1.
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
–
There is also the related British Empire Medal, whose recipients are affiliated with, but not members of, the order. Recommendations for appointments to the Order of the British Empire were at first made on the nomination of the United Kingdom, the self-governing Dominions of the Empire, nominations continue today from Commonwealth countries that participate in recommending British honours. Most members are citizens of the United Kingdom or the Commonwealth realms that use the Imperial system of honours and awards. Honorary knighthoods are appointed to citizens of nations where the Queen is not head of state, occasionally, honorary appointees are, incorrectly, referred to as Sir or Dame – Bill Gates or Bob Geldof, for example. In particular, King George V wished to create an Order to honour many thousands of those who had served in a variety of non-combatant roles during the First World War, when first established, the Order had only one division. However, in 1918, soon after its foundation, it was divided into Military. The Orders motto is For God and the Empire, at the foundation of the Order, the Medal of the Order of the British Empire was instituted, to serve as a lower award granting recipients affiliation but not membership. In 1922, this was renamed the British Empire Medal, in addition, the BEM is awarded by the Cook Islands and by some other Commonwealth nations. The British monarch is Sovereign of the Order, and appoints all members of the Order. The next most senior member is the Grand Master, of whom there have been three, Prince Edward, the Prince of Wales, Queen Mary, and the current Grand Master, the Duke of Edinburgh. The Order is limited to 300 Knights and Dames Grand Cross,845 Knights and Dames Commander, and 8,960 Commanders. There are no limits applied to the number of members of the fourth and fifth classes. Foreign recipients, as members, do not contribute to the numbers restricted to the Order as full members do. Though men can be knighted separately from an order of chivalry, women cannot, and so the rank of Knight/Dame Commander of the Order is the lowest rank of damehood, and second-lowest of knighthood. Because of this, Dame Commander is awarded in circumstances in which a man would be created a Knight Bachelor, for example, by convention, female judges of the High Court of Justice are created Dames Commander after appointment, while male judges become Knights Bachelor. The Order has six officials, the Prelate, the Dean, the Secretary, the Registrar, the King of Arms, the Bishop of London, a senior bishop in the Church of England, serves as the Orders Prelate. The Dean of St Pauls is ex officio the Dean of the Order, the Orders King of Arms is not a member of the College of Arms, as are many other heraldic officers. From time to time, individuals are appointed to a higher grade within the Order, thereby ceasing usage of the junior post-nominal letters
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
–
Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
–
MBE as awarded in 1918
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
–
Close up of an MBE from 1945 showing the "For God and the Empire"
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
–
Lieutenant General Sir
Robert Fulton, KBE
2.
Leytonstone
–
Leytonstone /ˈleɪtənˌstoʊn/ is an area of East London, and part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is an area, located seven miles north-east of Charing Cross in Greater London. It borders Walthamstow to the north-west, Wanstead to the north, Leyton to the south, the area is served by Leytonstone tube station on the Central line & Leytonstone High Road on London Overgrounds Gospel Oak to Barking line. The main thoroughfare, High Road Leytonstone, running the length of Leytonstone to Stratford, is an ancient pathway dating to pre-Roman times, Roman archaeological features have been found in the area. There was a Roman cemetery south of Blind Lane, and massive foundations of some Roman building, two of the obelisks inscriptions are still just legible, others are not. To Epping XI Miles through Woodford, Loughton To Ongar XV Miles through Woodford Bridge, Chigwell, Leytonstone was the centre of protests against the construction of the M11 link road, in the early 1990s. Leytonstone was part of the ancient parish of Leyton in the Becontree Hundred of Essex, for ecclesiastical purposes it constituted a separate parish from 1845. The parish of Leyton formed part of the West Ham Poor law union, in 1894 it became part of the Leyton Urban District, which was incorporated in 1926 as the Municipal Borough of Leyton. Leytonstone became part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest in 1965 upon the creation of Greater London, the area is part of the Leyton and Wanstead constituency. As of May 2010, John Cryer has held the seat for the Labour Party, for elections to the London Assembly it is part of the North East constituency and the AM is Jennette Arnold of the Labour Party. It is part of the London constituency for elections to the European Parliament, Leytonstone High Road was a Roman track from London to Epping Forest. This route became important for long distance coaches from the 14th century, in the 1960s there was a problem of congestion around the shopping streets in Leytonstone, a problem which continues with the one way system today. In the 1990s the M11 link road was built through the area despite a long running protest by locals and this and other protests led to the Conservative policy, Roads for Prosperity, being abandoned. Leytonstone tube station is on the Central line of the London Underground, Leytonstone High Road is a London Overground railway station. The Wanderers F. C. also originated from Leytonstone but played in other venues round London. EDF Energy Networks is the Distribution network operator licensed to distribute electricity from the grid to homes and businesses in Leytonstone. Whipps Cross University Hospital, on Whipps Cross road, is a University Hospital administrated by Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust, London Ambulance Service responds to medical emergencies in Leytonstone. Home Office policing in Leytonstone is provided by the Metropolitan Police Service, statutory emergency fire service is provided by the London Fire Brigade, with Leytonstone Fire Station on Leytonstone High Road
Leytonstone
–
The stone and obelisk
Leytonstone
–
Church of St John the Baptist
Leytonstone
–
Leytonstone Fire Station
3.
Essex
–
Essex /ˈɛsᵻks/ is a county in England immediately north-east of London. It borders the counties of Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, the county town is Chelmsford, which is the only city in the county. Essex occupies the part of the old Kingdom of Essex, before this. As well as areas, the county also includes London Stansted Airport, the new towns of Basildon and Harlow, Lakeside Shopping Centre, the port of Tilbury. Originally recorded in AD527, Essex occupied territory to the north of the River Thames, incorporating all of what later became Middlesex and its territory was later restricted to lands east of the River Lea. In changes before the Norman conquest the East Saxons were subsumed into the Kingdom of England and, following the Norman conquest, Essex became a county. During the medieval period, much of the area was designated a Royal forest, including the county in a period to 1204. Gradually, the subject to forest law diminished, but at various times included the forests of Becontree, Chelmsford, Epping, Hatfield, Ongar. County-wide administration Essex County Council was formed in 1889, however County Boroughs of West Ham, Southend-on-Sea and East Ham formed part of the county but were unitary authorities. 12 boroughs and districts provide more localised services such as rubbish and recycling collections, leisure and planning, parish-level administration – changes A few Essex parishes have been transferred to other counties. Before 1889, small areas were transferred to Hertfordshire near Bishops Stortford, Essex became part of the East of England Government Office Region in 1994 and was statistically counted as part of that region from 1999, having previously been part of the South East England region. Two unitary authorities In 1998 the boroughs of Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock were granted autonomy from the county of Essex after successful requests to become unitary authorities. Essex Police covers the county and the two unitary authorities. The county council chamber and main headquarters is at the County Hall in Chelmsford, before 1938 the council regularly met in London near Moorgate, which with significant parts closer to that point and the dominance of railways had been more convenient than any place in the county. It currently has 75 elected councillors, before 1965, the number of councillors reached over 100. The highest point of the county of Essex is Chrishall Common near the village of Langley, close to the Hertfordshire border, the pattern of settlement in the county is diverse. Epping Forest also acts as a barrier to the further spread of London. Part of the southeast of the county, already containing the population centres of Basildon, Southend and Thurrock, is within the Thames Gateway
Essex
–
The village of
Finchingfield in north Essex
Essex
Essex
–
Skyline of
Southend-on-Sea
Essex
–
London Stansted Airport, in the north west of the county
4.
England
–
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west, the Irish Sea lies northwest of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east, the country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain in its centre and south, and includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly, and the Isle of Wight. England became a state in the 10th century, and since the Age of Discovery. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the worlds first industrialised nation, Englands terrain mostly comprises low hills and plains, especially in central and southern England. However, there are uplands in the north and in the southwest, the capital is London, which is the largest metropolitan area in both the United Kingdom and the European Union. In 1801, Great Britain was united with the Kingdom of Ireland through another Act of Union to become the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1922 the Irish Free State seceded from the United Kingdom, leading to the latter being renamed the United Kingdom of Great Britain, the name England is derived from the Old English name Englaland, which means land of the Angles. The Angles were one of the Germanic tribes that settled in Great Britain during the Early Middle Ages, the Angles came from the Angeln peninsula in the Bay of Kiel area of the Baltic Sea. The earliest recorded use of the term, as Engla londe, is in the ninth century translation into Old English of Bedes Ecclesiastical History of the English People. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, its spelling was first used in 1538. The earliest attested reference to the Angles occurs in the 1st-century work by Tacitus, Germania, the etymology of the tribal name itself is disputed by scholars, it has been suggested that it derives from the shape of the Angeln peninsula, an angular shape. An alternative name for England is Albion, the name Albion originally referred to the entire island of Great Britain. The nominally earliest record of the name appears in the Aristotelian Corpus, specifically the 4th century BC De Mundo, in it are two very large islands called Britannia, these are Albion and Ierne. But modern scholarly consensus ascribes De Mundo not to Aristotle but to Pseudo-Aristotle, the word Albion or insula Albionum has two possible origins. Albion is now applied to England in a poetic capacity. Another romantic name for England is Loegria, related to the Welsh word for England, Lloegr, the earliest known evidence of human presence in the area now known as England was that of Homo antecessor, dating to approximately 780,000 years ago. The oldest proto-human bones discovered in England date from 500,000 years ago, Modern humans are known to have inhabited the area during the Upper Paleolithic period, though permanent settlements were only established within the last 6,000 years
England
–
Stonehenge, a
Neolithic monument
England
–
Flag
England
–
Boudica led an uprising against the
Roman Empire
England
–
Replica of a 7th-century ceremonial
helmet from the
Kingdom of East Anglia, found at
Sutton Hoo
5.
Hamlet
–
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, often shortened to Hamlet, is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare at an uncertain date between 1599 and 1602. Set in the Kingdom of Denmark, the play dramatises the revenge Prince Hamlet is called to wreak upon his uncle, Claudius, by the ghost of Hamlets father, Claudius had murdered his own brother and seized the throne, also marrying his deceased brothers widow. It has inspired many other writers—from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Charles Dickens to James Joyce and he almost certainly wrote his version of the title role for his fellow actor, Richard Burbage, the leading tragedian of Shakespeares time. In the 400 years since its inception, the role has been performed by highly acclaimed actors in each successive century. Three different early versions of the play are extant, the First Quarto, the Second Quarto, each version includes lines and entire scenes missing from the others. The plays structure and depth of characterisation have inspired much critical scrutiny, the protagonist of Hamlet is Prince Hamlet of Denmark, son of the recently deceased King Hamlet, and nephew of King Claudius, his fathers brother and successor. Claudius hastily married King Hamlets widow, Gertrude, Hamlets mother, Denmark has a long-standing feud with neighboring Norway, which culminated when King Hamlet slew King Fortinbras of Norway in a battle years ago. Although Denmark defeated Norway, and the Norwegian throne fell to King Fortinbrass infirm brother, Denmark fears that an invasion led by the dead Norwegian kings son, Prince Fortinbras, is imminent. On a cold night on the ramparts of Elsinore, the Danish royal castle and they vow to tell Prince Hamlet what they have witnessed. As the court gathers the next day, while King Claudius and Queen Gertrude discuss affairs of state with their elderly adviser Polonius, after the court exits, Hamlet despairs of his fathers death and his mothers hasty remarriage. Learning of the ghost from Horatio, Hamlet resolves to see it himself, as Poloniuss son Laertes prepares to depart for a visit to France, Polonius gives him contradictory advice that culminates in the ironic maxim to thine own self be true. Poloniuss daughter, Ophelia, admits her interest in Hamlet, and that night on the rampart, the ghost appears to Hamlet, telling the prince that he was murdered by Claudius and demanding that Hamlet avenge him. Hamlet agrees and the ghost vanishes, the prince confides to Horatio and the sentries that from now on he plans to put an antic disposition on and forces them to swear to keep his plans for revenge secret. Privately, however, he remains uncertain of the ghosts reliability, soon thereafter, Ophelia rushes to her father, telling him that Hamlet arrived at her door the prior night half-undressed and behaving crazily. Polonius blames love for Hamlets madness and resolves to inform Claudius, as he enters to do so, the king and queen finish welcoming Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two student acquaintances of Hamlet, to Elsinore. The royal couple has requested that the students investigate the cause of Hamlets mood, additional news requires that Polonius wait to be heard, messengers from Norway inform Claudius that the King of Norway has rebuked Prince Fortinbras for attempting to re-fight his fathers battles. The forces that Fortinbras conscripted to march against Denmark will instead be sent against Poland, Polonius tells Claudius and Gertrude his theory regarding Hamlets behavior, and speaks to Hamlet in a hall of the castle to try to uncover more information. Hamlet feigns madness but subtly insults Polonius all the while, when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern arrive, Hamlet greets his friends warmly, but quickly discerns that they are spies
Hamlet
–
The American actor
Edwin Booth as
Hamlet, ca. 1870
Hamlet
–
Hamlet mistakenly stabs Polonius (Artist: Coke Smyth, 19th century).
Hamlet
–
The "gravedigger scene" (Artist:
Eugène Delacroix, 1839)
Hamlet
–
A facsimile of
Gesta Danorum by
Saxo Grammaticus, which contains the legend of Amleth
6.
Uncle Vanya
–
Uncle Vanya is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1897 and received its Moscow première in 1899 in a production by the Moscow Art Theatre, the play portrays the visit of an elderly professor and his glamorous, much younger second wife, Yelena, to the rural estate that supports their urban lifestyle. Sonya, the daughter by his first wife, who has worked with Vanya to keep the estate going. Uncle Vanya is unique among Chekhovs major plays because it is essentially a reworking of his own play published a decade earlier. Rayfield cites recent scholarship suggesting Chekhov revised The Wood Demon during his trip to the island of Sakhalin, a prison colony in Eastern Russia, in 1891. Aleksandr Vladimirovich Serebryakov, a university professor, who has lived for years in the city on the earnings of his late first wifes rural estate. Helena Andreyevna Serebryakov, Professor Serebryakovs young and beautiful second wife, sofia Alexandrovna Serebryakov, Professor Serebryakovs daughter from his first marriage. She is of an age, but is considered plain. Maria Vasilyevna Voynitsky, the widow of a councilor and mother of Vanya. Ivan Petrovich Voynitsky, Marias son and Sonyas uncle, the character of the play. Mikhail Lvovich Astrov, a middle aged country doctor, ilya Ilych Telegin, an impoverished landowner, who now lives on the estate as a dependent of the family. A Workman A garden in Serebryakovs country estate, Astrov and Marina discuss how old Astrov has grown, and how he feels bored with his life as a country doctor. Vanya enters, and complains about how all order has been disrupted since the professor and his wife, Yelena, as they’re talking, Serebryakov, Yelena, Sonya, and Telegin return from a walk. Out of the professors earshot, Vanya calls him an old dried mackerel, criticizing him for his pomposity. Vanya’s mother, Maria Vasilyevna, who idolizes Serebryakov, objects to her son’s derogatory comments, Vanya also praises the professor’s wife, Yelena, for her beauty, arguing that faithfulness to an old man like Serebryakov is an immoral waste of vitality. Astrov is forced to depart to attend a patient, but not before delivering a speech on the preservation of the forests, act I closes with Vanya declaring his love for an exasperated Yelena. The dining room, several days later, before going to bed, Serebryakov complains of being in pain and of old age. Astrov arrives, having sent for by Sonya, but the professor refuses to see him
Uncle Vanya
–
Konstantin Stanislavski as Astrov in the
Moscow Art Theatre production in 1899.
