; 1982 Unseen Hand; as Horace Giddens in The Little Foxes for PACT (1989?)

Rene Gallimard in Madame Butterfly for Pieter Toerien , 1990; Other People's Money 1991, (nominated for AA Life Vita and Stuart Leith Awards; Love Letters 1991; Whose Life Is It Anyway? early 1990s; Angels in America (1994), Other People's Money (1991), M.Butterfly (Fleur du Cap Theatre Award and Vita Award, Best Actor, 1990), American Buffalo (19** - won the Vita Award for best actor), True West (19**), The Double Bass (19**), Skyf (19**), Playland (Fugard, 1992-4), Equus (Baxter, 1999)**. He starred in A.R. Gurney’s Love Letters at the Richard Haines Theatre in September 1991. He starred in Playland at the Market in 1992. He starred in Tony Kushner’s Angels in America: Millennium Approaches at the Alexander in 1994.

Leading Shakespearean roles include The Taming of the Shrew (Maynardville, 199*), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Maynardville, (1981 as Lysander and in 1995 as Oberon), Macbeth (NAPAC, 199*), and his work on King Lear for the Take Away Shakespeare Company (of which he was a founding member).

He also did musical theatre, including The King and I (199*) and The Threepenny Opera.

Performed in Total Eclipse; Romeo and Juliet;

Returned to South Africa on occasion to play André Huguenet in Athol Fugard’s Exits and Entrances (Baxter Theatre, 2005), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Baxter Theatre, 2007), The Train Driver (The Fugard Theatre, 2010); The Bird Watchers (2014)

His film and TV career includes Barney Barnato and The Syndicate.

TV: MMG Engineers. Won an Artes for the title role in Barney Barnato. Feature films: The Stick; City Wolf; Tough Luck; Rutange Tapes, Revenger and The Mangler. Tough Luck for Heyns Films.

TV productions: River Horse Lake; Westgate; City People; Heritage.

Awards, etc

Won the AA Life Vita Award for Best Actor in 1986 for True West. In 1987 he won this for American Buffalo. Best Actor, Madame Butterfly 1990.

Sources

A Midsummer Night's Dream programme notes in 1995, Maynardville.

Playland programme notes, 1992.

Tucker, 1997

Go to South African Theatre/Bibliography

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