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Tyrone Guthrie

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Sir Tyrone Guthrie
4thChancellor of the Queen's University Belfast
In office
1963–1970
Preceded by1st Viscount Alanbrooke
Succeeded byLord Ashby of Brandon
Personal details
Born
William Tyrone Guthrie

(1900-07-02)2 July 1900
Tunbridge Wells, Kent,England
Died15 May 1971(1971-05-15)(aged 70)
Newbliss,County Monaghan, Republic of Ireland
Spouse
Judith Bretherton
​
(m.1931)​
Alma materOxford University
OccupationTheatrical director

Sir William Tyrone Guthrie(2 July 1900 – 15 May 1971) was an English theatrical director instrumental in the founding of theStratford Festival of Canada,theGuthrie TheaterinMinneapolis,Minnesota,and theTyrone Guthrie Centreat his family's ancestral home,Annaghmakerrig,nearNewblissinCounty Monaghan, Ireland.He is famous for his original approach to Shakespearean and modern drama.

Early life

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Guthrie was born inTunbridge Wells,Kent,England, the son of Dr. Thomas Clement Guthrie (a grandson of theScottishpreacherThomas Guthrie) and Norah Power.[1]His mother was the daughter of SirWilliam James Tyrone Power,Commissary-General-in-chiefof theBritish Armyfrom 1863 to 1869 and Martha, daughter of Dr. John Moorhead of Annaghmakerrig House and hisPhiladelphia-born wife, Susan (née Allibone) Humphreys.[2]

His great-grandfather wasIrishactorTyrone Powerand he was a second cousin of famed film actorTyrone Power.Guthrie's sister, Susan Margaret, married his close university friend, fellow Anglo-IrishmanHubert Butler.Tyrone Guthrie received a degree in history atOxford University,where he was active in student theatre, and worked for a season at the newly establishedOxford Playhouse.[3]

Career

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In 1924 Guthrie joined theBBCas a broadcaster and began to produceplays for radio.This led to a year directing for the stage with the Scottish National Players, before returning to the BBC to become one of the first writers to create plays designed for radio performance. From 1929–33, he directed at various theatres, including theCambridge Festival Theatrein 1929[4]and a production ofPirandello'sSix Characters in Search of an Authorat theWestminster Theatrein 1932. His work in London at theOld Vicand theSadler’s Wellstheatres earned him acknowledgment as a significant director.[5]

During 1933–34, and again from 1936–45, he was director of the Shakespeare Repertory Company.[6]While inMontreal,Guthrie produced theRomance of Canadaseries of radio plays for recalling epic moments in Canadian history. The series was broadcast on theCanadian National Railway radio network.Hubert Butlertranslated the text for Guthrie's 1934 production ofAnton Chekhov'sCherry Orchard,for perhaps its first English-language production.[citation needed]

In the 1940s Guthrie began to directoperas,to critical acclaim, including a realisticCarmenatSadler's Wellsand theMetropolitan Operain New York. He also returned to Scotland where, withJames Bridiein 1948, he staged the first modern adaptation, byRobert Kemp,ofSir David Lyndsay's grand-scale medieval comedyAne Satyre of the Thrie Estaitisfor the SecondEdinburgh International Festival;a landmark event in the modern revival of Scottish theatre. It was staged in the city'sGeneral Assembly Hall of the Church of Scotlandonthe Mound,specially adapted for the occasion.[7]He directed the play again in Edinburgh in 1959.[8]

Stratford Festival of Canada

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In 1952, he was invited to help launch theStratford Festival of Canada.[9]Intrigued with the idea of starting a Shakespeare theatre in a remote Canadian location, he enlistedTanya Moiseiwitschto further develop his thrust stage design, successfully improvised in Edinburgh, and actorsAlec GuinnessandIrene Worthto star in the inaugural production ofRichard III.All performances in the first seasons took place in a large tent on the banks of the Avon River. He remained as Artistic Director for three seasons, and his work at Stratford had a strong influence in the development ofCanadian theatre.[10][11][12]

Guthrie producedGilbert and Sullivan'sH.M.S. Pinaforein 1960 andThe Pirates of Penzancein 1961, which were televised in Canada and also brought to thePhoenix Theatrein New York and on tour in the US. In 1962, as soon as the Gilbert and Sullivan copyrights expired, he brought these productions to Britain; they soon played atHer Majesty's Theatreand were broadcast by the BBC. They were among the firstSavoy operaproductions in Britain not authorized by theD'Oyly Carte Opera Company.[13]

Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota

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In 1963, he founded theGuthrie TheaterinMinneapolis, Minnesota,designed byRalph Rapson.He published a small invitation in 1959 in the drama page ofThe New York Timessoliciting communities' interest and involvement in a resident theater. From that beginning, theTwin Citieswas chosen and the Guthrie Theater was established, with construction being completed in 1963.[14]Guthrie served as Artistic Director until 1966, and continued to direct at the theater he founded until 1969, two years before his death.[citation needed]

Legacy

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In the prologue to his biography, James Forsyth wrote, "Anti-Broadway,anti-West End,anti everything implied in the term 'Legitimate Theatre', he ended up with a legitimate claim to the title of 'most important, British-born theatre director of his time'".[15]Sir Peter Hallwrote, "Among the great originators in British Theatre...Guthrie was a towering figure in every sense. He blazed a trail for the subsidised theatre of the sixties. He showed how to run a company and administer a theatre. And he was a brilliant and at times great director..."[16]Guthrie wrote two major books about the creation of effective drama:Theatre Prospect(1932)[17]andA Life in the Theatre(1959).[18]

Guthrie's autobiography,A Life in the Theatre,was adapted into a stage play,Guthrie on Guthrieby Margaret Dale. It was produced at the Stratford Festival in 1989, and again at theGlenn Gould Studioin 1998 for recording as an audiobook. Both productions featuredColin Foxas Guthrie.[19][20]

Queen's University Belfast

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He was Chancellor ofQueen's University Belfast(1963–70).[21]On 15 September 2010, a blue plaque in his memory was unveiled at the BBC in Belfast by the Ulster History Circle.

