Ken Hill (playwright)
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Ken Hill | |
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Born | Birmingham, England | 28 January 1937
Died | 23 January 1995 | (aged 57)
Nationality | British |
Occupation(s) | Playwright and theatre director |
Notable work | Phantom of the Opera |
Spouse | Toni Palmer (second wife) |
Children | 2 sons (from first marriage) |
Ken Hill (28 January 1937 – 23 January 1995) was an English playwright and theatre director.
Ken Hill was a protégé of Joan Littlewood at Theatre Workshop. He was known for his chaotic musicals on the tiny stage of the old Theatre Royal Stratford East,[1] Theatre Workshop's home in Stratford, London, but he also had hits in the West End and abroad. Among them were The Invisible Man and the original stage version of Phantom of the Opera,[2] which inspired Andrew Lloyd Webber to create his musical blockbuster of the same title.[3]
Biography
Ken Hill was born in
In 1970, Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop returned to the Theatre Royal Stratford East. A satire on local authorities was discussed as a good subject for a new production, and Hill's name was put forward as a possible writer. The result of the collaboration Hill's Forward Up Your End (1970) was criticised by some of the press for its juvenile humor, but Joan Littlewood liked it and Hill stayed on.
Hill worked as an actor in numerous productions but preferred writing. He was made associate director and resident writer at Theatre Workshop from 1970 to 1974 and from 1974 to 1976 he took over as artistic director, Joan Littlewood by this time having left for projects in Tunisia.
Hill's productions there included Is Your Doctor Really Necessary? (1973), a collaboration with songwriter Tony Macaulay, The Count of Monte Cristo (1974), Gentlemen Prefer Anything (1974) and Dracula (1974). He then became artistic director of the Musical Theatre Company, directing for the West End: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Westminster Theatre (for Andrew Lloyd Webber), The Mikado, and Fiddler on the Roof. Other West End credits include Playdoctoring productions of Drake's Dream and Wren.
Shortly after, he was commissioned by the
He left Theatre Workshop in 1976 and worked for some years as the
Despite having cancer intermittently for 12 years, Hill was a prolific writer and sent Stratford East ideas for new productions right up until his death from cancer on 23 January 1995 aged 57. He died just two weeks before the opening of what was his final production, Zorro The Musical!, which he directed. Zorro opened on 14 February 1995, to rave reviews and immense box office success.
Other information
The Ken Hill Memorial Trust was set up after Hill died in 1995, to aid the Theatre Royal in supporting new talent in musical theatre. It now offers a biennial Musical Theatre Award to help nurture new talent in theatrical writers. The award in 1997 was a total of £5,000 for the winner – £1000 in cash, with the balance going towards the production costs of a week's showcase at the Theatre Royal, where many of Ken Hill's works were premiered. In addition, royalties were paid to the writer for the showcase. The trustees also offered small cash prizes to five runners-up.
There are also "Ken Hill awards" for talented new playwrights and for Best New Musical.
Some of Hill's plays,
References
- ^ "Theatre: Moustache-wiggling, eye-boggling, swashbuckling spoof". The Independent. 17 February 1995. Archived from the original on 13 August 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ BWW News Desk. "Meet the Current Cast of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA on Broadway!". BroadwayWorld.com. Archived from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ "`PHANTOM` PHUROR". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 25 January 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
External links
- Ken Hill's Phantom of the Opera fan website
- Theatre Royal Stratford East's official website
- Samuel French Ltd. in London control the performance rights for Ken Hill's The Invisible Man., The Curse of the Werewolf., The Mummy's Tomb. and The Phantom of the Opera.
- Playwright listing for Ken Hill includes links to purchase Ken Hill's published works.