Uncle Vanya
–
Scene from Act I,
Moscow Art Theatre, 1899
7.
Cyrano de Bergerac (play)
–
Cyrano de Bergerac is a play written in 1897 by Edmond Rostand. Although there was a real Cyrano de Bergerac, the play is a fictionalization of his life follows the broad outlines of it. The entire play is written in verse, in rhyming couplets of twelve syllables per line, very close to the classical alexandrine form, but the verses sometimes lack a caesura. It is also researched, down to the names of the members of the Académie française. The play has been translated and performed many times, and is responsible for introducing the word panache into the English language, Cyrano is in fact famed for his panache, and the play ends with him saying My panache just before his death. The two most famous English translations are those by Brian Hooker and Anthony Burgess, hercule Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac, a cadet in the French Army, is a brash, strong-willed man of many talents. In addition to being a remarkable duelist, he is a gifted, however, he has an extremely large nose, which causes him to doubt himself. The play opens in Paris,1640, in the theatre of the Hôtel Burgundy, members of the audience slowly arrive, representing a cross-section of Parisian society from pickpockets to nobility. Christian de Neuvillette, a new cadet, arrives with Lignière. Lignière recognizes her as Roxane, and tells Christian about her, meanwhile, Ragueneau and Le Bret are expecting Cyrano de Bergerac, who has banished the actor Montfleury from the stage for a month. After Lignière leaves, Christian intercepts a pickpocket and, in return for his freedom, Christian departs to try to warn him. The play Clorise begins with Montfleurys entrance, Cyrano disrupts the play, forces Montfleury off stage, and compensates the manager for the loss of admission fees. Roxanes duenna then arrives, and asks where Roxane may meet Cyrano privately, Lignière is then brought to Cyrano, having learned that one hundred hired thugs are waiting to ambush him on his way home. Cyrano, now emboldened, vows to take on the entire mob single-handed, the next morning, at Ragueneaus bake shop, Ragueneau supervises various apprentice cooks in their preparations. Cyrano arrives, anxious about his meeting with Roxane and he is followed by a musketeer, a paramour of Ragueneaus domineering wife Lise, then the regular gathering of impoverished poets who take advantage of Ragueneaus hospitality. Roxane and Cyrano talk privately as she bandages his hand, she thanks him for defeating Valvert at the theater, and talks about a man with whom she has fallen in love. Cyrano thinks that she is talking about him at first, and is ecstatic, but Roxane describes her beloved as handsome, Roxane fears for Christians safety in the predominantly Gascon company of Cadets, so she asks Cyrano to befriend and protect him. After she leaves, Cyranos captain arrives with the cadets to congratulate him on his victory from the night before and they are followed by a huge crowd, including De Guiche and his entourage, but Cyrano soon drives them away
Cyrano de Bergerac (play)
–
Cyrano de Bergerac, the man for whom the play is named and upon whose life it is based.
Cyrano de Bergerac (play)
–
The second-to-last scene. First performance of the play. Published in "l'illustration", 8 January 1898
8.
Twelfth Night
–
Twelfth Night, or What You Will is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–02 as a Twelfth Nights entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola and Sebastian, who are separated in a shipwreck, Viola falls in love with Duke Orsino, who in turn is in love with the Countess Olivia. Upon meeting Viola, Countess Olivia falls in love with her thinking she is a man, the first recorded performance was on 2 February 1602, at Candlemas, the formal end of Christmastide in the years calendar. The play was not published until its inclusion in the 1623 First Folio, Illyria, the setting of Twelfth Night, is important to the plays romantic atmosphere. Illyria was an ancient region of the Western Balkans whose coast covered the coasts of modern-day Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and it included the city state of the Republic of Ragusa which has been proposed as the setting. Illyria may have suggested by the Roman comedy Menaechmi, the plot of which also involves twins who are mistaken for each other. Illyria is also referred to as a site of pirates in Shakespeares earlier play, Henry VI, the names of most of the characters are Italian but some of the comic characters have English names. Oddly, the Illyrian lady Olivia has an English uncle, Sir Toby Belch and it has been noted that the plays setting also has other English allusions such as Violas use of Westward ho. Viola is shipwrecked on the coast of Illyria and she comes ashore with the help of a captain and she loses contact with her twin brother, Sebastian, whom she believes to be drowned. Disguising herself as a man under the name Cesario, she enters the service of Duke Orsino through the help of the sea captain who rescues her. Duke Orsino then uses Cesario as an intermediary to profess his love before Olivia. Olivia, however, forgetting about the seven years in his case, falls in love with Cesario, in the comic subplot, several characters conspire to make Olivias pompous steward, Malvolio, believe that Olivia has fallen for him. This involves Olivias uncle, Sir Toby Belch, another suitor, a silly squire named Sir Andrew Aguecheek, her servants Maria and Fabian. Sir Toby and Sir Andrew engage themselves in drinking and revelry, thus disturbing the peace of Olivias house until late into the night, Sir Toby famously retorts, Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale. Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, and Maria are urged to plan revenge on Malvolio and they convince Malvolio that Olivia is secretly in love with him by planting a love letter, written by Maria in Olivias handwriting. It asks Malvolio to wear yellow stockings cross-gartered, to be rude to the rest of the servants, Malvolio finds the letter and reacts in surprised delight. He starts acting out the contents of the letter to show Olivia his positive response, Olivia is shocked by the changes in Malvolio and leaves him to the contrivances of his tormentors. Pretending that Malvolio is insane, they lock him up in a dark chamber, Feste visits him to mock his insanity, both disguised as a priest and as himself
Twelfth Night
–
Malvolio courts a bemused
Olivia, while
Maria covers her amusement, in an engraving by R. Staines after a painting by
Daniel Maclise.
Twelfth Night
–
Scene from Twelfth Night, by
Francis Wheatley (1771–72)
Twelfth Night
–
A depiction of Olivia by
Edmund Leighton from The Graphic Gallery of Shakespeare's Heroines
Twelfth Night
–
Sir Toby Belch coming to the assistance of Sir Andrew Aguecheek,
Arthur Boyd Houghton, c. 1854.
9.
Tony Award
–
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at a ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway productions and performances, and an award is given for regional theatre, several discretionary non-competitive awards are also given, including a Special Tony Award, the Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre, and the Isabelle Stevenson Award. The awards are named after Antoinette Tony Perry, co-founder of the American Theatre Wing, the rules for the Tony Awards are set forth in the official document Rules and Regulations of The American Theatre Wings Tony Awards, which applies for that season only. It also forms the fourth spoke in the EGOT, that is someone who has won all four awards, the Tony Awards are also considered the equivalent of the Laurence Olivier Award in the United Kingdom and the Molière Award of France. From 1997 to 2010, the Tony Awards ceremony was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City in June and broadcast live on CBS television, except in 1999, in 2011 and 2012, the ceremony was held at the Beacon Theatre. From 2013 to 2015, the 67th, 68th, and 69th ceremonies returned to Radio City Music Hall, the 70th Tony Awards were held on June 12,2016 at the Beacon Theatre. The 71st Tony Awards will be held on June 11,2017, as of 2014, there are 24 categories of awards, plus several special awards. Starting with 11 awards in 1947, the names and number of categories have changed over the years, some examples, the category Best Book of a Musical was originally called Best Author. The category of Best Costume Design was one of the original awards, for two years, in 1960 and 1961, this category was split into Best Costume Designer and Best Costume Designer. It then went to a category, but in 2005 it was divided again. For the category of Best Director of a Play, a category was for directors of plays. A newly established non-competitive award, The Isabelle Stevenson Award, was given for the first time at the ceremony in 2009. The award is for an individual who has made a contribution of volunteered time and effort on behalf of one or more humanitarian. The category of Best Special Theatrical Event was retired as of the 2009–2010 season, the categories of Best Sound Design of a Play and Best Sound Design of a Musical were retired as of the 2014-2015 season. Performance categories Show and technical categories Special awards Retired awards The award was founded in 1947 by a committee of the American Theatre Wing headed by Brock Pemberton. The award is named after Antoinette Perry, nicknamed Tony, an actress, director, producer and co-founder of the American Theatre Wing, who died in 1946. As her official biography at the Tony Awards website states, At Jacob Wilks suggestion, proposed an award in her honor for distinguished stage acting, at the initial event in 1947, as he handed out an award, he called it a Tony
Tony Award
–
Designed by
Herman Rosse, 1949
Tony Award
–
Former logo
10.
Much Ado About Nothing
–
Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599, as Shakespeare was approaching the middle of his career. The play was included in the First Folio, published in 1623, at the end, Benedick and Beatrice join forces to set things right, and the others join in a dance celebrating the marriages of the two couples. At Messina, a messenger brings news that Don Pedro, a prince from Aragon, will return that night from a successful battle, Beatrice, Leonatos niece, asks the messenger about Benedick and makes sarcastic remarks about his ineptitude as a soldier. Leonato explains that There is a kind of merry war betwixt Signior Benedick, upon the arrival of the soldiers, Leonato welcomes Don Pedro and invites him to stay for a month, Benedick and Beatrice resume their merry war, and Pedros illegitimate brother Don John is introduced. Claudios feelings for Hero, Leonatos only daughter, are rekindled upon seeing her, Benedick, who openly despises marriage, tries to dissuade his friend but Don Pedro encourages the marriage. Benedick swears that he will never get married, Don Pedro laughs at him and tells him that when he has found the right person he shall get married. A masquerade ball is planned in celebration of the end of the war, Don John uses this situation to get revenge on his brother Don Pedro by telling young Claudio that Don Pedro is wooing Hero for himself. A furious Claudio confronts Don Pedro, but the misunderstanding is quickly resolved, meanwhile, Benedick disguises himself and dances with Beatrice. Beatrice proceeds to tell this man that Benedick is the princes jester. Benedick, enraged by her words, swears he will have revenge, Don Pedro and his men, bored at the prospect of waiting a week for the wedding, harbour a plan to match-make between Benedick and Beatrice. They arrange for Benedick to overhear a conversation in which they declare that Beatrice is madly in love him but afraid to tell him. Meanwhile, Hero and her maid Ursula ensure Beatrice overhears them discuss Benedicks undying love for her, the tricks have the desired effect, both Benedick and Beatrice are delighted to think they are the object of unrequited love, and both accordingly resolve to mend their faults and reconcile. Meanwhile, Don Pedros brother Don John, the prince, plots to prevent the wedding, embarrass his brother and wreak misery on Leonato. He informs Don Pedro and Claudio that Hero is unfaithful, Claudio and Don Pedro are taken in, and Claudio vows to humiliate Hero publicly. At the wedding the day, Claudio denounces Hero before the stunned guests. Her humiliated father Leonato expresses the wish that she would die, the presiding friar intervenes, believing Hero to be innocent. He suggests the family fake Heros death in order to extract the truth, prompted by the days harrowing events, Benedick and Beatrice confess their love for each other. Beatrice then asks Benedick to slay Claudio as proof of his devotion, Benedick is horrified and at first, denies her request
Much Ado About Nothing
–
The first page of Much Ado About Nothing, printed in the
Second Folio of 1632
Much Ado About Nothing
–
A painting of Beatrice by
Frank Dicksee, from The Graphic Gallery of Shakespeare's Heroines
Much Ado About Nothing
–
Swooning of Hero in the Church scene by
Alfred Elmore
Much Ado About Nothing
–
The title page from the first quarto edition of Much Adoe About Nothing, printed in 1600.
11.
The Tenth Man (1988 film)
–
The Tenth Man is a short novel by the British novelist Graham Greene. In the introduction to the first edition of his novel, Greene states that he had forgotten about this story until receiving a letter about it from a stranger in 1983. Greene had first suggested it as an idea for a script in 1937, set during the Spanish Civil War. Nothing came of it and the rights were offered for sale by MGM in 1983, the buyer allowed Greene to revise and subsequently publish the work. Greene also writes of this novel that I prefer it in ways to The Third Man. The story begins in a prison in occupied France during the Second World War and it is decreed that one in every ten prisoners is to be executed, lots are drawn to decide who will die. One of the men chosen is a rich lawyer and he offers all his money to anyone who will take his place. Upon his release from prison the lawyer must face the consequences of his actions, in Part I, set in prison, the occupying German guards issue a decimation order to the thirty inmates. One of the three chosen by drawing lots is a lawyer named Chavel. Chavel becomes hysterical and desperately offers his entire wealth to any man willing to die in his place, a young man, known as Janvier, accepts his offer and is executed. In Part II, the war is over and Chavel is alive and free and he returns to the house he sold for his life and finds it occupied by Janvier’s mother and sister, Thérèse. Assuming the false name Charlot, he becomes their servant, Part III sees the arrival of an impostor, named Carosse, who claims to be Chavel. Carosse attempts to denounce Charlot, win the favour of Thérèse, finally in Part IV, Charlot, having fallen in love with Thérèse, must save her from Carosse, as a means of redemption from his earlier cowardice. Janvier – A fellow prisoner suffering from terminal tuberculosis who achieves his goal of dying rich. Thérèse - Janviers sister who inherits Chavels house, and with it a hatred of the man who by his wealth and cowardice caused her brothers death, but starts to fall for Charlot. Carosse - A collaborationist and murderer on the run who comes to the house pretending to be Chavel and tries to displace Charlot in the affections of Thérèse
The Tenth Man (1988 film)
–
The Tenth Man
12.
Antony and Cleopatra
–
Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The play was performed first circa 1607 at the Blackfriars Theatre or the Globe Theatre by the Kings Men and its first appearance in print was in the Folio of 1623. The major antagonist is Octavius Caesar, one of Antonys fellow triumvirs of the Second Triumvirate, many consider Shakespeares Cleopatra, whom Antony describes as having infinite variety, as one of the most complex and fully developed female characters in the playwrights body of work. She is frequently vain and histrionic enough to provoke an audience almost to scorn, at the time, Shakespeare invests her. These contradictory features have led to famously divided critical responses and it is difficult to classify Antony and Cleopatra as belonging to a single genre. It can be described as a play, as a tragedy, as a comedy, as a romance, and according to some critics, e. g. McCarter. All one can say with certainty is that it is a Roman play, even a sequel to another of Shakespeares tragedies, Julius Caesar. Mark Antony – one of the triumvirs of the Roman Republic, along with Octavius and Lepidus – has neglected his duties after being beguiled by Egypts Queen. He ignores Romes domestic problems, including the fact that his third wife Fulvia rebelled against Octavius, Octavius calls Antony back to Rome from Alexandria to help him fight against Sextus Pompey, Menecrates, and Menas, three notorious pirates of the Mediterranean. At Alexandria, Cleopatra begs Antony not to go, and though he repeatedly affirms his deep love for her. The triumvirs meet in Rome, where Antony and Octavius put to rest, for now, Octavius general, Agrippa, suggests that Antony should marry Octaviuss sister, Octavia, in order to cement the friendly bond between the two men. Antonys lieutenant Enobarbus, though, knows that Octavia can never satisfy him after Cleopatra, a soothsayer warns Antony that he is sure to lose if he ever tries to fight Octavius. In Egypt, Cleopatra learns of Antonys marriage to Octavia and takes revenge upon the messenger that brings her the news. She grows content only when her courtiers assure her that Octavia is homely, short, low-browed, round-faced, before battle, the triumvirs parley with Sextus Pompey, and offer him a truce. He can retain Sicily and Sardinia, but he must help them rid the sea of pirates and they engage in a drunken celebration on Sextus galley, though the austere Octavius leaves early and sober from the party. Menas suggests to Sextus that he kill the three triumvirs and make himself ruler of the Roman Republic, but he refuses, finding it dishonourable, after Antony departs Rome for Athens, Octavius and Lepidus break their truce with Sextus and war against him. This is unapproved by Antony, and he is furious, Antony returns to Alexandria and crowns Cleopatra and himself as rulers of Egypt and the eastern third of the Roman Republic. He accuses Octavius of not giving him his share of Sextus lands, and is angry that Lepidus
Antony and Cleopatra
–
The Meeting of Antony and Cleopatra, by
Lawrence Alma-Tadema, 1884
Antony and Cleopatra
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Cleopatra by
John William Waterhouse (1888)
Antony and Cleopatra
–
In this
Baroque vision, Battle of Actium by
Laureys a Castro (1672), Cleopatra flees, lower left, in a barge with a figurehead of
Fortuna.
