J. P. Wearing
Encyclopedia
John Peter Wearing is an English-born American author and professor, who has written numerous books and articles about nineteenth and twentieth-century drama and theater, including The Shakespeare Diaries: A Fictional Autobiography, published in 2007. He has also written and edited well-received books on George Bernard Shaw
, Arthur Wing Pinero
, and an extensive series on the London theatre from 1890 to 1959, among other subjects. As a professor of English literature, Wearing has specialized in Shakespeare and modern drama.
, England and raised in Pelsall
, England. At Cannock Grammar School, he became Head Boy
and sang in the church choir. He studied English Literature at the University of Wales
(then called the University College of Swansea
), graduating in 1967 with a B.A. degree (magna cum laude). The next year he received an M.A. degree from the University of Saskatchewan
. He earned a Ph.D. degree from the University of Wales in 1971. He has a brother named Michael.
, soon founding, together with L. W. Conolly, the journal Nineteenth Century Theatre Research, which he edited until 1986. He was also a theatre critic on CKUA
Radio in 1973-74. Wearing moved to the U.S. and joined the University of Arizona
in 1974, teaching Shakespeare and modern drama until 1999. He has been honored with a Guggenheim Fellowship
(1978–79) and a four-year research grant for his extensive series on the London theatre from the National Endowment for the Humanities
(1987–91). Since 1999, he has held the post of Professor Emeritus of English at the University of Arizona.
was called "probably the most important material published on Pinero since his death.... Wearing has written an excellent introduction and valuable explanatory headnotes for each letter, a task that looks deceptively easy." A review of Wearing's 16-volume series on the London Stage stated: "In his remarkable series, J. P. Wearing... has chosen to give us a chronological listing of works... presented in major London theatres since 1890, a series now covering seven decades. I know of no other venture on this scale making available the theatrical riches of a great modern city in this detailed way.... Here is a wonderful place to start research." Other reviews call the London Stage volumes "invaluable" and "thoroughly accurate" and state: "[T]here is a proverbial mine of useful information here, sensibly organized and, within [limits], well indexed. Scholarship on the theatre covered by these volumes will surely become a rich beneficiary of Wearing's industry and good judgment."
Of Wearing's 2007 fictionalized "Shakespeare Diaries", Swansea University Alumni Association News notes: "Writing in diary form, in the delightfully whimsical style of Shakespeare himself, Wearing incorporates many fragments of lines and phrases from The Bard's plays and poems. Fascinating endnotes provide further annotation and information for those readers who wish to know more." A review of Wearing's American and British Theatrical Biography: A Directory concludes, "nowhere, aside from Wearing, can one find such a comprehensive listing of basic biographical information for America and Britain spanning the long history of theatrical activity in those countries and nicely digested in the pages of one volume. Like Wearing's previous scholarship, the present work addresses a demonstrable need, filling a notable gap in a practical, efficient, and serviceable way."
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60...
, Arthur Wing Pinero
Arthur Wing Pinero
Sir Arthur Wing Pinero was an English actor and later an important dramatist and stage director.-Biography:...
, and an extensive series on the London theatre from 1890 to 1959, among other subjects. As a professor of English literature, Wearing has specialized in Shakespeare and modern drama.
Biography
Wearing, who publishes under the name J. P. Wearing, was born in BirminghamBirmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England and raised in Pelsall
Pelsall
Pelsall is an area of Walsall in the West Midlands, England. It is part of the Parliamentary Constituency of Aldridge-Brownhills.- History :Pelsall was first mentioned in a charter of 994, when it was amongst various lands given to the monastery at Heantune by Wulfrun, a Mercian noblewoman...
, England. At Cannock Grammar School, he became Head Boy
Head boy
Head Boy and Head Girl are terms commonly used in the British education system, and in private schools throughout the Commonwealth.-United Kingdom:...
and sang in the church choir. He studied English Literature at the University of Wales
University of Wales
The University of Wales was a confederal university founded in 1893. It had accredited institutions throughout Wales, and formerly accredited courses in Britain and abroad, with over 100,000 students, but in October 2011, after a number of scandals, it withdrew all accreditation, and it was...
(then called the University College of Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
), graduating in 1967 with a B.A. degree (magna cum laude). The next year he received an M.A. degree from the University of Saskatchewan
University of Saskatchewan
The University of Saskatchewan is a Canadian public research university, founded in 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. An "Act to establish and incorporate a University for the Province of Saskatchewan" was passed by the...
. He earned a Ph.D. degree from the University of Wales in 1971. He has a brother named Michael.
