Fred Engelen
Fred Engelen (1912-1967). Actor, director, academic.
Contents
Biography
Born in Antwerp, married to Tine Balder, and they had three children Jan, Bie and Katijn. He studied at the Koninklijke Konservatorium in Antwerp where he received the Diploma in Theatre Art cum laude in 1937. He became involved with the municipal theatre in Antwerp, and in 1955 was in charge of the studio for young actors at the Royal Flemish Theatre in Antwerp.
In the late 1950s he was offered work as a director for the National Theatre Organisation (NTO) in South Africa and in 1961 became the first head of the newly established drama department the University of Stellenbosch, and settled in Stellenbosch, a position he held till his unexpected death in 1967, while on a sabbatical leave in the USA and Europe..
He was married to Belgian actress and costumier Tine Balder, and the couple had three children, Jan, Bie and . In Stellenbosch Tine worked as actress, lecturer and costumier for the same department.
Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance
In 1955 he visited the School of Speech and Drama at UCT to produce Georges Bernano’s Dialogues of the Carmelites with the students (in Donald Inskip's translation titled The Chosen of God). He also does The Trial by Franz Kafka (1960), Max Frisch's Andorra (195*) and a professional production of Die Koopman van Venesië (1955).
In 1961 Engelen was invited back to South Africa to become the first professor and head of the Drama Department at the University of Stellenbosch. He held this position until his unexpected death in 1967. In this period he also initiated and oversaw the construction of the H.B. Thom Theatre in Stellenbosch and did numerous productions with the students as well as professional companies.
In 1967, Engelen died from appendicitis complications during a visit to Stuttgart while on sabbatical in the USA and Europe.while on sabbatical, went to North America, then went on to Europe. He was apparently was slated to direct Put Zonder Water for Belgian television and was meant to arrive in Belgium on 3 December 1967, after his visit to Germany, but underwent surgery for appendicitis in Stuttgart and died there in December 1967.
He both produced and acted in many plays for the Department, including Caesar (1965), Macbeth (1967).
He directed Besoek van die Ou Dame (NTO, 1962; directed and played Philip II in Don Carlos, 1966, for PACOFS.
[FdV, TH]
Sources
Obituary in Die Burger, 5 December 1967.
Inskip, 1972.
Tucker, 1997.
E-mail correspondence from Bie Engelen (15 March, 2021)
E-mail correspondence from Pieter Fourie (12 February, 2021)
E-mail correspondence from Franz Marx (13 February, 2021)
Go to ESAT Bibliography
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