Antony and Cleopatra
–
The Death of Cleopatra by Reginald Arthur (1892)
13.
Richard III (play)
–
Richard III is a historical play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1592. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of King Richard III of England, the play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified as such. Occasionally, however, as in the edition, it is termed a tragedy. Richard III concludes Shakespeares first tetralogy and it is the second longest play in the canon after Hamlet, and is the longest of the First Folio, whose version of Hamlet is shorter than its Quarto counterpart. The play is rarely performed unabridged, often, certain characters are removed entirely. In such instances extra lines are often invented or added from elsewhere in the sequence to establish the nature of characters relationships. Now is the winter of our discontent Made glorious summer by this sun of York, Richard is an ugly hunchback who is rudely stampd, deformed, unfinishd, and cannot strut before a wanton ambling nymph. He responds to the anguish of his condition with an outcasts credo, Richard now schemes to woo the Lady Anne – Anne Neville, widow of the Lancastrian Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales. He confides to the audience, Ill marry Warwicks youngest daughter, what, though I killd her husband and her father. The scene then changes to reveal Lady Anne accompanying the corpse of the late king Henry VI, along with Trestle and Berkeley, on its way to be interred at St Pauls cathedral. She asks them to set down the honourable load – if honour may be shrouded in a hearse, Richard suddenly appears and demands that the unmannerd dog carrying the hearse set it down, at which point a brief verbal wrangling takes place. Despite initially hating him, Anne is won over by his pleas of love and repentance, when she leaves, Richard exults in having won her over despite all he has done to her, and tells the audience that he will discard her once she has served her purpose. The atmosphere at court is poisonous, The established nobles are at odds with the upwardly mobile relatives of Queen Elizabeth, Queen Margaret, Henry VIs widow, returns in defiance of her banishment and warns the squabbling nobles about Richard. Queen Margaret curses Richard and the rest who were present, the nobles, all Yorkists, reflexively unite against this last Lancastrian, and the warning falls on deaf ears. Richard orders two murderers to kill Clarence in the tower, Clarence, meanwhile, relates a dream to his keeper. The dream includes vivid language describing Clarence falling from a ship as a result of Gloucester. Under the water Clarence sees the skeletons of thousands of men that fishes gnawed upon and he also sees wedges of gold, great anchors, heaps of pearl, inestimable stones, unvalued jewels. All of these are scatterd in the bottom of the sea, Clarence adds that some of the jewels were in the skulls of the dead
Richard III (play)
–
Frontispage of the
First Quarto Richard The Third
Richard III (play)
–
English actor
David Garrick as Richard III just before the battle of
Bosworth Field. His sleep having been haunted by the ghosts of those he has murdered, he wakes to the realisation that he is alone in the world and death is imminent. The painting,
David Garrick as Richard III (1745), by
William Hogarth.
Richard III (play)
–
The first page of Richard III, printed in the Second Folio of 1632
Richard III (play)
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A scene from Richard III, directed by
Keith Fowler for the Virginia Shakespeare Festival in Williamsburg, site of the first Shakespearean performances in America. (Here Richard is stabbed with a boar spear by the Earl of Richmond.)
14.
Royal National Theatre
–
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdoms three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. Internationally, it is known as the National Theatre of Great Britain, from its foundation in 1963 until 1976, the company was based at the Old Vic theatre in Waterloo. The current building is located next to the Thames in the South Bank area of central London, in addition to performances at the National Theatre building, the National Theatre company tours productions at theatres across the United Kingdom. Since 1988, the theatre has been permitted to call itself the Royal National Theatre, the theatre presents a varied programme, including Shakespeare and other international classic drama, and new plays by contemporary playwrights. Each auditorium in the theatre can run up to three shows in repertoire, thus widening the number of plays which can be put on during any one season. In June 2009, the theatre began National Theatre Live, a programme of simulcasts of live productions to cinemas, first in the United Kingdom, the programme began with a production of Phèdre, starring Helen Mirren, which was screened live in 70 cinemas across the UK. NT Live productions have since been broadcast to over 1,000 venues in 35 countries around the world, the NT had an annual turnover of approximately £87 million in 2012–13, of which earned income made up 80%. Support from Arts Council England provided 20% of income, and the remaining 7% came from a mixture of companies, individuals, trusts, in 1847, a critic using the pseudonym Dramaticus published a pamphlet describing the parlous state of British theatre. Production of serious plays was restricted to the patent theatres, at the same time, there was a burgeoning theatre sector featuring a diet of low melodrama and musical burlesque, but critics described British theatre as driven by commercialism and a star system. There was a demand to commemorate serious theatre, with the Shakespeare Committee purchasing the playwrights birthplace for the nation demonstrating a recognition of the importance of serious drama, the following year saw more pamphlets on a demand for a National Theatre from London publisher Effingham William Wilson. The situation continued, with a renewed call every decade for a National Theatre, attention was aroused in 1879 when the Comédie-Française took a residency at the Gaiety Theatre, described in The Times as representing the highest aristocracy of the theatre. This still left the capital without a national theatre and this work was interrupted by World War I. The play was part of the campaign to build a National Theatre. Still, the Government tried to apply unacceptable conditions to save money, attempting to force the amalgamation of the publicly supported companies. In July 1962, with agreements reached, a board was set up to supervise construction. The National Theatre Company opened on 22 October 1963 with Hamlet, the current building was designed by architects Sir Denys Lasdun and Peter Softley and structural engineers Flint & Neill and contains three stages, which opened individually between 1976 and 1977. The construction work was carried out by Sir Robert McAlpine, the Company was to remain at the Old Vic until 1977, when construction of the Olivier was complete. The National Theatre building houses three separate auditoria, additionally, a temporary structure was added in April 2013 and closed in May 2016
Royal National Theatre
–
The National Theatre from Waterloo Bridge
Royal National Theatre
–
Denys Lasdun's building for the National Theatre – an "urban landscape" of interlocking terraces responding to the site at King's Reach on the River Thames to exploit views of
St Paul's Cathedral and
Somerset House.
Royal National Theatre
–
Laurence Olivier was the first artistic director of the Royal National Theatre, in 1963. Shown in a photograph by
Carl Van Vechten, 1939
Royal National Theatre
–
Facing east; towards the
City of London, from
Waterloo Bridge. Showing
St. Paul's, and other major City buildings – to the right, the illuminated National Theatre.
15.
Robert Graves
–
Robert von Ranke Graves was an English poet, novelist, critic and classicist. He produced more than 140 works, Irish literature deeply affected Graves White Goddess theories, specifically the genre aisling. He earned his living from writing, particularly historical novels such as I, Claudius, King Jesus, The Golden Fleece. He also was a prominent translator of Classical Latin and Ancient Greek texts, his versions of The Twelve Caesars and The Golden Ass remain popular, for their clarity, Graves was awarded the 1934 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for both I, Claudius and Claudius the God. Graves was born into a family in Wimbledon, then part of Surrey. Gravess mother was from a recently ennobled German family, the eldest daughter of Heinrich von Ranke, a professor of medicine at the University of Munich and she was also a greatniece of the German historian Leopold von Ranke. At school, Graves was enrolled as Robert von Ranke Graves and in Germany his books are published under that name but before and during the First World War, the name caused him difficulties. In August 1916 an officer who disliked him spread the rumour that he was a spy, the problem resurfaced in a minor way in the Second World War, when a suspicious rural policeman blocked his appointment to the Special Constabulary. Gravess eldest half-brother, Philip Perceval Graves, achieved note as a journalist and his brother, Charles Patrick Graves, was a writer. Among the masters his chief influence was George Mallory, who introduced him to contemporary literature, in his final year at Charterhouse, he won a classical exhibition to St Johns College, Oxford but did not take his place there until after the war. At the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, Graves enlisted almost immediately and he published his first volume of poems, Over the Brazier, in 1916. He developed a reputation as a war poet and was one of the first to write realistic poems about experience of frontline conflict. In later years, he omitted his war poems from his collections, at the Battle of the Somme, he was so badly wounded by a shell-fragment through the lung that he was expected to die and was officially reported as having died of wounds. He gradually recovered and, apart from a spell back in France. One of Gravess friends at this time was the poet Siegfried Sassoon, in 1917, Sassoon rebelled against the conduct of the war by making a public antiwar statement. Graves feared Sassoon could face a court martial and intervened with the authorities, persuading them that Sassoon was suffering from shell shock. As a result, Sassoon was sent to Craiglockhart, a hospital in Edinburgh. Graves also suffered shell shock, or neurasthenia as it was then called, but he was never hospitalised for it, I thought of going back to France
Robert Graves
–
Robert Graves
Robert Graves
–
Siegfried Sassoon, 1915
Robert Graves
–
The home of Robert Graves in Deià, Majorca
Robert Graves
–
Grave of Robert Graves
16.
I, Claudius (TV series)
–
I, Claudius is a 1976 BBC Television adaptation of Robert Graves I, Claudius and Claudius the God. Among many other productions and adaptations, Gravess Claudius novels have also adapted for BBC Radio 4 broadcast. I, Claudius follows the history of the early Roman Empire, narrated by the elderly Emperor Claudius, from the year 24 BC to his death in AD54. The series opens with Augustus, the first Emperor of Rome, attempting to find an heir, an expert poisoner, Livia uses the covert assassination and betrayal of all rivals to achieve her aims, beginning with the death in 22 BC of Marcellus. Claudius enlightened reign is marred by the betrayals of his adulterous wife Messalina, the series was produced by Joan Sullivan and Martin Lisemore, and directed by Herbert Wise in the studios at BBC Television Centre. Production was delayed because of negotiations between the BBC and the copyright holders of Alexander Kordas aborted 1937 film version. This did, however, give the scriptwriter Jack Pulman more time to fine-tune his script, filming was studio based, for artistic rather than budgetary reasons. I, Claudius was made at a low cost of £60,000 for an hour of broadcast material. Considering pound sterling inflation, the show would have cost £3,960,000 in 2013. As discussed in the 2002 documentary I, Claudius, A Television Epic, the deleted shot was only shown twice in 1976 and is now lost since the BBC no longer has a copy of it. Jacobi explained that he secured the role after another prominent British actor who had taken the part proved to be unsuitable. Brian Blessed originally auditioned for the role of Tiberius, but was persuaded to play Augustus instead. He recounted some of director Herbert Wises key pieces of advice on how to play Augustus - Wise told Blessed that he should. Be as you are - full of flannel. and that he should always play Augustus as an ordinary person, john Hurt revealed that he declined the role of Caligula when it was first offered to him. Wilfred Josephs wrote the title music, david Wulstan and the Clerkes of Oxenford ensemble provided the music for most episodes. During its original airing in 1976, the BBC estimated that I, Claudius had an audience of 2,500,000 viewers per episode. Among other awards, the series won three BAFTAs in 1977, director Herbert Wise won Outstanding Contribution Award at BAFTAs in 1978. In a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000, voted for by industry professionals, I, the series was subsequently broadcast in the United States as part of PBSs Masterpiece Theatre series, where it received critical acclaim
I, Claudius (TV series)
–
I, Claudius
I, Claudius (TV series)
–
Cover of the US release of the first I, Claudius DVD. There has since been a remastered edition with a different cover.
17.
BAFTA
–
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is an independent charity that supports, develops and promotes the art forms of the moving image – film, television and game in the United Kingdom. David Lean was the founding Chairman of the Academy, the first Film Awards ceremony took place in May 1949 and honouring the films The Best Years of Our Lives, Odd Man Out and The World Is Rich. In 2005, it placed a cap on worldwide voting membership which now stands at approximately 6,500. BAFTA has offices in Scotland and Wales in the UK, in Los Angeles and New York in the United States and runs events in Hong Kong, amanda Berry OBE has been chief executive of the organisation since December 2000. Many of these events are free to online at BAFTA Guru. BAFTA runs a number of programmes across the UK, US. Launched in 2012, the UK programme enables talented British citizens who are in need of support to take an industry-recognised course in film. Each BAFTA Scholar receives up to £12,000 towards their annual course fees, since 2013, three students every year have received one of the Prince William Scholarships in Film, Television and Games, supported by BAFTA and Warner Bros. These scholarships are awarded in the name of in his role as President of BAFTA, since 2015, BAFTA has been offering scholarships for British citizens to study in China, vice versa. BAFTA presents awards for film, television and games, including entertainment, at a number of annual ceremonies across the UK and in Los Angeles. The BAFTA award trophy is a mask, designed by American sculptor Mitzi Cunliffe. Todays BAFTA award – including the mask and marble base – weighs 3.7 kg and measures 27 cm x 14 cm x 8 cm. BAFTAs annual film awards ceremony is known as the British Academy Film Awards, or the BAFTAs, in 1949 the British Film Academy, as it was then known, presented the first awards for films made in 1947 and 1948. Since 2008 the ceremony has held at the Royal Opera House in Londons Covent Garden. It had been held in the Odeon cinema on Leicester Square since 2000, the ceremony had been performed during April or May of each year, but since 2002 it has been held in February to precede the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Academy Awards, or Oscars. They have been awarded annually since 1954, the first ever ceremony consisted of six categories. Until 1958, they were awarded by the Guild of Television Producers and Directors, from 1968 until 1997, BAFTAs Film and Television Awards were presented together, but from 1998 onwards they were presented at two separate ceremonies. The Television Craft Awards celebrate the talent behind the programmes, such as working in visual effects, production
BAFTA
–
The BAFTA award, designed by Mitzi Cunliffe
BAFTA
–
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
18.