Career
In 1971, Wearing began teaching at the University of AlbertaUniversity of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
, soon founding, together with L. W. Conolly, the journal Nineteenth Century Theatre Research, which he edited until 1986. He was also a theatre critic on CKUA
CKUA
CKUA is a Canadian radio station. Originally located at the University of Alberta in Edmonton , it now broadcasts from studios in downtown Edmonton and south Calgary. CKUA was created in 1927 through a provincial grant which allowed the University of Alberta's Extension Department to purchase the...
Radio in 1973-74. Wearing moved to the U.S. and joined the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
in 1974, teaching Shakespeare and modern drama until 1999. He has been honored with a Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
(1978–79) and a four-year research grant for his extensive series on the London theatre from the National Endowment for the Humanities
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
(1987–91). Since 1999, he has held the post of Professor Emeritus of English at the University of Arizona.
Critical reception of Wearing's works
Wearing's careful research and concise writing have been much praised. For example, his volume of the collected letters of Arthur Wing PineroArthur Wing Pinero
Sir Arthur Wing Pinero was an English actor and later an important dramatist and stage director.-Biography:...
was called "probably the most important material published on Pinero since his death.... Wearing has written an excellent introduction and valuable explanatory headnotes for each letter, a task that looks deceptively easy." A review of Wearing's 16-volume series on the London Stage stated: "In his remarkable series, J. P. Wearing... has chosen to give us a chronological listing of works... presented in major London theatres since 1890, a series now covering seven decades. I know of no other venture on this scale making available the theatrical riches of a great modern city in this detailed way.... Here is a wonderful place to start research." Other reviews call the London Stage volumes "invaluable" and "thoroughly accurate" and state: "[T]here is a proverbial mine of useful information here, sensibly organized and, within [limits], well indexed. Scholarship on the theatre covered by these volumes will surely become a rich beneficiary of Wearing's industry and good judgment."
Of Wearing's 2007 fictionalized "Shakespeare Diaries", Swansea University Alumni Association News notes: "Writing in diary form, in the delightfully whimsical style of Shakespeare himself, Wearing incorporates many fragments of lines and phrases from The Bard's plays and poems. Fascinating endnotes provide further annotation and information for those readers who wish to know more." A review of Wearing's American and British Theatrical Biography: A Directory concludes, "nowhere, aside from Wearing, can one find such a comprehensive listing of basic biographical information for America and Britain spanning the long history of theatrical activity in those countries and nicely digested in the pages of one volume. Like Wearing's previous scholarship, the present work addresses a demonstrable need, filling a notable gap in a practical, efficient, and serviceable way."
Books
- American and British Theatrical Biography: A Directory, The Scarecrow Press (1979) ISBN 0-8108-1201-0
- Bernard Shaw: Arms and the Man (critical edition), London: Methuen Drama (2008) ISBN 0-7136-7998-0
- Bernard Shaw and Nancy Astor: Selected Correspondence of Bernard Shaw (ed. Wearing), University of Toronto Press (2005) ISBN 0-8020-3752-6
- The Collected Letters of Sir Arthur Pinero (ed. Wearing), University of Minnesota Press (1974) ISBN 0-8166-0717-6
- G. B. Shaw – An Annotated Bibliography of Writings about Him: 1871-1930 (ed. Wearing), Northern Illinois University Press (1986) ISBN 0-87580-125-0
- G. B. Shaw – An Annotated Bibliography of Writings about Him: 1931-1956 (ed. Wearing), Northern Illinois University Press (19??) ISBN 0-87580-121-8
- English Drama and Theatre, 1800–1900, with L.W. Conolly, Gale Research (1978)
- The London Stage, 1890–1899: A Calendar of Plays and Players, The Scarecrow Press (1976) ISBN 0-8108-0910-9
- The London Stage, 1900–1909: A Calendar of Plays and Players, The Scarecrow Press (1981) ISBN 0-8108-1403-X
- The London Stage, 1910–1919: A Calendar of Plays and Players, The Scarecrow Press (1982) ISBN 0-8108-1596-6
- The London Stage, 1920–1929: A Calendar of Plays and Players, The Scarecrow Press (1984) ISBN 0-8108-1715-2
- The London Stage, 1930–1939: A Calendar of Plays and Players, The Scarecrow Press (1990) ISBN 0-8108-2349-7
- The London Stage, 1940–1949: A Calendar of Plays and Players, The Scarecrow Press (1991) ISBN 0-8108-2500-7
- The London Stage, 1950–1959: A Calendar of Plays and Players, The Scarecrow Press (1993) ISBN 0-8108-2690-9
- The Second Mrs. Tanqueray, a critical and contextual edition (ed. Wearing), Broadview Press (2007) ISBN 1-55111-687-1
- The Shakespeare Diaries: A Fictional Autobiography, Santa Monica Press (2007) ISBN 1-59580-022-0
External links
- Wearing, J. P. Pelsall Memories at the Pelsall history website
- J. P. Wearing bibliography listing articles, as well as books, published by Wearing