Will Jamieson
Actor. (1915-1968) Actor, designer and director.
Born in Forfar in Scotland in 1915, and died in Cape Town in 1968 from a heart attack. Trained at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, having been given the Leverhulme Scholarship; and won the bronze medal there in his final year.
He was married to Hilda Chapman, who died in 1998 in the UK.
South African period
He moved to South Africa in 19**, to become a free-lance actor and producer; one who used to do many of the costume designs for his own productions.
He was for many years very closely involved with PEMADS and the Little Theatre in Port Elizabeth, and also did work for many other companies over the years, including productions by Maynardville, Gwen ffrangçon-Davies, Brian Brooke; the Munro-Inglis Company and NTO.
As an actor he had roles in, inter alia, in Christopher Fry's The Lady's not for Burning (the Arena Theatre Company, Jpohannesburg, 1956).
As director he did Twelfth Night, with John Hamber, in the Loubser Hall (Later the The Little Theatre), Port Elizabeth; Henry VIII (dir) Ronnie Davis, Johann Nell & Margaret Inglis. Our Town (Dir), Hamlet (dir) with Jim Shorrock, The Taming of the Shrew (dir) 1964.**
Notes from Fiona Jamieson
TO BE ADDED
I am the daughter of Will Jamieson, an actor and producer mentioned in your database who was very much involved with the South African theatre scene many years ago,
He was born in 1915, and died in 1968, aged just 53. He also played a number of roles at Maynardville in the early 60’s.
I think ESAT is a much needed enterprise and if I can verify anything more regarding my father’s life and work I would be happy to do so.
Kind Regards Hi Temple,
More than happy to help! My son and my brother both live in Cape Town, and my brother has a few scrapbooks and souvenirs from my father’s time in the theatre so we will all get together as much as we can;)
I am living in Spain and my bits and pieces are all in storage in the UK so I’m just working on memory;)
I do know he was born in Forfar in Scotland in 1915, and died in Cape Town in 1968 from a heart attack.
He was awarded the Leverhulme Scholarship at the Academy of Dramatic Art in London, and won the bronze medal there in his final year.
He was married to Hilda Chapman who died in 1998 in the UK.
If you look at the archives for Maynardville (http://www.maynardville.co.za/pages/archive.php) you will find his name a few times – his last performance there was in 1966, but I do know he played the Merchant in the Merchant of Venice in 1963, and the King of Denmark in Hamlet in 1964.
I’ll get back to you when I have more!
Thanks for your kind words about my sites – I believe I inherited some of my dad’s creativity with colour and design – I know he used to do many of the costume designs for his own productions!
Sources
Fiona Jamieson (personal correspondence)
Tucker, 1997.
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