Papers of George Devine
Details
Type of record: Archive
Title: Papers of George Devine
Classmark: BC MS 20c Theatre Devine
Related People: George Devine()
Creator(s): Devine, George (1910-1966)
Date(s): 1943-1978
Size and medium: 12 boxes; 1 folder
Persistent link: https://explore.library.leeds.ac.uk/special-collections-explore/372122
Collection group(s): Performing Arts Collections
Description
George Alexander Cassady Devine CBE born 20 November 1910 and died 20 January 1966, was a British actor, theatrical director, theatre manager and teacher. Most notably he was a founding member of the English Stage Company and served as artistic director of their Royal Court Theatre from 1956 until his death in 1966.
In 1936, Devine together with Michel Saint-Denis, Marius Goring and Glen Byam Shaw, set up the London Theatre Studio. This provided training for actors and directors, but also offered set and costume design courses, the first of its kind in Britain.
After serving in India and Myanmar during the second world war Devine returned to England and alongside St Denis and Shaw opened the Old Vic Theatre School in London to continue the work they had begun before the war.
After appearing in a television adaptation of ‘Curtain Down’ in 1952 directed by Tony Richardson the two became close friends. Soon afterwards, together with George Goetschius, they formed a plan for a new type of theatre which would later become the English Stage Company.
This collections contains papers relating chiefly to George Devine's time as Artistic Director of the English Stage Company, Royal Court Theatre. Includes Devine's lecture notes and theatre exercises, interviews, writings, correspondence, financial papers, papers relating to overseas visits to Turkey and Brazil and drafts of his autobiography. There are newspaper articles about Devine and RCT productions, theatre programmes, minutes of the RCT management committee, financial papers of the theatre and photographs of productions:
Access and usage
Access
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