While William Poel's theories and his influence upon the modern theatre have received scattered attention, no study of his more notable productions has been published recently. The best and most inclusive source of information about Poel's work remains Robert Speaight's definitive biography; but, quite rightly, he devotes only a few pages to any one production in his comprehensive study of the man's life and work. What follows is an effort to record one memorable Poel production in greater detail: his 1908 Measure for Measure, performed both at Manchester and Stratford-upon-Avon, with emphasis upon the Stratford performance, for it was there that the production was instigated and there that contemporary reports best reveal its impression upon audiences. Such a study should clarify much that a survey can only touch upon: Poel's use of his Elizabethan stage, his methods of production, and his approach to interpretation of a Shakespearean play - all of which are essential to our full appreciation of Poel's contribution to theatre practice in the twentieth century.
Poel had a rebel's liking for Measure for Measure, a play rarely seen in
Victorian England. In 1891 he had directed a costume recital of it for the Shakespeare Reading Society. In 1893,
at the Royalty Theatre, London, he had chosen the play for the first full-scale production using his replica of
an Elizabethan stage. Neither of these experiments was particularly successful, largely due to the poor acting
of his amateurs. But Speaight sees the 1908 Measure for Measure as a "classic example of his
art", (pp.94-95). For Sir Barry Jackson, who witnessed the production
at Stratford, it was the "supreme awakening adventure", before his own founding of the Birmingham Repertory
Theatre in 1913: "For the first time in my life I was caught up in the play's action . . . In a flash, all
became clear. It was the text that mattered. Poel brushed aside all that had interposed, and crumbled to the
dust all notions of fanciful excess which for years had been strangling the poet's word." The combination of
Poel's theories and the quality acting of such young professionals as B. Iden Payne,
Basil Dean
Basil Herbert Dean (1888 – 1978)
Basil Dean first appeared as an actor on the British stage in 1906. He soon switched
careers and began writing and directing plays. Turning to the film industry, he became
a producer and director in 1928; many of the films he produced and directed were based
on his own stage plays.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: frankfob2@yahoo.com
and
Sara Allgood
Sara Allgood (1880 – 1950)
Dublin-born Sara Allgood started her acting career in her native
country with the famed Abbey Theatre. She then traveled
to the English stage, and later made her film debut in 1918.
In 1941she was nominated for an Academy Award for
Best Supporting Actress in How Green Was My Valley.
produced an impact that can only be fully understood through an exploration of the background,
the 1908 promptbook, contemporary reports, and the reception the production was given, particularly at
Stratford.