John Barton (director)
Encyclopedia
John Bernard Adie Barton CBE
(born November 26, 1928 in London, England) is a theatrical director. He is the son of Sir Harold Montagu and Lady Joyce (née Wale) Barton. He married Anne Righter, a university lecturer, in 1968.
Barton was educated at Eton College
and King's College, Cambridge
and while at Cambridge directed and acted in many productions for the Marlowe Society
and the ADC
. At the Westminster Theatre
in July 1953 he directed his first London production, Henry V
for the Elizabethan Theatre Company. He created a 12-part series for BBC radio
on the medieval Mysteries, inspired by the York Mystery Plays
.
where Barton was an active director for over 40 years. He has directed over 50 productions either on his own or as a collaborator with Sir Peter Hall and Trevor Nunn
. Some landmark productions at RSC include 1969's Twelfth Night with Judi Dench
as Viola, and the 1963/1964 sequence of Histories (with Peter Hall and Clifford Williams). In the RSC's 50th anniversary commemorations (2011) Barton's teaching is acknowledged as one of the lasting reason's for the company's success and he is regarded as one of the most influential directors of Shakespeare of his time.
At the Aldwych Theatre
in London in 1980, Barton directed The Greeks, his adaptations (with playwright Kenneth Cavander) from Homer
, Euripides
, Aeschylus
and Sophocles
, ten plays centering on the Oresteia legend, presented in the terse style of the original verse. This was part of an RSC London season which also embraced Trevor Nunn
and John Caird
's production of David Edgar
's eight-hour adaptation of Nicholas Nickleby. "Both projects were daunting undertakings, planned at a time of renewed financial crisis, and both proved remarkably successful.": Sally Beauman in her book The Royal Shakespeare Company: A History of Ten Decades.
In 1982, Barton, while working with 21 RSC company members, including Judi Dench
, Ian McKellen
, Patrick Stewart
and Ben Kingsley
, recorded nine workshop sessions for London Weekend Television by the RSC. These recordings were aired in 1984 and became the source of his best-selling book, Playing Shakespeare; a popular guide and tool used by many actors who are working with and training in Shakespeare.
He is quoted in an article by Michael Billington
as saying, "I... think the success or failure of the RSC depends on the quality of the actors. If I've learned anything in my time, it is that if you get the right combination of actors, a production will generally work... But one should always remember that no theatre company is immortal and Zeus
could still chuck a thunderbolt at any moment."
Barton possesses an encyclopaedic knowledge of Shakespeare and is known to be able to identify one of his plays from a single line of text. He is a legend in the classical theatre world, rumoured to have chewed razor blades during long rehearsals early in his career. A story is told of Barton getting so into his directorial work giving notes one night, that he fell into the orchestra pit, climbed out, and dusted himself off before resuming. A great deal of the success of RSC is attributed to Barton and his unrivalled wisdom of language, verse and character.
Barton still holds these workshops and even conducts Master Classes at BADA (British American Drama Academy
) during their Summer in Oxford training programs. He was awarded the 2001 Sam Wanamaker Prize.
As writer:
As director
:
As actor:
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
(born November 26, 1928 in London, England) is a theatrical director. He is the son of Sir Harold Montagu and Lady Joyce (née Wale) Barton. He married Anne Righter, a university lecturer, in 1968.
Barton was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and King's College, Cambridge
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
and while at Cambridge directed and acted in many productions for the Marlowe Society
Marlowe Society
The Marlowe Society is a Cambridge University theatre club for Cambridge students. It is dedicated to achieving a high standard of student drama in Cambridge...
and the ADC
ADC Theatre
The ADC Theatre is a theatre in Cambridge, England and also a department of the University of Cambridge. It is located in Park Street, north off Jesus Lane. The theatre is owned by the Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club , but is currently run as the smallest department of the university,...
. At the Westminster Theatre
Westminster Theatre
The Westminster Theatre was a London theatre, on Palace Street in Westminster. It was originally built as the Charlotte Chapel in 1766, which was altered and given a new frontage for use as a cinema from 1924 onwards. It finally became a theatre in 1931 after radical alterations...
in July 1953 he directed his first London production, Henry V
Henry V (play)
Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the Fifth and The Life of Henry the Fifth...
for the Elizabethan Theatre Company. He created a 12-part series for BBC radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
on the medieval Mysteries, inspired by the York Mystery Plays
York Mystery Plays
The York Mystery Plays, more properly called the York Corpus Christi Plays, are a Middle English cycle of forty-eight mystery plays, or pageants, which cover sacred history from the creation to the Last Judgement. These were traditionally presented on the feast day of Corpus Christi...
.
Royal Shakespeare Company
In 1960, along with Peter Hall, he co-founded the Royal Shakespeare CompanyRoyal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
where Barton was an active director for over 40 years. He has directed over 50 productions either on his own or as a collaborator with Sir Peter Hall and Trevor Nunn
Trevor Nunn
Sir Trevor Robert Nunn, CBE is an English theatre, film and television director. Nunn has been the Artistic Director for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, and, currently, the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. He has directed musicals and dramas for the stage, as well as opera...
. Some landmark productions at RSC include 1969's Twelfth Night with Judi Dench
Judi Dench
Dame Judith Olivia "Judi" Dench, CH, DBE, FRSA is an English film, stage and television actress.Dench made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company. Over the following few years she played in several of William Shakespeare's plays in such roles as Ophelia in Hamlet, Juliet in Romeo...
as Viola, and the 1963/1964 sequence of Histories (with Peter Hall and Clifford Williams). In the RSC's 50th anniversary commemorations (2011) Barton's teaching is acknowledged as one of the lasting reason's for the company's success and he is regarded as one of the most influential directors of Shakespeare of his time.