Stanley Baldwin
–
Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC, JP, FRS was a British Conservative politician, who dominated the government in his country between the two world wars. Three times Prime Minister, he is the premier to have served under three monarchs. Baldwin first entered the House of Commons in 1908 as the Member of Parliament for Bewdley and he held government office in the coalition ministry of David Lloyd George. Upon Bonar Laws resignation due to reasons in May 1923, Baldwin became Prime Minister. He called an election on the issue of tariffs and lost the Conservatives majority, after winning the 1924 General Election Baldwin formed his second government, which saw important tenures of office by Sir Austen Chamberlain, Winston Churchill and Neville Chamberlain. The latter two ministers strengthened Conservative appeal by reforms in areas associated with the Liberal Party. They included industrial conciliation, unemployment insurance, a more extensive old-age pension system, slum clearance, more private housing, Baldwin narrowly lost the 1929 General Election and his continued leadership of the party was subject to extensive criticism by the press barons Lord Rothermere and Lord Beaverbrook. In 1931, Labour Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald formed a National Government, most of whose ministers were Conservatives and which won an enormous majority at the 1931 General Election. As Lord President of the Council, and one of four Conservatives among the small ten-member Cabinet and this government saw an Act delivering increased self-government for India, a measure opposed by Churchill and by many rank-and-file Conservatives. The Statute of Westminster 1931 gave Dominion status to Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, as party leader, Baldwin made many striking innovations, such as clever use of radio and film, that made him highly visible to the public and strengthened Conservative appeal. During this time, he oversaw the beginning of the rearmament process of the British military, Baldwin retired in 1937 and was succeeded by Neville Chamberlain. By 2004, however, historians generally painted a positive portrait of his governments. Less equivocal was his rediscovery as a moderate and inclusive Conservative for the modern age, Modern scholars generally rank him in the upper half of British Prime Ministers. The family was prosperous, and owned the eponymous iron and steel making business that in later became part of Richard Thomas. Baldwin then went on to the University of Cambridge, where he studied history at Trinity College. His time at university was blighted by the presence, as Master of Trinity, of Montagu Butler, his former headmaster who had punished him at Harrow for writing a piece of schoolboy smut. He was asked to resign from the Magpie & Stump for never speaking and his father sent him to Mason College for one session of technical training in metallurgy as preparation. As a young man he served briefly as a Second Lieutenant in the Artillery Volunteers at Malvern, Baldwin married Lucy Ridsdale on 12 September 1892
Stanley Baldwin
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Baldwin in the 1920s
Stanley Baldwin
–
The Old Schools of
Harrow School
Stanley Baldwin
–
Astley Hall near
Kidderminster, Baldwin's home between 1902 and 1947
Stanley Baldwin
–
Baldwin, unknown date
19.
The Gathering Storm (2002 film)
–
The Gathering Storm is a BBC–HBO co-produced television biographical film about Winston Churchill in the years just prior to World War II. Simon Williams and Edward Hardwicke both make brief appearances amongst the supporting cast, the film was directed by Richard Loncraine and written by Hugh Whitemore. Larry Ramin and Whitemore won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing, among the films executive producers were Ridley Scott and Tony Scott. It won a Peabody Award in 2002 for being a portrait of a 20th Century hero’s return from obscurity to direct the destiny of a nation. A sequel, Into the Storm, was released in 2009, Churchill is portrayed by Brendan Gleeson in this film, which focuses on the prime ministers days in office during the Second World War. In 1934, Winston Churchill is deep in his wilderness years, and struggling to complete his biography of his ancestor the Duke of Marlborough, which he hopes will revive his fortunes. Winston is chided by his wife Clemmie for their lack of money and is aware that as a man of destiny his moment may have passed. At the same time he struggles in the House of Commons as a backbencher to get a hearing for his concerns about German re-armament under Hitler and the policy of appeasement. Churchill is also disappointed by the behaviour of his son Randolph Churchill, which leads to arguments with Clemmie. Churchill is devastated and throws himself into his pet activities, painting, Clemmie eventually returns, and the couple are reconciled. Shortly afterwards, Churchill uses Wigrams information to launch an attack on the appeasement policies of Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, an impatient Churchill bids farewell to the staff at the country house, and travels to London
The Gathering Storm (2002 film)
–
The Gathering Storm
The Gathering Storm (2002 film)
–
Life
20.
ITV (TV network)
–
ITV is a commercial TV network in the United Kingdom. Since the passing of the Broadcasting Act 1990 its legal name has been Channel 3, to distinguish it from the analogue channels at the time, namely BBC1, BBC2. ITV is a network of channels that operate regional television services as well as sharing programmes between each other to be displayed on the entire network. In recent years, several of companies have merged so currently the fifteen franchises are in the hands of two companies. With the exception of Northern Ireland, the ITV brand is the used by ITV plc for the Channel 3 service in these areas. In Northern Ireland, ITV plc uses the brand name UTV, STV Group plc, uses the STV brand for its two franchises of central and northern Scotland. The origins of ITV lie in the passing of the Television Act 1954, the act created the Independent Television Authority to heavily regulate the industry and to award franchises. The first six franchises were awarded in 1954 for London, the Midlands, the first ITV network to launch was Londons Associated-Rediffusion on 22 September 1955, with the Midlands and North services launching in February 1956 and May 1956 respectively. Following these launches, the ITA awarded more franchises until the country was covered by fourteen regional stations. Following the 1993 changes, ITV as a network began to consolidate with several companies doing so to save money by ceasing the duplication of services present when they were all separate companies. The ITV Network is not owned or operated by one company, since 2016 the fifteen licences are held by two companies, with the majority held by ITV Broadcasting Limited, part of ITV plc. The network is regulated by the media regulator Ofcom who is responsible for awarding the broadcast licences, the last major review of the Channel 3 franchises was in 1991, with all operators licences having been renewed between 1999 and 2002 and again from 2014 without a further contest. However, due to amalgamation of several of companies since the creation of ITV Network Limited. Approved by Ofcom, this results in ITV plc commissioning and funding the network schedule, all licensees have the right to opt out of network programming, however many do not due to pressures from the parent company or because of limited resources. The network also needs to produce accessible output containing subtitles, signing, in exchange for this programming, the ITV network is available on all platforms free to air and can be found at the top of the EPG of all providers. Since the launch of the platform in 1998, all of the ITV licensees have received gifted capacity on the terrestrial television platform. At present, the companies are able to broadcast additional channels and all choose to broadcast the ITV plc owned ITV2, ITV3, ITV4 and CITV in their region. UTV and STV previously broadcast their own services – UTV2 in Northern Ireland and S2 in central and northern Scotland – until 2002, the broadcasters all make use of the Digital 3&4 multiplex, shared with Channel 4
ITV (TV network)
–
The London Studios near Waterloo was originally the base for the ITV London weekend contractor
LWT but is now ITV's main London headquarters.
ITV (TV network)
–
ITV
ITV (TV network)
–
Granada Studios was the oldest TV studios in the UK, having been built in 1954 to house the broadcaster of the
same name. The studios were closed in June 2013. Granada is the only franchise to remain an ITV contractor since creation in 1954.
ITV (TV network)
–
The Leeds Studios, used by
ITV Yorkshire. Each ITV region originally had its own studios, however the rise of publisher-broadcasters like
Carlton Television and the takeover of regions caused several studios to be closed.
21.
Vicious (TV series)
–
Vicious is a British television sitcom shown on ITV. The series stars Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi as Freddie and Stuart, the series premiered on 29 April 2013 with 5.78 million viewers. On 14 May 2016, McKellen and Jacobi appeared as Freddie, in 2016, the show was cancelled by ITV and a finale special aired on 16 December 2016. Vicious is set around the lives of ageing partners Freddie and Stuart, Freddie has been the partner of Stuart for 48 years at the time the first series begins, and the pairs relationship is that of a love/hate relationship. Originally from Wigan, Freddie is an actor on stage, television and he briefly has a role on Downton Abbey as Cook Staff #4 and is then offered a role on Call the Midwife. He comes to establish a relationship with Ash as the series progresses. In the Finale special, Freddie reveals his side when Ash leaves to go on a university scholarship in New York. Stuart has been together with Freddie for 48 years when the series begins, originally from Leytonstone, Stuart was a manager at a bar, but he gave it up at an unspecified point in his life. Stuart was initially attracted to the much younger Ash upon meeting him and he and Freddie marry in the Series 2 finale, having now been with Freddie for over 50 years. However, they nearly broke up for good after Freddie lied about getting an acting job. Stuarts mother Mildred dies at the wedding, leaving Stuart distraught, frances de la Tour as Violet Crosby. Violet has been friends with Freddie and Stuart for many years, Violet is rather promiscuous, and when she first meets Freddie and Stuarts upstairs neighbour Ash, she becomes attracted to him. Violet is married to a low-life named Jasper in Series 2, Violet gives up on her marriage after speaking with Jaspers six ex-wives, and they divorce after he makes a scene at Freddie and Stuarts wedding. Violet briefly becomes a lesbian in the Finale special, like Freddie, Ash is from Wigan. Ash is shown to be troubled at times, as he has said both his parents are in prison and he frequently wakes up screaming in the night. As such, Freddie and Stuart come to serve as models for Ash. Ash tries proposing to his girlfriend Jess in Series 2, only to be turned down because she doesnt love him and he subsequently serves as Freddies best man when he and Stuart get married. In the Finale special, Ash is offered a scholarship for a university in New York on a four year grant, Penelope has been friends with Freddie and Stuart for many years, and Penelope once had a one-night stand with Stuart before the latter realised his true sexuality
Vicious (TV series)
–
(back row), Violet (
Frances de la Tour), Ash (
Iwan Rheon), Mason (
Philip Voss), (front row) Freddie (
Ian McKellen), Stuart (
Derek Jacobi), and Penelope (
Marcia Warren)
Vicious (TV series)
–
Vicious
22.
Last Tango in Halifax
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Last Tango in Halifax is a British drama series on BBC One. First broadcast on 20 November 2012, twenty episodes have aired, screenwriter Sally Wainwright loosely adapted the story of her mothers second marriage. Starring Derek Jacobi and Anne Reid as Alan and Celia, former childhood sweethearts, reunited via Facebook, they meet, fall in love, and plan to marry. Reid and Jacobi enjoyed having the chance to play out a story between older people. Sarah Lancashire and Nicola Walker star as Caroline, Celias daughter, other characters are played by Nina Sosanya, Tony Gardner, Ronni Ancona, Dean Andrews, Sacha Dhawan and Josh Bolt. The United States broadcast television network PBS picked up the first series, the series has been praised for its depiction of the older generation, strong acting, and believable dialogue. A critic for The Daily Telegraph summarised the series as a triumph against TVs ageism, ahead of the series American premiere, a critic for the Los Angeles Times described it as the best new show of the fall. Last Tango in Halifax accrued four nominations for the 2013 British Academy Television Awards, a second series was commissioned, and filming began in summer 2013. It was broadcast on BBC One from 19 November 2013 to 24 December 2013, a third series was commissioned prior to the final episode of the second, aired between 28 December 2014 and 1 February 2015. Immediately following the end of Series Three, the BBC announced that a series had been commissioned. Series Four consists of two episodes featured as Christmas Specials and was broadcast on 19 and 20 December 2016, Celia Dawson and Alan Buttershaw are both widowed and in their seventies. They were attracted to other in the 1950s, but never expressed their feelings. In the present day, they are reunited after being persuaded to join Facebook by their respective grandchildren, Alan has loved Celia since he was 16 years old, whilst Celia is described as a woman who is unfulfilled and was unhappily married to a man she grew to hate. After their reunion, Alan and Celia discover that they feel as passionately for each other as they did when they were teenagers. Their story is described as a testament of the power of love at any age. Alan and Celias romance is depicted alongside the troubles of their own daughters. Their parents engagement affects both daughters lives, the series is based on lead writer Sally Wainwrights personal experiences. She described it as the most personal thing Ive ever written, Wainwright said the relationship between her mother and Alec was so beautiful and uplifting that it inspired everyone around them
Last Tango in Halifax
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Derek Jacobi, renowned for his theatre work, enjoyed the chance to explore a different type of character.
Last Tango in Halifax
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Last Tango in Halifax
Last Tango in Halifax
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Sarah Lancashire portrays Celia's daughter
Caroline, whose lesbian relationship forms a prominent subplot. Lancashire opted to focus on the "humanity" of her character instead of her sexuality.
23.
The Day of the Jackal (film)
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The Day of the Jackal is a 1973 Anglo-French political thriller film directed by Fred Zinnemann and starring Edward Fox and Michel Lonsdale. The film grossed $16,056,255 at the box office, as the presidents motorcade passes, de Gaulles unarmoured Citroën DS car is raked with machine-gun fire, but the entire entourage escapes without injury. Within six months, OAS leader Jean Bastien-Thiry and several members of the plot are captured. The remaining OAS leaders, now exiled in Vienna, decide to make another attempt, and hire a professional British assassin and they order several bank robberies to pay his fee, $500,000. Meanwhile, the Jackal travels to Genoa and commissions a custom-made rifle and he kills the forger when the man tries to blackmail him. In Paris, he sneaks an impression of the key to a flat that overlooks the Place du 18 juin 1940, in Rome, where the OAS team have moved, members of the French Action Service kidnap the OASs chief clerk, Viktor Wolenski. Wolenski dies under interrogation, but not before the agents have extracted some information about the plot, the Interior Minister convenes a secret cabinet meeting of the heads of the French security forces. When asked to provide his best detective, Police Commissioner Berthier recommends his deputy, soon after, Lebel is given special emergency powers to conduct his investigation, which is complicated by de Gaulles refusal to change his planned public appearances. Colonel St. Clair, an aide to the President and one of the cabinet members, discloses what the government knows to his new mistress Denise. Meanwhile, Lebel determines that British suspect Charles Calthrop may be travelling under the name Paul Oliver Duggan, who died as a child, although he is told the authorities know about the plot, the Jackal carries on. He seduces the aristocratic Colette de Montpellier, just before Lebel and his men arrive, the Jackal escapes and drives to Madame de Montpelliers country estate. After sleeping with her again and discovering that the police have talked to her, the Jackal then assumes the identity of a bespectacled Danish schoolteacher named Per Lundquist. He drives to the station and catches a train for Paris. After Madame de Montpelliers body is discovered and her car recovered at the station, Lebel initiates an open manhunt. The Jackal allows himself to be picked up at a Turkish bathhouse, the next day, the Jackal kills his host after the man learns from a television broadcast that Lundquist is wanted for murder. Later, Lebel plays a recording of a call, in which St. Clairs mistress gives information to her OAS contact. Denise returns to St. Clairs apartment to find that he has killed himself, on Liberation Day, the Jackal, disguised as an elderly veteran amputee, enters the building he had chosen earlier. He assembles his rifle, hidden disassembled in one of his crutches, when Lebel finds out a policeman allowed a man to pass through the cordon, the two race to the building
The Day of the Jackal (film)
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Theatrical release poster
The Day of the Jackal (film)
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The Reading Room at the British Museum Library, where the Jackal reads Le Figaro
The Day of the Jackal (film)
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Hotel Negresco in Nice where the Jackal learns his identity has been revealed.
The Day of the Jackal (film)
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UK quad poster
24.
