Allan Wilkie
Allan Wilkie | |
---|---|
Born | 9 February 1878 Toxteth Park, Lancashire |
Died | 7 January 1970 (aged 91) |
Occupation | Actor |
Allan Wilkie
Biography
Born in
In 1911 his company played in India, followed by
In 1915 they were playing Sweet Nell of Old Drury with the
From 1922 to 1924 he published The Shakespearean Quarterly, sold in the foyer of theatres where they performed, claimed the only such magazine published in the British Empire. Hector Bolitho was editor for a short time.[8]
He was appointed a
He disbanded his troupe in October 1930
He was often criticised for his declamatory style of acting, notably by The Triad which compared him unfavourably to his contemporary Gregan McMahon, but no-one ever doubted his sincerity and energy. "He travelled further and laboured harder to bring classic theatre to Australian audiences ... Without Wilkie, Australian theatre during World War I and after would have been the poorer." (John West, op cit.)[6]
Legacy
Among Wilkie players who went on to achieve later success were Frank Clewlow, Lorna Forbes, Marie Ney, Augustus Neville, Leslie Manners, John Cairns[20] and Ellis Irving.[8] The renowned writer Ngaio Marsh acted with his troupe for a time, and remained a friend and correspondent. The actor/manager John Alden has been described as "a latter-day Wilkie".[6]
The Allan Wilkie – Frediswyde Hunter-Watts Theatre Collection in the Barr Smith Library of the University of Adelaide (donated by Angel Symon) is named for them. Though much younger, Angel was a longtime friend and correspondent, and spent some years as his advance publicity agent.[11] His third wife, Kate, donated his extensive personal archives to the same library.[8]
Allan and Frediswyde's son Douglas was a noted newspaper journalist and commentator.
Bibliography
The National Library of Australia carries an unpublished manuscript All the world my stage : a biography of the actor – manager, Allan Wilkie, C.B.E., whose exploits made him a legend in Australia for broadcast, as told to John Marlborough East with a foreword by Ngaio Marsh.
References
- ^ a b c "Wilkie, Allan (1878–1970)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.
- ^ Das Gupta, Hemendranath The Indian Stage vol. iv 1944
- ^ Kaori Kobayashi Shakespeare and National Identity: Tsubouchi Shoyo and His “Authentic” Shakespeare Productions in Japan published in: Shakespeare, Volume 2, Issue 1 June 2006 , pp. 59 – 76
- ^ ISBN 1-920843-09-4
- ^ The Argus 6 February 1928
- ^ ISBN 0-7269-9266-6
- ISBN 0-19-553381-X
- ^ a b c d e "Allan Wilke 2". www.liveperformance.com.au. Archived from the original on 19 July 2008.
- ^ Sydney Morning Herald 25 February 1927
- ^ a b The Argus 14 July 1926
- ^ a b "The Allan Wilkie - Frediswyde Hunter-Watts Theatre Collection | Rare Books & Manuscripts".
- ^ Sydney Morning Herald 4 October 1930
- ^ Sydney Morning Herald 7 July 1930
- ^ The Argus 19 September 1930
- ^ The Argus 9 February 1931
- ^ The Argus 28 February 1931
- ^ The Argus 20 March 1931
- ^ "Engaged". The Age. No. 25, 991. Victoria, Australia. 6 August 1938. p. 4. Retrieved 11 March 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Gossips". Smith's Weekly. Vol. XVI, no. 52. New South Wales, Australia. 23 February 1935. p. 13. Retrieved 11 March 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ The Argus 29 October 1928