Donald Inskip

INSKIP, Donald. (19**-19**) An influential theatre critic, administrator and advisor on theatre matters. Born in ***, he studied French **** In *** appointed at the University of Cape Town, later becoming professor and chairman of the French department in 1932. Instrumental in founding the Little Theatre (along with Professor William H. Bell), he became director of it in 1937 and a member of its board. As director he lobbied for a new theatre committee to deal more strongly with the issues facing the theatre. He also gives the University Dramatic Society a student representative in the new committee, and later becomes Honorary President of the student society. In 1960 he was appointed in the newly created post of Deputy Principle of UCT, though retaining his directorship of the Little Theatre, but was henceforth not able to give time to acting or producing. A longtime chairman of the Cape Town Repertory Theatre Society and member of the Johannesburg (?*) REPS, he was was instrumental in bringing Leontine Sagan to South Africa in 1939. In January 1947 was made a member of a sub-committee of the National Council for Adult Education, intended to study theatre matters. It further consisted of P.P.B. Breytenbach (chair), Anna Neethling-Pohl, Myles Bourke, and Steve Naudé (secretary), and submitted a proposal for a state-funded theatre to the government. This evenually led to the establishment of the National Theatre Organisation (NTO) in 1947, with Inskip a member of the first board. * He also served on the Cape Performing Arts Board’s board and the judges panel for the Three Leaf Awards, (later the Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards ). In 19** he became the co-founder of The Company of Four with **. Wrote two valuable books on theatre, namely a history of theLittle Theatre (Forty Little Years) and a biography of Leonard Schach (Stage by Stage). In 1982 he received the Fleur du Cap Lifetime Award for his contribution to the industry.

INSKIP, Donald. Of the Cape Town Little Theatre Member of the Company of Four with Leonard Schach, René Ahrenson and Cecilia Sonnenburg. Member of the National Theatre Organization together with Steve Naudé (secretary), Anna Neethling-Pohl, Myles Bourke. *** (See Du Toit, 1988; Inskip, 197*, Tucker, 1997) [TH, JH, FdV]

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