Henry V (1989 film)
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Henry V is a 1989 British historical drama film adapted for the screen and directed by Kenneth Branagh, based on William Shakespeares play of the same name about King Henry V of England. The film stars Branagh in the role with Paul Scofield, Derek Jacobi, Ian Holm, Emma Thompson, Alec McCowen, Judi Dench, Robbie Coltrane, Brian Blessed. The film received critical acclaim and has been widely considered one of the best Shakespeare film adaptations ever made. For her work on the film, Phyllis Dalton won an Academy Award for Best Costume Design and Kenneth Branagh, in his debut, received Oscar nominations for Best Actor. The film begins with Chorus, in case a person in modern dress. He is walking through an empty studio and ends his monologue by opening the doors to begin the main action. Chorus reappears several times during the film, his speeches helping to explain, the following act divisions reflect the original play, not the film. Early 15th century in England, The Bishop of Ely and the Archbishop of Canterbury collude to distract young King Henry V from passing a decree that might confiscate property from the church and they agree to talk him into invading France. Supported by the noblemen Exeter and Westmoreland, the clergymen manage to persuade Henry to declare war on France if his claim on the French crown is denied, Henry calls in Mountjoy, a representative of the Dauphin. The Dauphins condescending response takes the form of the delivery of a chest of tennis balls, Exeter, who opens the chest, is appalled, but Henry at first takes the insult calmly. He goes on to state his determination to attack France, dismisses the ambassador, Henry tricks three high-ranked traitors into pronouncing their own sentence by asking advice on the case of a man who shouted insults at him in the street. When they recommend that he show no mercy to this minor offender, the King reveals his knowledge of their own sedition, they draw their daggers, Exeter arrests them for high treason and Henry orders their execution before crossing the English Channel. Meanwhile, in France, Charles VI, the King of France, the Dauphin does not fear Henry, but Charles and the Constable of France are worried because of Henrys martial ancestors and their previous English invasions. He informs them that Henry demands the French crown and is prepared to take it by force if it is withheld, King Charles tells Exeter he will give him a reply the following day. King Henry delivers a speech to his troops and attacks the walled city of Harfleur. When the Dauphin fails to relieve the city in time, the governor surrenders in return for Henrys promise to do Harfleurs population no harm, Henry orders Exeter to repair its fortifications. Katharine, a French princess who had arranged to marry King Henry prior to the war. Correct English pronunciation is very hard for her to learn but she is determined to accomplish it, in a silent moment, Katharine watches her father and his courtiers and notes how worried they appear
Henry V (1989 film)
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Theatrical release poster
25.
Dead Again
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Dead Again is a 1991 American romantic fantasy neo-noir mystery thriller film written by Scott Frank and directed by Kenneth Branagh. It stars Branagh and his then-wife Emma Thompson, and co-stars Andy García, Derek Jacobi, Wayne Knight, Dead Again was a moderate box office success and was positively received by the majority of critics. Newspapers detail the 1949 murder of Margaret Strauss, who was stabbed during a robbery and her husband, composer Roman Strauss, is found guilty of the crime and condemned to death. Before his execution, Roman is visited by reporter Gray Baker, asked if he killed Margaret, Roman whispers in Gray’s ear, Baker does not disclose Romans answer. Forty years later, private detective Mike Church investigates the identity of a woman who has appeared at the orphanage where he grew up and she has amnesia, cannot speak and has nightmares. Mike takes her in and asks his friend, Pete Dugan, to publish her picture, antiques dealer and hypnotist Franklyn Madson approaches Mike, suggesting that hypnosis may help her recover her memory. When the session is unsuccessful, Madson suggests that they experiment with past life regression, Mike is skeptical, but the woman details Margaret and Romans lives in third person, from courtship to their wedding. When the session ends, she can speak but still has amnesia, Madson shows them copies of Life from the murder, Mike and the woman bear a striking resemblance to Roman and Margaret. Mike visits disgraced psychiatrist Cozy Carlisle, who insists that they continue to see Madson, Mike nicknames the woman Grace, and falls in love with her. Doug appears and claims that Grace is his fiancée Katherine, but Mike discovers he is lying, hypnotized, Grace remembers that Roman suffers from writers block and is broke. He believes that Margaret is flirting with Baker, whom she met on their wedding day, Margaret cannot convince Roman that she is faithful and catches Frankie, the son of their housekeeper Inga, looking through her jewelry box. She asks Roman to dismiss them but Roman refuses, saying that they saved his life in Germany, Grace sees Mike standing over Margaret with scissors, and is convinced he intends to kill her. Mike insists that he would never hurt her, but when he calls her Margaret. Dugan tells Mike that he has identified Grace as artist Amanda Sharp, Amanda, still afraid of Mike, accompanies Pete and Madson to her apartment, her artwork focuses on scissors. Madson gives her a gun to protect herself from Mike, Mike visits Baker in a nursing home and asks him about Romans secret, but Baker insists that Roman said nothing to him. Baker is convinced that Roman did not kill his wife and urges Mike to find Inga, Mike realizes that Madson is Frankie, he questions Inga, who explains that she declared her love for Roman, but he rebuffed her advances. Frankie blamed Margaret for his mothers unhappiness and killed her with scissors, Roman stumbled in, and was found covered in his wifes blood and holding the murder weapon. After Romans execution, Inga brought Frankie to London, he learned about hypnotherapy, after returning to Los Angeles, Frankie was convinced that Margaret’s spirit would seek revenge
Dead Again
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Theatrical release poster
26.
Gladiator (2000 film)
–
Gladiator is a 2000 epic historical drama film directed by Ridley Scott and written by David Franzoni, John Logan and William Nicholson. It stars Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Ralf Möller, Oliver Reed, Djimon Hounsou, Derek Jacobi, John Shrapnel, reduced to slavery, Maximus rises through the ranks of the gladiatorial arena to avenge the murders of his family and his emperor. The film was released in the United States on May 5,2000, the film won multiple awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Crowe and three other Oscars at the 73rd Academy Awards. It has also credited with rekindling interest in films centered around ancient Greek. In AD180, Hispano-Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius leads the Roman army to a victory against the Germanic tribes near Vindobona on the northern frontier. Now weary of battle, Maximus only desires to retire to his Spanish farm estate, but Emperor Marcus Aurelius tells him that his own son and heir, Commodus, is unfit to rule and that he will appoint Maximus as regent to help save Rome from corruption. When the Emperor reveals his plan to his son, Commodus murders him in a fit of rage, Commodus announces he is the new Emperor and asks Maximus for his loyalty. When the general refuses, he is arrested by his officers and is sentenced to death at dawn, Maximus kills his captors and rides for his farm. However, he too late, and finds it destroyed and his family murdered. Maximus buries his wife and son, and then collapses from his wounds and he is found by slavers who take him to Zucchabar, a colonia in the Roman North African province of Mauretania Caesariensis, where he is sold to a lanista named Proximo. As he wins every match because of his skills and indifference to death, he gains fame. Proximo encourages Maximus to go to Rome and fight in the Colosseum and he could then use the power he commands in the arena as leverage against the Emperor. Maximus first gladiatorial combat in the Colosseum is a re-enactment of the Roman victory over Carthage at the Battle of Zama, although the gladiators are expected to be massacred, Maximus leads them to victory over the legionaries of Scipio Africanus. This prompts a surprised and delighted Commodus to enter the arena to offer his personal congratulations, when the emperors young nephew, Lucius, also joins them, Maximus decides not to kill Commodus. Instead he reveals himself and vows to have vengeance, the Praetorian Guard is ordered to attack but this angers the crowd. Under pressure to keep the mob of Rome happy, Commodus angrily relents, Maximus next fight is a victory against a large undefeated gladiator. Despite Commoduss orders to kill the loser, Maximus spares his opponents life. This defiance earns him the nickname Maximus the Merciful and more cheers of adulation, angered at this outcome, Commodus enters the arena to taunt Maximus about his familys death
Gladiator (2000 film)
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Theatrical release poster
Gladiator (2000 film)
–
Pollice Verso (Thumbs Down) by
Jean-Léon Gérôme, the 19th-century painting that inspired Ridley Scott to tackle the project.
Gladiator (2000 film)
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Several scenes included extensive use of computer-generated imagery shots for views of Rome.
Gladiator (2000 film)
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The
Numidian king
Juba. The Numidians were most likely of
Berber origin, instead of Sub-saharan origin.
27.
Gosford Park
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Gosford Park is a 2001 British mystery film directed by Robert Altman and written by Julian Fellowes. The story follows a party of wealthy Britons and an American, and their servants, who gather for a weekend at Gosford Park. A murder occurs after a party, and the film goes on to present the subsequent investigation from the servants and guests perspectives. Development on Gosford Park began in 1999, when Bob Balaban asked Altman if they could develop a film together, Balaban suggested an Agatha Christie-style whodunit and introduced Altman to Julian Fellowes, with whom Balaban had been working on a different project. The film went into production in March 2001, and began filming at Shepperton Studios with a budget of $19.8 million. Gosford Park premiered on 7 November 2001 at the London Film Festival and it received a limited release across cinemas in the United States in December 2001, before being widely released in January 2002 by USA Films. It was released in February 2002 in the United Kingdom, the film was successful at the box office, grossing over $87 million in cinemas worldwide, making it Altmans second most successful film after MASH. Widely acclaimed by critics, it received awards and nominations, including seven Academy Award nominations. In November 1932, Constance, Countess of Trentham, and her ladys maid, on the way, they encounter actor Ivor Novello, American film producer Morris Weissman and Weissmans valet, Henry Denton, who are also attending the hunting party. At the house, they are greeted by Lady Trenthams niece, Lady Sylvia McCordle, her husband Sir William McCordle, the other guests include Lady Sylvias sisters, Louisa, Lady Stockbridge and Lady Lavinia Meredith and their husbands, Raymond, Lord Stockbridge and Commander Anthony Meredith. Also in attendance are the Honourable Freddie Nesbitt and his wife, Mabel, Isobels suitor, Lord Rupert Standish, the servants hall is divided by a strict social hierarchy, dominated by the head housekeeper, Mrs. Wilson. She maintains a relationship with the head cook, Mrs. Croft. The head housemaid, Elsie, takes a kindly interest in the naive Mary, Sir William is an extremely rich industrialist, and much of the company are dependent on him in one way or another. Commander Meredith is in on the verge of bankruptcy and is outraged when Sir William announces he intends to withdraw his investment in Merediths latest business venture, Lady Sylvia reveals to her aunt that William may stop paying Lady Trenthams allowance. Freddie Nesbitt was having an affair with Sir Williams daughter Isobel, likewise, Rupert Standish is trying to romance Isobel for her money. Lady Sylvia makes an assignation with Mr Weissmans valet, Henry Denton, for 1am that night, the next morning the men go out early on a pheasant shoot, and Sir William is slightly injured by a stray birdshot. Later, the join the gentlemen for an outdoor luncheon on the estate grounds. Dinner that evening is tense and sombre, as the conversation progresses, tempers flare and Lady Sylvia attacks Sir William, implying that he was a First World War profiteer
Gosford Park
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Theatrical release poster
Gosford Park
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Wrotham Park, where outdoor and the ground floor scenes for Gosford Park were shot
28.
The Riddle (film)
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The Riddle is a 2007 film directed by Brendan Foley and starring Vinnie Jones, Derek Jacobi, Julie Cox, Vanessa Redgrave, and Jason Flemyng. When a woman is murdered following her discovery of an unpublished Charles Dickens manuscript, the three are Mike, an ambitious sports reporter determined to make a name for himself, Kate, a police officer, and an eccentric old man. Together they must track down the mystery and we are back to the world of Charles Dickens. The film was released as a World Exclusive Premiere promotion, and came free inside the Mail on Sunday, the promotional DVD contains a trailer for Bog Bodies, an upcoming film also directed by Brendan Foley. The Riddle at the Internet Movie Database
The Riddle (film)
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The Riddle
29.
My Week with Marilyn
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My Week with Marilyn is a 2011 British drama film directed by Simon Curtis and written by Adrian Hodges. It stars Michelle Williams, Kenneth Branagh, Eddie Redmayne, Dominic Cooper, Julia Ormond, Emma Watson, based on two books by Colin Clark, it depicts the making of the 1957 film The Prince and the Showgirl, which starred Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier. The film focuses on the week during the shooting of the 1957 film when Monroe was escorted around London by Colin, principal photography began on 4 October 2010, at Pinewood Studios. Filming took place at Saltwood Castle, White Waltham Airfield, and on locations in, Curtis also used the same studio in which Monroe had shot The Prince and the Showgirl in 1956. My Week with Marilyn had its premiere at the New York Film Festival on 9 October 2011. The film was released on 23 November 2011, in the United States, following his graduation from university in 1956, aspiring filmmaker Colin Clark travels to London to get a job on Laurence Oliviers next production. Production manager Hugh Perceval tells Colin that there are no jobs available, but he decides to wait for Olivier, whom he once met at a party. Olivier and his wife, Vivien Leigh, eventually show up and Vivien encourages Olivier to give Colin a job on his upcoming film The Prince and the Showgirl, starring Marilyn Monroe. Colins first task is to find a place for Marilyn and her husband, Arthur Miller. The press discover the house, but Colin reveals he secured a house just in case, impressing Olivier and Marilyns publicist. The paparazzi find out about Marilyns arrival at Heathrow and they gather around the plane when it lands, Marilyn brings Arthur, her business partner, Milton H. Greene, and her acting coach, Paula Strasberg, with her. Marilyn initially is uncomfortable around the photographers, but relaxes at the press conference. Olivier becomes frustrated when Marilyn is late to the read-through and she insists Paula sit with her, and when she has trouble with her lines, Paula reads them for her. The crew and the actors, including Sybil Thorndike, are in awe of Marilyn. Colin meets Lucy, an assistant to whom he is attracted. Marilyn starts arriving later to the set and often forgets her lines, however, Sybil praises Marilyn and defends her when Olivier tries to get her to apologise for holding the shoot up. Marilyn struggles to understand her character and leaves the set when Olivier insults her, Colin asks Olivier to be more sympathetic towards Marilyn, before he goes to Parkside House to check on her. He hears an argument and finds a tearful Marilyn sitting on the stairs with Arthurs notebook, Arthur later returns to the United States
My Week with Marilyn
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Theatrical release poster
My Week with Marilyn
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Adrian Hodges wrote the screenplay.
My Week with Marilyn
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Michelle Williams as
Marilyn Monroe and
Dougray Scott as
Arthur Miller on set in
Mayfair, London.
30.
Knight Bachelor
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The appointment of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic and lowest rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch, Knights Bachelor are the most ancient sort of British knight, but Knights Bachelor rank below knights of the various orders. There is no counterpart to Knight Bachelor. The lowest knightly honour that can be conferred upon a woman is Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire – which, also, foreigners are not created Knights Bachelor, instead they are generally made honorary KBEs. It is generally awarded for service, amongst its recipients are all male judges of Her Majestys High Court of Justice in England. Sir Patrick Stewart, and Sir Tom Jones are Officers of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, like other knights, Knights Bachelor are styled Sir. Since they are not knights of any order of chivalry, there is no post-nominal associated with the award. This style is adopted by Knights Bachelor who are also peers, baronets or knights of the various statutory orders, such as Sir William Boulton, Bt, Kt, or The Lord Olivier. Until 1926 Knights Bachelor had no insignia which they could wear, the Knights Bachelor badge may be worn on all such occasions upon the left side of the coat or outer garment of those upon whom the degree of Knight Bachelor has been conferred. In 1974, Queen Elizabeth II issued a warrant authorising the wearing on appropriate occasions of a neck badge, slightly smaller in size. In 1988 a new certificate of authentication, a knights only personal documentation, was designed by the College of Arms. The Imperial Society of Knights Bachelor was founded for the maintenance and consolidation of the Dignity of Knights Bachelor in 1908, the Society keeps records of all Knights Bachelor, in their interest
Knight Bachelor
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Knight Bachelor
31.
