Peter Cheeseman
Peter Cheeseman | |
|---|---|
| Born | Peter Barrie Cheeseman 27 January 1932 |
| Died | 27 April 2010 (aged 78) Stoke-on-Trent, England, UK |
| Education | University of Sheffield |
| Occupation | Theatre director |
| Known for | Pioneering theatre in the round |
Peter Barrie Cheeseman,
– 27 April 2010, Stoke-on-Trent)[2][3] was a British theatre director who is credited with having pioneered "theatre in the round".[4]Early life
His father's work as a Naval Communications Officer took him and his young family to many locations around England, and Peter was educated at ten schools (of which the last was
Cheesman started his theatre work while he was in the RAF, and did some directing at university (including an "ambitious" production of King Lear).[6]
Career
After involvement with the left-wing
Cheeseman became the sole artistic director for the following 36 years. In that time he produced new plays from such writers as Peter Terson and Alan Ayckbourn, using young acting talent such as Ben Kingsley.[7] He was responsible for over 140 productions, old and new. A speciality was plays with a local resonance, such as The Knotty, about the North Staffordshire Railway, and The Fight for Shelton Bar, about the closure of a local steelworks. [citation needed]
Cheeseman masterminded the move in 1986 to a new purpose-built building, specifically designed for theatre in the round, the
Mike Leigh, who was involved with the Victoria Theatre in the 1960s,[8] said
"Working with Peter was a special and creative time. Great friendships were made. There was something special about what Peter made people do and made people be. The kind of spirit in which we worked, to be political and truthful, was down to Peter. He is a genius, a vagabond, a facilitator. What he has achieved is colossal and he is regarded with great respect and love."
Death and legacy
Peter Cheeseman died on 27 April 2010 of inanition and vascular dementia,[9] after a long battle with Parkinson's disease.[3]
Staffordshire University inaugurated the annual Peter Cheeseman Lectures. His work is now regarded as a suitable topic for academic study.[10]
References
- ^ Birth Certificate. General Registry Office ref. 3445617-10
- ^ Death certificate. Stoke-on-Trent District Ref. QBDY 950951 (entry no.282)
- ^ a b "Peter Cheeseman, New Vic theatre director, dies". BBC Online. 29 April 2010.
- ^ Phyllis Hartnoll and Peter Found (1996). "New Victoria Theatre". The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre.
- ^ a b The Times obituary for Peter Cheeseman, 3 May 2010.
- ^ Cook, Judith, Director's Theatre (London: Harrap & Co. Ltd), 1974, p. 29
- ^ a b c New Vic press release about Young Vic Award Archived 2011-07-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Robin Thornber Obituary: Peter Cheeseman, The Guardian, 29 April 2010
- ^ Death certificate. Stoke-on-Trent District Ref. QBDY 950951 (entry no.282)
- ^ Peter Cheeseman's work at the old and new Victoria theatres: MPhil thesis
External links
- The Guardian obituary
- Peter Cheeseman at IMDb
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