Personal life

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In 1931, Guthrie married Judith Bretherton, who survived him by only a year. He wasknightedin 1961, and died a decade later at his home, Annaghmakerrig, inNewbliss,County Monaghan,Ireland, aged 70, from a heart attack. His body was buried in the graveyard of Aghabog Church of Ireland, in Newbliss.[22]

Bibliography

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  • The Production of King Oedipus (2022). Tyrone Guthrie. Wordville[23]
  • Forsyth, James (1976).Tyrone Guthrie.London: Hamish Hamilton.
  • Guthrie, Tyrone (1932).Theatre Prospect.London: Wishart.OCLC1903289.
  • Guthrie, Tyrone; Davies, Robertson; Macdonald, Grant (1953).Renown at Stratford; A Record of the Shakespeare Festival in Canada, 1953.Toronto: Clark, Irwin.OCLC6122929.
  • Guthrie, Tyrone (1959).A Life in the Theatre.New York: McGraw-Hill.OCLC331308.
  • Guthrie, Tyrone (1964).A New Theatre.New York: McGraw-Hill.OCLC331078.
  • Guthrie, Tyrone (1965).In Various Directions.New York: Macmillan.OCLC711657.
  • Guthrie, Tyrone (1971).Tyrone Guthrie on Acting.New York: Viking Press.ISBN0-670-73832-8.
  • Rossi, Alfred (1970).Minneapolis Rehearsals: Tyrone Guthrie Directs Hamlet.Berkeley: University of California Press.ISBN0-520-01719-6.
  • Rossi, Alfred (1977).Astonish Us in the Morning: Tyrone Guthrie Remembered.London: Hutchinson.ISBN0-09-128860-6.

See also

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References

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  1. ^Keene, Ann T. (2005)."Guthrie, Tyrone (1900-1971), theater director and producer".American National Biography.doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.1803762.Retrieved5 December2020.
  2. ^"Obituaries: Sir William Tyrone Power".The Times.26 July 1911. p. 11.
  3. ^Sillery, A.; Sillery, V. (1975).St. John's College Biographical Register 1919-1975.Vol. 3. Oxford: St. John’s College. p. 42-43.
  4. ^Schumach, Murray (16 May 1971)."Sir Tyrone Guthrie Dies at 70; Director and Scholar of Stage".The New York Times.Retrieved27 September2018.
  5. ^"Sir Tyrone Guthrie | Theatre Impresario, Innovative Productions & Repertory System | Britannica".www.britannica.com.Retrieved6 February2024.
  6. ^Robert Tanitch,London Stage in the 20th Century,Haus (2007);ISBN978-1-904950-74-5
  7. ^Graves, Charles, "Drama", in Reid, J.M. (ed.) (1951),Some Scottish Arts: An Outline,Serif Books Ltd., Edinburgh, p. 13
  8. ^Elder, Michael (2003),What do You do During the Day?,Eldon Productions, pp. 146 - 148,ISBN9780954556808
  9. ^Whitaker, Herbert (19 June 1952), "Tyrone Guthrie accepts Stratford's bid to attend this year's Festival",The Globe and Mail
  10. ^"Stratford Shakespearean Festival, 1953 season"(PDF).p. 17.Retrieved17 February2019.
  11. ^The Stratford Festival: The First 50 Years— Arts and Entertainment — CBC Archives
  12. ^"Tyrone Guthrie directing credits".Stratford Festival Archives.Retrieved9 July2019.
  13. ^Berger, Leon. "Obituary: Marion Studholme",Gilbert and Sullivan News,The Gilbert and Sullivan Society (London), Vol. V, No. 10, Spring 2016, p. 19
  14. ^"Guthrie website, History; accessed 9 July 2007".Archived fromthe originalon 23 April 2007.
  15. ^James Forsyth/Hamish Hamilton.Tyrone Guthrie: The Authorized Biography,London (1976);ISBN978-0241894712
  16. ^Peter Hall's Diaries: The Story of a Dramatic Battle(1983) Harper & Row.
  17. ^Tyrone Guthrie (132)Theatre Prospect,Wishart & Co., London
  18. ^Tyrone Guthrie (1959),A Life in the Theatre,McGraw-Hill, Columbus, Ohio.
  19. ^"Guthrie on Guthrie (1989) production credits".Stratford Festival Archives.Retrieved23 June2019.
  20. ^"The Stratford Festival has announced its fourth season of dramatic readings at the Glenn Gould Studio",Playbill,15 December 1997,retrieved9 July2020
  21. ^Walker, Brian; McCreary, Alf (1994).Degrees of Excellence: The Story of Queen's, Belfast, 1845–1995.Belfast: Queen's University Belfast.ISBN0-85389-535-X.
  22. ^Obituary, Tyrone Guthrie, Palm Beach Post, May 16, 1971
  23. ^Guthrie, Tyrone (2022).The Production of King Oedipus.UK: Wordville Press.ISBN978-1-8384036-9-0.
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