Order of the Dannebrog
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The Order of the Dannebrog is an Order of Denmark, instituted in 1671 by Christian V. In 1808, the Order was reformed and divided into four classes, the Grand Commander class is reserved to persons of princely origin. It is only awarded to royalty with close ties with the Danish Royal House. The statute of the Order was amended in 1951 by a Royal Ordinance so that men and women could be members of the Order. The badge of the Order is a white enamelled Dannebrog cross with a red enamelled border, for the Knights in silver and for everyone else in gold or silver gilt. On its reverse are found the crowned royal cyphers of Valdemar II Sejr, Christian V and Frederik VI, as well as the years 1219,1671 and 1808, in each of the four angles of the cross is found a small Danish royal crown. The Grand Cross can, as an honor, be awarded with diamonds. There is also a Cross of Honour, when the collar is worn the sash is not worn. The star of the Order is a silver star with straight rays with an enamelled Dannebrog cross at the centre. The breast cross of the Order is similar to the cross on the star but larger and with faceted silver instead of white enamel, the ribbon of the Order is white silk moiré with red borders, the national colours of Denmark. The Order originally had a distinctive habit worn by the knights on very solemn occasions, over this red mantle was worn a short white shoulder cape with a standing collar embroidered in gold, upon which was worn the collar of the Order. The habit also had a hat with a plume of white. This habit was almost identical to that worn by the knights of the Order of the Elephant, each Danish ministry has a quota of Knights and Knights 1st class that they may use at their discretion. It is most often given to high-ranking officers of the police, armed forces, also used for politicians in Folketinget after 8 years of elected service. Ministers are given the rank of Knight 1st Class, the rank of Commander is given to Colonels, ministers and other high-ranking officials as a retirement-decoration after long service. Commander 1st class is given for Admirals, Generals, Supreme-court judges, ambassadors, Grand Cross is most often used for admirals, generals, Supreme-court judges, ambassadors and similar as a reward for very meritorious service to Denmark. Grand Cross with Breaststar with Diamonds is most often given to high-ranking officers of the Royal Court, finally, the Grand Commander grade is only given to 8 people. The reigning monarch is always a Grand Commander, and he/she may give the grade to 7 others - most often close family, the Order of the Dannebrog is often used as a tool of diplomacy
Order of the Dannebrog
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Order of the Dannebrog, Breast Star with Grand Cross, unofficial model
32.
Drapery
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Drapery is a general word referring to cloths or textiles. It may refer to cloth used for decorative purposes – such as around windows – or to the trade of retailing cloth, originally mostly for clothing, in art history, drapery refers to any cloth or textile depicted, which is usually clothing. After the Renaissance, large cloths with no obvious purpose are often used decoratively, especially in portraits in the grand manner. Drapery, by suggesting lines of force, indicates for each action a past, undraped male figures, Clark observed, were kept in motion by their flying cloaks
Drapery
–
Drapery.
Drapery
–
Fresco of
Mithras and the Bull from the
mithraeum at Marino, (3rd century CE)
Drapery
–
Poppaea, wife of
Nero
Drapery
–
The
Bamberg Apocalypse
33.
Tobacconist
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A tobacconist, also called a tobacco shop or smoke shop is a retailer of tobacco products in various forms and the related accoutrements, such as pipes, lighters, matches, pipe cleaners, pipe tampers. More specialized retailers may sell ashtrays, humidification devices, hygrometers, humidors, cigar cutters, books and magazines, especially ones related to tobacco are commonly offered. Items irrelevant to such as puzzles, games, figurines, hip flasks, canes or other walking sticks. In the USA, a tobacconist shop is traditionally represented by a wooden Indian positioned nearby, most retailers of tobacco sell other types of product, today supermarkets, in many countries with a special counter, are usually the main sellers of the common brands of cigarette. In the United Kingdom, a combination in small shops has been a newsagent selling newspapers and magazines, as well as confectionery. In UK retailing this sector is known as CONTOB, specialist tobacconists are in theory educated and practiced in all things related to tobacco including its different forms, colors, scents, textures and tastes. They employ this knowledge to provide information regarding customers about the tobacco products, standard tobacco shops in the United States generally specialize in cigarettes, roll-your-own supplies, smokeless tobacco such as dipping tobacco and chewing tobacco, cigars, and pipe tobacco. More recently, these shops may also carry vaping supplies. More upscale tobacco shops tend to have a larger emphasis on cigars. Many of these establishments will have a walk-in humidor, as well as a lounge or even a bar. These stores, often categorizing themselves specifically as a cigar store generally have limited amounts of the other forms of tobacco. In countries where tobacco control laws are strong, tobacconists may have their trade limited, in the United States, it is common for retail pharmacies to sell cigarettes and similar products on the same premises as over-the-counter drugs and prescription medication. Pharmaceutical retailers counter this argument by reasoning that by selling tobacco, they are readily able to offer to customers advice. The Tobacconist, Victorian Walk is an exhibit at the Museum of London. It showcases shops in an effort to recreate the late 19th century
Tobacconist
–
Tobacconist in
Ghent,
Belgium.
Tobacconist
–
19th century cigar store figures from
Mercer Museum in
Doylestown, Pennsylvania.
Tobacconist
–
18th-century advertising figure for a British tobacconist
34.
Chingford
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Chingford is a district of the London Borough of Waltham Forest in North East London, situated 10 miles northeast of Charing Cross. Historically a rural Essex parish, it gained urban district status in 1894, Chingford is close to the Essex border of Epping Forest District. It borders Sewardstone to the north, Woodford Green and Buckhurst Hill to the east, to the west lie William Girling and King George V reservoirs, known together as the Chingford Reservoirs, and the River Lea. Across these, Chingford is linked with Ponders End through the A110 Lea Valley Road, to the north and east lies Epping Forest, the most part of which is in Essex but is maintained by the City of London Corporation. The River Ching runs through the area, and the town of Chingford is close to a number of fords of that river. However, old maps and descriptions give a name for the settlement long before the river has a name and this idea is compounded by links to royalty using the area for hunting in centuries gone by. However, the most generally accepted explanation by place name genealogists is that the name has its origin as Shingly Ford—that is. One notable local landmark is Queen Elizabeths Hunting Lodge, originally called the Great Standing, it was built for King Henry VIII in 1543, and was used as a grandstand to watch the hunting of deer, although it has been heavily altered over time. The building is located on Chingford Plain within Epping Forest and is open to the public, the lodge is preserved under the Epping Forest Preservation Act. Originally a barn built in the century, Butlers Retreat. The building is adjacent to the Queen Elizabeths Hunting Lodge and takes its name from the 1891 occupier John Butler, retreats originally served non-alcoholic refreshments as part of the Temperance movement. After closing in 2009 the building was refurbished by the City of London Corporation, All Saints Church in Chingford Mount dates back to the 12th century. Directly opposite the church is Chingford Mount Cemetery, best known today as the place of the Kray family. Friday Hill House, Simmons Lane, off Friday Hill, dating from 1839, was a house built and owned by Robert Boothby Heathcote. It was he who paid for the building of the church of St Peter and he is buried in the Boothby family vault in All Saints Churchyard, Old Church Road. The vault was purchased by Robert Boothby, who lived in the manor house. The present building has been used as an education centre. Pimp Hall Dovecote is situated in an area at the bottom of Friday Hill
Chingford
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Chingford Mount
Chingford
–
Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge
Chingford
–
All Saints Church, Old Church Road, E4
Chingford
–
Friday Hill House
35.
Leyton Sixth Form College
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Leyton Sixth Form College is a public college located in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. The college has achieved the Investors in People Gold Award, one of the most prestigious honors that is obtained by 1% of United Kingdom’s corporations. In April 2013, when Leyton Sixth Form College won the British Colleges Sport’s annual award, yearly course analyses are extensive and burdensome. The college has partnerships with Imperial College London, Queen Mary University of London. All the employees are committed to parity of occasion, executives and educators are thoughtful to the cultural needs of students. The chemistry security policy recognises the head casing worn by many female Muslim students, the college holds more than 2100 full-time students. The largest groups of students are British South Asians and Black British, others include British Arabs and Eastern Europeans. A lot of students are Muslims, in fact, Leyton Sixth Form College serves one of the Great Britains biggest Islamic society of College, Leyton County High School for Boys was formed in 1916 by amalgamation of Leyton and Leytonstone high schools. The school occupied temporary premises at Connaught Road until 1929, when it moved to new buildings in Essex Road, the opening was performed by the Prince of Wales. It was a grammar school for boys aged 11 to 18. The analogue of this school was the Leyton County High School for Girls on Colworth Road, head Master for the school in the 1940-1949 period was Dr Couch, a cousin of Dr Quiller-Couch. He presided over the school while it housed first-year pupils at Ruckholt Road annex, the site is now a car sales outlet. No doubt there was an influx of pupils at the end of the war that could not be accommodated in other Grammar Schools that had damaged in that area of South West Essex. The colleges forty million pounds building project has been finished with all learners being able to access their new opportunities, the brand new state of the art theatre has become the venue for a wide range of high quality drama and musical performances. The colleges purpose built Television studio has been established with industry standard apparatus, the street that now links all institution buildings has also proved to be popular with events as varied as a World Food Day and the annual Higher Education fair taking place in it. The final stage of the scheme embroiled a spacious extension to the existing Meridian House, the Prime Meridian passes through this, which is Hooke’s 10-foot Mural Quadrant. The enlargement now accommodates the Business and Travel departments as well as providing extraordinary new infrastructures for Art, the reconstructing building has provided an egregious new library and an extensive drop-in computer centre, named the Hub and rebuilt Maths and science sectors
Leyton Sixth Form College
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Leyton Sixth Form College
Leyton Sixth Form College
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The main campus on Essex Road.
Leyton Sixth Form College
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The Meridian House, which represents two of the
Greenwich meridian instruments.
36.
Leyton
–
Leyton is a district of east London and part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest, located 6.2 miles north-east of Charing Cross in the United Kingdom. It borders Walthamstow and Leytonstone in Waltham Forest, Stratford in the London Borough of Newham and Homerton, the district includes part of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, which hosted the 2012 Olympic Games, as well as Leyton Orient Football Club, although it is predominantly residential. It consists mainly of terraced houses built between 1870 and 1910, interspersed with modern housing estates. Leyton is in the Lower Lea Valley, the river forming its western boundary, the area rises from low-lying marshland along the Lea to over 90 feet at Whipps Cross on the southern edge of Epping Forest. Leyton is partially bisected by the A12, with most of the district lying on the north-west side of busy traffic artery through east London. The High Road Leyton bridge crossing the A12 offers some of the best views in London of the Olympic Park and it borders Walthamstow along Lea Bridge Road and areas of the London Borough of Hackney via the River Lea. Paleolithic implements and fossil bones show that man hunted in Leyton. A Roman cemetery and the foundations of a Roman villa have been found here, from Anglo-Saxon times, Leyton has been part of the County of Essex. The name means settlement on the River Lea and was known until 1921 as Low Leyton. In the Domesday Book, the name is rendered as Leintun. at which time the population was 43, the ancient parish church of St Mary the Virgin was largely rebuilt in the 17th Century. The parish of Leyton also included Leytonstone, the old civil parish was formed into an Urban District within Essex in 1894 and it gained the status of Municipal Borough in 1926. The parish and urban district were known as Low Leyton until 1921. In 1965, the Municipal Borough of Leyton was abolished and was combined with that of Walthamstow and Chingford to form the London Borough of Waltham Forest, the main route through the town is the High Road, which forms part of the ancient route to Waltham Abbey. At the top end of the High Road is a crossroads with Lea Bridge Road and this junction and the surrounding district is known as Bakers Arms, named after the public house which has now closed down. The pub was named in honour of the almshouses on Lea Bridge Road built in 1857 by the London Master Bakers Benevolent Institution. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Leyton was a pretty retiring place from London for wealthy merchants and bankers, Leytons development from an agricultural community to an industrial and residential suburb was given impetus by the arrival of the railway. First at Lea Bridge Station in 1840, then at Low Leyton in 1856, finally Leyton Midland Road opened in 1894, after an elevated line had been built on brick arches across the already developed streets. However, not all the spaces were lost,200 acres of Epping Forest within Leytons borders were preserved by the Epping Forest Act 1878
Leyton
Leyton
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View of A12 from opposite Leyton Underground station
Leyton
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Leyton Town Hall
Leyton
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Leyton Parish Church
37.
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
–
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the worlds largest arts festival, which in 2016, spanned 25 days and featured 50,266 performances of 3,269 shows in 294 venues. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place annually in Edinburgh, Scotlands capital and it is an open access performing arts festival, meaning there is no selection committee, and anyone may participate, with any type of performance. The Fringe has often showcased experimental, challenging or controversial works that might not be invited to a more conservative arts festival, the Fringe board of directors is drawn from members of the Festival Fringe Society, who are often Fringe participants themselves – performers or administrators. Elections are held once a year, in August, and Board members serve a term of four years, the Board appoints the Fringe Chief Executive, who is currently Shona McCarthy and assumed the role in March 2016. The Chief Executive operates under the chair, currently Professor Sir Timothy OShea, the Fringe started life when eight theatre companies turned up uninvited to the inaugural Edinburgh International Festival in 1947. With the official festival using the major venues, these companies took over smaller. Seven performed in Edinburgh, and one undertook a version of the morality play Everyman in Dunfermline Abbey, about 20 miles north. These groups aimed to take advantage of the large assembled theatre crowds to showcase their own alternative theatre, although at the time it was not recognised as such, this was the first Edinburgh Festival Fringe. This meant that two defining features of the future Fringe were established at the very beginning – the lack of invitations to perform. I am afraid some of us are not going to be at home during the evenings. The word fringe had in fact used in a review of Everyman in 1947. Late night revues, which would become a feature of Fringes, the first one was the New Drama Groups After The Show, a series of sketches taking place after Donald Pleasences Ebb Tide, in 1952. Among the talent to appear in early Fringe revues were Ned Sherrin in 1955, due to many reviewers only being able to attend Fringe events late night after the official festival was finished, the Fringe came to be seen as being about revues. It was a few years before an official programme for the Fringe was created. John Menzies compiled a list of shows under the title Other Events in their omnibus festival brochure and this was funded by participating companies and was entitled Additional Entertainments, since the name Fringe was still not yet in regular usage. It also used a strange cover motif, a first attempt was made to provide a central booking service in 1955 by students from the university, although it lost money, which was blamed on those who had not taken part. Formal organisation progressed in 1959, with the formation of the Festival Fringe Society, the push for such an organisation was led by Michael Imison, director of Oxford Theatre Group. A constitution was drawn up, in which the policy of not vetting or censoring shows was set out, nineteen companies participated in the Fringe in that year
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
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A street performer on the High Street in 2010
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
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1971 Festival Fringe Club Membership Card
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
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John Bishop performing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
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Street performer in the
High Street in 2013
38.
Ian McKellen
–
Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CH, CBE is an English actor. He has also received two Oscar nominations, four BAFTA nominations and five Emmy Award nominations, McKellens career spans genres ranging from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. The BBC states his performances have guaranteed him a place in the canon of English stage, a recipient of every major theatrical award in the UK, McKellen is regarded as a British cultural icon. He started his career in 1961 at the Belgrade Theatre as a member of their highly regarded repertory company. In the 1970s McKellen became a stalwart of the Royal Shakespeare Company and he has been openly gay since 1988, and continues to be a champion for LGBT social movements worldwide. He was made a Freeman of the City of London in October 2014, McKellen was born on 25 May 1939 in Burnley, Lancashire, the son of Margery Lois and Denis Murray McKellen, a civil engineer. He was their child, with a sister, Jean. Shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939 and they lived there until Ian was twelve years old, before relocating to Bolton in 1951, after his father had been promoted. The experience of living through the war as a child had a lasting impact on him. Did I realise that war wasnt normal, when an interviewer remarked that he seemed quite calm in the aftermath of 11 September attacks, McKellen said, Well, darling, you forget—I slept under a steel plate until I was four years old. Even though he lived in Bolton for less than seven years, as opposed to the eleven years in Wigan beforehand. McKellens father was a engineer and lay preacher, and was of Protestant Irish and Scottish descent. Both of McKellens grandfathers were preachers, and his great-great-grandfather, James McKellen, was a strict, evangelical Protestant minister in Ballymena and his home environment was strongly Christian, but non-orthodox. My upbringing was of low nonconformist Christians who felt that you led the Christian life in part by behaving in a Christian manner to everybody you met, when he was 12, his mother died of breast cancer, his father died when he was 24. His great-great-grandfather Robert J. McKellen attended Bolton School, of which he is still a supporter, McKellens acting career started at Bolton Little Theatre, of which he is now the patron. An early fascination with the theatre was encouraged by his parents, in 1958, McKellen, at the age of 18, won a scholarship to St Catharines College, Cambridge, where he read English literature. While at Cambridge, McKellen was a member of the Marlowe Society, at that young age he was already giving performances that have since become legendary such as his Justice Shallow in Henry IV alongside Trevor Nunn and Derek Jacobi, Cymbeline and Doctor Faustus. During this period McKellen had already directed by Peter Hall, John Barton
Ian McKellen
–
McKellen at the 2013
San Diego Comic-Con International
Ian McKellen
–
McKellen with actors
Billy Crudup and
Patrick Stewart on 24 September 2013 for a press junket at
Sardi's restaurant for
Waiting for Godot and
No Man's Land.
Ian McKellen
–
McKellen at the premiere of
The Return of the King in
Wellington, New Zealand, 1 December 2003.
Ian McKellen
–
McKellen at
Manchester Pride 2010
39.
Richard Burton
–
Richard Burton, CBE was a Welsh actor who was noted for his mellifluous baritone voice. Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s and he was called the natural successor to Olivier by critic and dramaturge Kenneth Tynan. An alcoholic, Burtons failure to live up to those expectations disappointed critics and colleagues, Burton was nominated for an Academy Award seven times, but never won an Oscar. He was a recipient of BAFTAs, Golden Globes, and Tony Awards for Best Actor, Burton remains closely associated in the public consciousness with his second wife, actress Elizabeth Taylor. The couples turbulent relationship was rarely out of the news, Burton was born Richard Walter Jenkins, Jr. on 10 November 1925 in a house at 2 Dan-y-bont in Pontrhydyfen, Neath Port Talbot. He was the twelfth of thirteen born to Richard Walter Jenkins Sr. Jenkins Sr. called Daddy Ni by the family, was a miner, while his mother worked as a bartender at a pub called the Miners Arms. He remembered his mother to be a strong woman and a religious soul with fair hair. Richard was barely two years old when his mother died on 31 October, six days after the birth of Graham, Ediths death was a result of postpartum infections, Richard believed it occurred due to hygiene neglect. According to biographer Michael Munn, Edith was fastidiously clean, following Ediths death, Richards elder sister Cecilia, whom he affectionately addressed as Cis, and her husband Elfed James, also a miner, took him under their care. I was immensely proud of her and she felt all tragedies except her own. Daddy Ni would occasionally visit the homes of his daughters but was otherwise absent. Another important figure in Richards early life was Ifor, his brother,19 years his senior, a miner and rugby union player, Ifor ruled the household with the proverbial firm hand. He was also responsible for nurturing a passion for Rugby in young Richard, although Richard also played cricket, tennis, and table tennis, biographer Bragg notes rugby union football to be his greatest interest. On rugby, Richard said he would rather have played for Wales at Cardiff Arms Park than Hamlet at The Old Vic, the Welsh rugby union centre, Bleddyn Williams believed Richard had distinct possibilities as a player. From the age of five to eight, Richard was educated at the Eastern Primary School while he attended the Boys segment of the school from eight to twelve years old. He took an exam for admission into Port Talbot Secondary School in March 1937. Biographer Hollis Alpert notes that both Daddy Ni and Ifor considered Richards education to be of paramount importance and planned to send him to the University of Oxford, Richard became the first member of his family to go to secondary school
Richard Burton
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Richard Burton in The Robe (1953)
Richard Burton
–
Richard Burton
Richard Burton
–
Burton was born in Pontrhydyfen, where his father and some of his brothers were coal miners
Richard Burton
–
Richard Burton in the film
Cleopatra (1963)
40.
Birmingham Repertory Theatre
–
Birmingham Repertory Theatre, commonly called Birmingham Rep or just The Rep, is a producing theatre based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England. It is the longest-established of Britains building-based theatre companies and one of its most consistently innovative, the company retains its commitment to new writing and in the five years to 2013 commissioned and produced 130 new plays. Their success and reputation led them to professional and rename themselves the Birmingham Repertory Company in 1911. By September 1912 Jackson had bought a site in Station Street in Birmingham City Centre, construction started the following month and the building – now the Old Rep – opened with a production of Twelfth Night only four months later, on 15 February 1913. The Reps stated mission was to enlarge and increase the sense of the public. There had been earlier repertory theatres in Manchester, Glasgow and Liverpool, the Rep developed its reputation with a series of artistic achievements whose effects would be felt far beyond Birmingham. John Drinkwater had been one of the members of the Pilgrim Players and was employed as the Reps first manager when it opened in 1913. Of longest-lasting influence however was the production of Cymbeline that opened in Birmingham in April 1923 and this was the first performance of Shakespeare to take place in modern dress and it bewildered critics, leading to what Jackson happily called a national and worldwide controversy. The company also came to be recognised as the leading training ground for actors and actresses who would later establish themselves as stars in London. John Gielguds performance as Romeo with the company in 1924 was his first major role, peggy Ashcroft made her professional debut with Birmingham seasons in 1926 and 1927. By the late 1920s Jackson occupied a central and commanding role in high-brow British theatre with Birmingham the nerve-centre of his activities, at least one production was presented in London every year from 1919 to 1935. Jackson single-handedly financed the theatre for two decades, personally losing over £100,000. A fundraising appeal in 1934 raised only £3,000 of its £20,000 target, however, although this relieved Jackson of financial responsibility for the company, he would retain full artistic control until his death in 1961. The Reps radical reputation attracted young talent, actors who first rose to prominence at the pre-war Rep included Laurence Olivier, Cedric Hardwicke, Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies, Edith Evans, Stewart Granger and Ralph Richardson. All British theatres were closed for the first month of the war, the director Peter Brook launched his career at the Rep in 1945 and directed three plays with Paul Scofield in 1945. Other post war actors included Stanley Baker, Albert Finney, Ian Richardson, Julie Christie, sir Barry Jackson remained managing director of the theatre until his death in 1961. The building itself won a Royal Institute of British Architects award in 1972, in 1972, the Studio opened, it became an example of innovative theatre nationwide. It targeted young audiences and showcased new writing, including the premiere of Death Story by David Edgar
Birmingham Repertory Theatre
–
The Rep in February 2014, showing the new connecting wing linking to the
Library of Birmingham (right)
Birmingham Repertory Theatre
–
Barry Jackson, The Rep's founder, pictured in 1922.
Birmingham Repertory Theatre
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The
Old Rep – The Rep's home from 1913 until 1971.
Birmingham Repertory Theatre
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Blue plaque to
Sampson Gamgee
41.
Laurence Olivier
–
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM, was an English actor who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, dominated the British stage of the mid-20th century. He also worked in films throughout his career, playing more than fifty cinema roles, late in his career, he had considerable success in television roles. His family had no connections, but Oliviers father, a clergyman. After attending a school in London, Olivier learned his craft in a succession of acting jobs during the late 1920s. In 1930 he had his first important West End success in Noël Cowards Private Lives, in 1935 he played in a celebrated production of Romeo and Juliet alongside Gielgud and Peggy Ashcroft, and by the end of the decade he was an established star. In the 1940s, together with Richardson and John Burrell, Olivier was the co-director of the Old Vic, there his most celebrated roles included Shakespeares Richard III and Sophocless Oedipus. From 1963 to 1973 he was the director of Britains National Theatre. His own parts there included the role in Othello and Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. Among Oliviers films are Wuthering Heights, Rebecca, and a trilogy of Shakespeare films as actor-director, Henry V, Hamlet and his later films included Sleuth, Marathon Man, and The Boys from Brazil. His television appearances included an adaptation of The Moon and Sixpence, Long Days Journey into Night, Love Among the Ruins, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Brideshead Revisited, Oliviers honours included a knighthood, a life peerage and the Order of Merit. For his on-screen work he received four Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, five Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. The National Theatres largest auditorium is named in his honour, and he is commemorated in the Laurence Olivier Awards, given annually by the Society of London Theatre. He was married three times, to the actresses Jill Esmond from 1930 to 1940, Vivien Leigh from 1940 to 1960, Olivier was born in Dorking, Surrey, the youngest of the three children of the Revd Gerard Kerr Olivier and his wife Agnes Louise, née Crookenden. Their elder children were Sybille and Gerard Dacres Dickie and his great-great-grandfather was of French Huguenot descent, and Olivier came from a long line of Protestant clergymen. Gerard Olivier had begun a career as a schoolmaster, but in his thirties he discovered a strong religious vocation and was ordained as a priest of the Church of England and he practised extremely high church, ritualist Anglicanism and liked to be addressed as Father Olivier. This made him unacceptable to most Anglican congregations, and the church posts he was offered were temporary. This meant a nomadic existence, and for Laurences first few years, in 1912, when Olivier was five, his father secured a permanent appointment as assistant priest at St Saviours, Pimlico. He held the post for six years, and a family life was at last possible
Laurence Olivier
–
Olivier in 1973
Laurence Olivier
–
Interior of
All Saints, Margaret Street
Laurence Olivier
–
Peggy Ashcroft, a contemporary and friend of Olivier's at the
Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art, photographed in 1936
Laurence Olivier
–
Olivier, with his first wife
Jill Esmond (left), in 1932
42.
Laertes (Hamlet)
–
Laertes /leɪˈɜːrtiːz/ is a character in William Shakespeares play Hamlet. His name is taken from the father of Odysseus in Homers Odyssey, Laertes is the son of Polonius and the brother of Ophelia. In the final scene, he kills Hamlet with a sword to avenge the deaths of his father and sister. While dying of the poison, he implicates King Claudius. The Laertes character is thought to be originated by Shakespeare, as there is no equivalent character in any of the sources for the play. Before Laertes returns to France from Denmark, returning to Denmark only to attend the coronation of King Claudius, his father, Polonius, during Laertess absence, Hamlet kills Polonius in Gertrudes parlor. Laertes, informed of his fathers death, returns to Denmark, Laertes confronts the King, thinking he was responsible for Polonius death. The King explains to him who the killer was, and incites Laertes to kill Hamlet. When Ophelia appears in her mad condition, Laertes laments, saying if she had her wits she could not persuade him more to revenge. Later, Laertes is informed of her death and she had climbed into a willow tree that hung over a brook, and then fell into the water when a branch broke. Too insane to save herself, she drowned and his sisters death strengthens Laertess resolve to kill Hamlet. At her funeral, Laertes asks why the normal Christian burial ceremony is not being carried out for his sister and he leaps into her grave and begs the attendants to bury him with her. Hamlet, who was watching from afar, advances and himself leaps into Ophelias grave. When Laertes attacks Hamlet, the two have to be back to avoid a fight. In the next scene, King Claudius arranges a match between Hamlet and Laertes. Laertes uses his sharp, poisoned sword instead of a bated sword, the King provides a poisoned drink as a backup measure. Before the match begins, Hamlet apologizes publicly to Laertes for the wrongs he has dealt him, Laertes accepts the apology, so he says, but he proceeds with the scheme to kill Hamlet. Hamlet is eventually wounded with the poisoned sword, then, in a scuffle, the swords are switched
Laertes (Hamlet)
–
Laertes and Ophelia by
William Gorman Wills.
43.
Michael Cassio
–
Michael Cassio, or simply Cassio, is a fictional character in William Shakespeares Othello. The source of the character is the 1565 tale Un Capitano Moro by Cinthio, Cassio is unnamed in Cinthio, in the play, Cassio is a young and handsome lieutenant under Othellos command who becomes one of Iagos several victims in a plot to ruin Othello. Othello has its source in the 1565 tale Un Capitano Moro from Gli Hecatommithi by Giovanni Battista Giraldi Cinthio, while no English translation of Cinthio was available in Shakespeares lifetime, it is probable that Shakespeare knew both the Italian original and Gabriel Chappuys 1584 French translation. Cinthios tale may have based on an actual incident occurring in Venice about 1508. Cassio is based upon Cinthios squadron leader, Cassio is a Florentine gentlemans soldier, a man of high manners and theoretical learning, and one of Othellos chief lieutenants. There is a rivalry between Cassio and the plays villain, Iago. Iago claims to resent Cassio because Othello chose Cassio rather than Iago as his lieutenant, Iago uses Cassio in his scheme to destroy Othello, Iago insinuates throughout that Cassio is having an affair with Othellos wife, Desdemona. Othellos jealousy is eventually stoked by Iago into homicidal rage, in the second act, Cassios life is nearly ruined by Iagos cunning and his own foolishness. Iago tricks Cassio into getting drunk and then incites his friend Roderigo to start a brawl with Cassio, the Cypriot governor Montano tries to end the fight by stepping between the two men, and Cassio, now blind drunk, strikes out at him. As a result, Cassio loses his lieutenancy, later in the play, Iago persuades Roderigo to assassinate Cassio, and together they arrange an ambush. Cassio retaliates and mortally wounds Roderigo, but is stabbed from behind by Iago. His leg is wounded, but he survives, Iago then kills the wounded Roderigo. Before committing suicide, Othello apologizes to Cassio for believing Iagos lies about him, in productions of Othello, Cassio has been portrayed by such notable actors as Hayden Adams, Tom Hiddleston and Derek Jacobi. The latter portrayed Cassio in Laurence Oliviers version of Othello, both on stage and screen and he has also been portrayed by Nathaniel Parker in the 1995 movie production of Othello
Michael Cassio
–
William Holman Hunt - Bianca, Cassio's jealous lover.
Michael Cassio
–
Characters
44.
Othello
–
Othello is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603. It is based on the story Un Capitano Moro by Cinthio, Roderigo is upset because he loves Desdemona and had asked her father for her hand in marriage. Iago hates Othello for promoting a younger man named Cassio above him, whom Iago considers less capable a soldier than himself, Iago convinces Roderigo to wake Brabantio and tell him about his daughters elopement. Meanwhile, Iago sneaks away to find Othello and warns him that Brabantio is coming for him. Brabantio, provoked by Roderigo, is enraged and will not rest until he has beheaded Othello, but he finds Othellos residence full of the Duke of Venices guards, who prevent violence. News has arrived in Venice that the Turks are going to attack Cyprus, Brabantio has no option but to accompany Othello to the Dukes residence, where he accuses Othello of seducing Desdemona by witchcraft. Othello defends himself before the Duke of Venice, Brabantios kinsmen Lodovico and Gratiano, Othello explains that Desdemona became enamoured of him for the sad and compelling stories he told of his life before Venice, not because of any witchcraft. Iago, still in the room, takes note of Brabantios remark, the party arrives in Cyprus to find that a storm has destroyed the Turkish fleet. Othello orders a celebration and leaves to consummate his marriage with Desdemona. In his absence, Iago gets Cassio drunk, and then persuades Roderigo to draw Cassio into a fight, Montano tries to calm an angry and drunk Cassio down, but end up fighting one another. Montano is injured in the fight, Othello reenters and questions the men as to what happened. Othello blames Cassio for the disturbance and strips him of his rank, Iago persuades Cassio to importune Desdemona to convince her husband to reinstate Cassio. Iago now persuades Othello to be suspicious of Cassio and Desdemona, when Desdemona drops a handkerchief, Emilia finds it, and gives it to her husband Iago, at his request, unaware of what he plans to do with it. Othello reenters and vows with Iago for the death of Desdemona and Cassio, after which he makes Iago his lieutenant. Act III, scene iii, is considered to be the point of the play as it is the scene in which Iago successfully sows the seeds of doubt in Othellos mind. Iago plants the handkerchief in Cassios lodgings, then tells Othello to watch Cassios reactions while Iago questions him. Iago goads Cassio on to talk about his affair with Bianca, a local courtesan, later, Bianca accuses Cassio of giving her a second-hand gift which he had received from another lover. Othello sees this, and Iago convinces him that Cassio received the handkerchief from Desdemona, enraged and hurt, Othello resolves to kill his wife and asks Iago to kill Cassio
Othello
–
The Russian actor and
theatre practitioner Constantin Stanislavski as Othello in 1896
Othello
–
Desdemona and Othello, by
Antonio Muñoz Degrain
Othello
–
Othello costume - illustration by Percy Anderson for Costume Fanciful, Historical and Theatrical, 1906
Othello
–
Painting by
William Salter of Othello weeping over Desdemona's body. Oil on canvas, ca. 1857.
45.
Three Sisters (1970 Olivier film)
–
Three Sisters is a 1970 British drama film starring Alan Bates, Laurence Olivier and Joan Plowright, based on the 1900 play by Anton Chekhov. Olivier also directed, with co-director John Sichel, the film was based on a theatre production that Olivier directed at the Royal National Theatre in 1967. It had its U. S. release as part of the American Film Theatre series in 1974 and it was the final feature film directed by Olivier. Maj. Vassili Vassilich Solyony Alan Bates, lt. Fedotik The Three Sisters, a BBC TV version also made in 1970 Three Sisters, a Russian version Three Sisters at the Internet Movie Database Three Sisters at Rotten Tomatoes
Three Sisters (1970 Olivier film)
–
DVD Cover
46.
Black Comedy
–
Black comedy or dark comedy is a comic style that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo. Literary critics have associated black comedy and black humor with authors as early as the ancient Greeks with Aristophanes, Black comedy corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor. The term black humor was coined by the Surrealist theorist André Breton in 1935 while interpreting the writings of Jonathan Swift. Bretons preference was to some of Swifts writings as a subgenre of comedy and satire in which laughter arises from cynicism and skepticism. Scholars have associated black humor with authors as early as the ancient Greeks with Aristophanes, Breton coined the term for his book Anthology of Black Humor, in which he credited Jonathan Swift as the originator of black humor and gallows humor, and included excerpts from 45 other writers. This victims suffering is trivialized, which leads to sympathizing with the victimizer, as found in the social commentary. Black humor is also related to that of the grotesque genre. Breton identified Swift as the originator of black humor and gallows humor, particularly in his pieces Directions to Servants, A Modest Proposal, A Meditation Upon a Broom-Stick, the terms black comedy or dark comedy have been later derived as alternatives to Bretons term. Bruce Jay Friedman, in his anthology entitled Black Humor, imported the concept of comedy to the United States. He labeled many different authors and works with the idea, arguing that they shared the literary genre. The Friedman label came to prominence in the 1950s and 1960s, early American writers who employed black humor were Nathanael West and Vladimir Nabokov. In 1965 a mass-market paperback titled Black Humor, was released and this was one of the first American anthologies devoted to the conception of black humor as a literary genre, the publication also sparked nationwide interest in black humor. Among the writers labeled as black humorists by journalists and literary critics are Roald Dahl, Thomas Pynchon, Kurt Vonnegut, Warren Zevon, John Barth, Joseph Heller, popular themes of the genre include violence, discrimination, disease, sexuality, religion and barbarism. Comedians, like Lenny Bruce, that since the late 1950s have been labeled for using sick comedy by mainstream journalists, have also labeled with black comedy. By contrast, blue comedy focuses more on crude topics such as nudity, sex, in obscene humor, much of the humorous element comes from shock and revulsion, while black comedy might include an element of irony, or even fatalism. For example, the black comedy self-mutilation appears in the English novel Tristram Shandy. Tristram, five years old at the time, starts to urinate out of a window for lack of a chamber pot. The sash falls and circumcises him, his family reacts with both chaotic action and philosophic digression, cringe comedy Comedy horror Macabre Off-color humor
Black Comedy
–
'
Hopscotch to oblivion', Barcelona,
Spain
Black Comedy
–
An amusing play on words
Black Comedy
–
Major "King" Kong riding a nuclear bomb to oblivion, from the film
Dr. Strangelove
47.
BBC
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The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. The total number of staff is 35,402 when part-time, flexible, the BBC is established under a Royal Charter and operates under its Agreement with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. The fee is set by the British Government, agreed by Parliament, and used to fund the BBCs radio, TV, britains first live public broadcast from the Marconi factory in Chelmsford took place in June 1920. It was sponsored by the Daily Mails Lord Northcliffe and featured the famous Australian Soprano Dame Nellie Melba, the Melba broadcast caught the peoples imagination and marked a turning point in the British publics attitude to radio. However, this public enthusiasm was not shared in official circles where such broadcasts were held to interfere with important military and civil communications. By late 1920, pressure from these quarters and uneasiness among the staff of the licensing authority, the General Post Office, was sufficient to lead to a ban on further Chelmsford broadcasts. But by 1922, the GPO had received nearly 100 broadcast licence requests, John Reith, a Scottish Calvinist, was appointed its General Manager in December 1922 a few weeks after the company made its first official broadcast. The company was to be financed by a royalty on the sale of BBC wireless receiving sets from approved manufacturers, to this day, the BBC aims to follow the Reithian directive to inform, educate and entertain. The financial arrangements soon proved inadequate, set sales were disappointing as amateurs made their own receivers and listeners bought rival unlicensed sets. By mid-1923, discussions between the GPO and the BBC had become deadlocked and the Postmaster-General commissioned a review of broadcasting by the Sykes Committee and this was to be followed by a simple 10 shillings licence fee with no royalty once the wireless manufactures protection expired. The BBCs broadcasting monopoly was made explicit for the duration of its current broadcast licence, the BBC was also banned from presenting news bulletins before 19.00, and required to source all news from external wire services. Mid-1925 found the future of broadcasting under further consideration, this time by the Crawford committee, by now the BBC under Reiths leadership had forged a consensus favouring a continuation of the unified broadcasting service, but more money was still required to finance rapid expansion. Wireless manufacturers were anxious to exit the loss making consortium with Reith keen that the BBC be seen as a service rather than a commercial enterprise. The recommendations of the Crawford Committee were published in March the following year and were still under consideration by the GPO when the 1926 general strike broke out in May. The strike temporarily interrupted newspaper production and with restrictions on news bulletins waived the BBC suddenly became the source of news for the duration of the crisis. The crisis placed the BBC in a delicate position, the Government was divided on how to handle the BBC but ended up trusting Reith, whose opposition to the strike mirrored the PMs own. Thus the BBC was granted sufficient leeway to pursue the Governments objectives largely in a manner of its own choosing, supporters of the strike nicknamed the BBC the BFC for British Falsehood Company. Reith personally announced the end of the strike which he marked by reciting from Blakes Jerusalem signifying that England had been saved, Reith argued that trust gained by authentic impartial news could then be used
BBC
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BBC Television Centre at
White City, West London, which opened in 1960 and closed in 2013
BBC
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BBC Pacific Quay in
Glasgow, which was opened in 2007
BBC
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BBC New Broadcasting House, London which came into use during 2012–13.
BBC
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The headquarters of the BBC at
Broadcasting House in
Portland Place, London, England. This section of the building is called 'Old Broadcasting House'.
48.
Heinrich Mann
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Luiz Heinrich Mann was a German novelist who wrote works with strong social themes. His numerous criticisms of the growth of fascism forced him to flee for his life after the Nazis came to power in 1933. Born in Lübeck, as the oldest child of Thomas Johann Heinrich Mann and Júlia da Silva Bruhns and his father came from an affluent family of grain merchants and was a senator of the Hanseatic city. After the death of his father, his mother moved the family to Munich, eventually, his book Professor Unrat was freely adapted into the legendary movie Der Blaue Engel. Carl Zuckmayer wrote the script, and Josef von Sternberg was the director, the books author wanted his girlfriend, the actress Trude Hesterberg, to play the lead, but Marlene Dietrich was given her first sound role as the actress Lola Lola. Together with Albert Einstein and other celebrities in 1932, Mann was a signatory to the Urgent Call for Unity, Einstein and Mann had previously co-authored a letter in 1931 condemning the murder of Croatian scholar Milan Šufflay. Mann became persona non grata in Nazi Germany and left even before the Reichstag fire in 1933 and he went to France where he lived in Paris and Nice. During the German occupation, he made his way through collaborationist Vichy France to Marseille and he eventually escaped to Portugal and then to America. The Nazis burnt Heinrich Manns books as contrary to the German spirit during the book burning of May 10,1933. During the 1930s and later in American exile, Manns literary popularity went downhill, nevertheless, he wrote Die Jugend des Königs Henri Quatre and Die Vollendung des Königs Henri Quatre as part of the Exilliteratur. The two novels sketched the life and importance of Henry IV of France and were acclaimed by his brother Thomas Mann, the plot, based on Europes early modern history from a French perspective, anticipated the end of French–German enmity. His second wife, Nelly Mann, committed suicide in Los Angeles, Heinrich Mann died in Santa Monica, California, lonely and without much money, just months before he was to move to East Berlin to become president of the German Academy of Arts. His ashes were taken to East Germany. Mann was portrayed by Alec Guinness in the 1992 television adaptation of Christopher Hamptons play Tales from Hollywood. Exilliteratur Dohm-Mann family tree Urgent Call for Unity Gross, David, The Writer and Society, Heinrich Mann and Literary Politics in Germany, 1890-1940, Humanities Press,1980, Mauthner, Martin, German Writers in French Exile, 1933-1940, Vallentine Mitchell, London,2007. Works by Heinrich Mann at Project Gutenberg Works by or about Heinrich Mann at Internet Archive
Heinrich Mann
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Heinrich Mann in 1906
Heinrich Mann
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Portrait of Mann on a German stamp from 1971
49.
Der Untertan
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Der Untertan is one of the best known novels of German author Heinrich Mann. The novel was completed during the July Crisis in 1914, shortly before the outbreak of World War I, extracts had been published in the satirical magazine Simplicissimus from 1912 onwards, causing great controversy. A book edition was not published until 1918 by Kurt Wolff in Leipzig, the socio-critical novel portrays the life of Diederich Hessling, a slavish and fanatical admirer of Kaiser Wilhelm II, as an archetype of Wilhelmine Germany. The name Hessling alludes to the German word for ugly, hässlich, Hessling is unthinkingly obedient to authority and maintains a rigid dedication to the nationalist goals of the newly created German state. As a self-conscious and snivelling child, he acts as an informer and he later gains self-confidence by joining a duelling student fraternity, practising as a drunkard and Stammtisch agitator, and by narrowly obtaining a doctorate of chemistry. He becomes a manufacturer, family patriarch, and eventually the most influential man in his small town. The plot ends with the inauguration of an Emperor William monument, with Hessling delivering the speech. He faces the death of Buck, an old veteran of the democratic 1848 Revolution, diederichs ideals, blood and iron, and the might of opulent power, are exposed as hollowness and weakness. He is an allegory depicting German societys increasing susceptibility to chauvinism, jingoism, ultra-nationalism, anti-Semitism. His character is juxtaposed, in both words and appearance to Kaiser Wilhelm II. In one instance, Hesslings behavior and outward appearance move an observer to stammer, Mann uses the moral bankruptcy and shallow ridiculousness of Hesslings life to critique Wilhelmine German society generally. Thomas Mann, however, rejected the work as heinous aestheticism, the novel is frequently read in German schools up to today. A lithograph named Der Untertan was created by Karl Hubbuch in 1923, in East Germany, the book was made into the 1951 DEFA film Der Untertan, directed by Wolfgang Staudte and starring Werner Peters as Diederich Hessling. It received the National Prize of the German Democratic Republic and initially was banned in West Germany until a version was released in 1957. A radio drama was produced by the public Westdeutscher Rundfunk broadcaster in 1971, the BBC adapted the book for a six-part TV mini-series Man of Straw, broadcast in 1972, with Derek Jacobi as Hessling. Full 1921 English translation at Google Books Man of Straw, Der Untertan at the Internet Movie Database Man of Straw at the Internet Movie Database
Der Untertan
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Cover of the first edition
Der Untertan
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The cover of an English translation.
50.
Prospect Theatre Company
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The Prospect Theatre Company was an English company founded, as Prospect Productions, in 1961. The company became associated with the Edinburgh Festival after its first appearance there in 1967. Eventually the company found a new home at Londons Old Vic in 1977, iain Mackintosh, Richard Cottrell and Elizabeth Sweeting formed Prospect Productions in 1961 to present a summer season of plays at the Oxford Playhouse. A successful first season led to a season in 1962. The following year, when the Playhouse closed for renovations, Prospect became a company associated with the Century Theatre. Toby Robertson directed the last play of the season, Vanbrughs The Provoked Wife, with Eileen Atkins, the production opened the newly restored Georgian Theatre Royal in Richmond, North Yorkshire, then transferred to the Vaudeville Theatre, London. The success of the Oxford seasons prompted the idea that Prospect should present productions beyond the season each year. In 1964, with support from the Arts Council of Great Britain, later that year Prospect had its first invitation to the Edinburgh Festival. Prospects first Edinburgh Festival appearance in 1967 was with Chekhovs The Cherry Orchard, the production transferred to London, where Kedrova won the Evening Standard Best Actress of the Year Award. Emphasis was placed instead on quality acting and strikingly designed costumes, complemented by lighting, from 1970 to 1976 four major productions were created each year. As the only major company touring nationally, the choice of repertoire tended to be more from the classics at the expense of new work. Looking for a suitable London base, Robertson believed that the Old Vic would best meet the companys needs, for two years he sustained a campaign for the Old Vic to make Prospect its resident company. In July the Governors of The Old Vic announced a marriage that was all, in September Toby Robertson, director of Prospect, was asked to take artistic control of The Old Vic, and Christopher Richards, general manager of The Old Vic, became general manager of Prospect. Therefore any London-based productions would have to succeed financially without Arts Council support, Prospects first season at the Old Vic recouped its costs but left no surplus to fund future productions. Further stagings by visiting companies were box office failures and stretched the finances to breaking point. Yet Prospect continued to draw audiences to the Old Vic where other companies failed, unfortunately Prospects touring commitments kept the company out of the theatre for the first half of 1979, leaving the theatre to sink further into debt. The company returned in July with Jacobis Hamlet, followed by Romeo and Juliet, Robertson was in effect fired from the post of artistic director in 1980 while he was abroad with the company in China, Timothy West replacing him. On 22 December 1980, four days after the gala performance, in January the company left for its pre-arranged tour of Hong Kong and Australia
Prospect Theatre Company
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The Old Vic Theatre, London