At the Aldwych Theatre
Aldwych Theatre
The Aldwych Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Aldwych in the City of Westminster. The theatre was listed Grade II on 20 July 1971. Its seating capacity is 1,200.-Origins:...
in London in 1980, Barton directed The Greeks, his adaptations (with playwright Kenneth Cavander) from Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
, Euripides
Euripides
Euripides was one of the three great tragedians of classical Athens, the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to him but according to the Suda it was ninety-two at most...
, Aeschylus
Aeschylus
Aeschylus was the first of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose work has survived, the others being Sophocles and Euripides, and is often described as the father of tragedy. His name derives from the Greek word aiskhos , meaning "shame"...
and Sophocles
Sophocles
Sophocles is one of three ancient Greek tragedians whose plays have survived. His first plays were written later than those of Aeschylus, and earlier than or contemporary with those of Euripides...
, ten plays centering on the Oresteia legend, presented in the terse style of the original verse. This was part of an RSC London season which also embraced Trevor Nunn
Trevor Nunn
Sir Trevor Robert Nunn, CBE is an English theatre, film and television director. Nunn has been the Artistic Director for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, and, currently, the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. He has directed musicals and dramas for the stage, as well as opera...
and John Caird
John Caird (director)
John Newport Caird is a British stage director and writer of plays, musicals and operas. He is an Honorary Associate Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, a regular director with the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain and the Principal Guest Director of the Royal Dramatic Theatre,...
's production of David Edgar
David Edgar (playwright)
David Edgar is a British playwright and author who has had more than sixty of his plays published and performed on stage, radio and television around the world, making him one of the most prolific dramatists of the post-1960s generation in Great Britain.He was resident playwright at the Birmingham...
's eight-hour adaptation of Nicholas Nickleby. "Both projects were daunting undertakings, planned at a time of renewed financial crisis, and both proved remarkably successful.": Sally Beauman in her book The Royal Shakespeare Company: A History of Ten Decades.
In 1982, Barton, while working with 21 RSC company members, including Judi Dench
Judi Dench
Dame Judith Olivia "Judi" Dench, CH, DBE, FRSA is an English film, stage and television actress.Dench made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company. Over the following few years she played in several of William Shakespeare's plays in such roles as Ophelia in Hamlet, Juliet in Romeo...
, Ian McKellen
Ian McKellen
Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CH, CBE is an English actor. He has received a Tony Award, two Academy Award nominations, and five Emmy Award nominations. His work has spanned genres from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction...
, Patrick Stewart
Patrick Stewart
Sir Patrick Hewes Stewart, OBE is an English film, television and stage actor, who has had a distinguished career in theatre and television for around half a century...
and Ben Kingsley
Ben Kingsley
Sir Ben Kingsley, CBE is a British actor. He has won an Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards in his career. He is known for starring as Mohandas Gandhi in the film Gandhi in 1982, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor...
, recorded nine workshop sessions for London Weekend Television by the RSC. These recordings were aired in 1984 and became the source of his best-selling book, Playing Shakespeare; a popular guide and tool used by many actors who are working with and training in Shakespeare.
He is quoted in an article by Michael Billington
Michael Billington (critic)
Michael Keith Billington is a British author and arts critic. Drama critic of The Guardian since October 1971, he is "Britain's longest-serving theatre critic" and the author of biographical and critical studies relating to British theatre and the arts; most notably, he is the authorised...
as saying, "I... think the success or failure of the RSC depends on the quality of the actors. If I've learned anything in my time, it is that if you get the right combination of actors, a production will generally work... But one should always remember that no theatre company is immortal and Zeus
Zeus
In the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...
could still chuck a thunderbolt at any moment."
Barton possesses an encyclopaedic knowledge of Shakespeare and is known to be able to identify one of his plays from a single line of text. He is a legend in the classical theatre world, rumoured to have chewed razor blades during long rehearsals early in his career. A story is told of Barton getting so into his directorial work giving notes one night, that he fell into the orchestra pit, climbed out, and dusted himself off before resuming. A great deal of the success of RSC is attributed to Barton and his unrivalled wisdom of language, verse and character.
Barton still holds these workshops and even conducts Master Classes at BADA (British American Drama Academy
British American Drama Academy
The British American Drama Academy is a drama school in the United Kingdom.Background=The British American Drama Academy was founded in 1983 to enable students from around the world to study classical theatre with leading actors and directors of the British theatre...
) during their Summer in Oxford training programs. He was awarded the 2001 Sam Wanamaker Prize.
Filmography
As cast member/instructor:- 1984 - Playing Shakespeare (TV - Special series)
As writer:
- 1965 - The Wars of the RosesThe Wars of the Roses (adaptation)The Wars of the Roses was a 1964 adaptation of four of the history plays of William Shakespeare by John Barton, directed by Barton himself and Peter Hall at the Royal Shakespeare Company. It conflated Henry VI, Part 1, Henry VI, Part 2 and Henry VI, Part 3 into two new plays, Henry VI and Edward...
(TV) - 1970 - Hallmark Hall of FameHallmark Hall of FameHallmark Hall of Fame is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City based greeting card company. The second longest-running television program in the history of television, it has a historically long run, beginning in 1951 and continuing into 2011...
- HamletHamletThe Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
(adaptation) (TV) - 1984 - Morte d'Arthur (adaptation) (TV)
- 1991 - The War That Never Ends (TV)
As director
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
:
- 1965 - War of the Roses (TV)
- 1968 - All's Well That Ends WellAll's Well That Ends WellAll's Well That Ends Well is a play by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1604 and 1605, and was originally published in the First Folio in 1623....
(TV)
As actor:
- 1984 - Morte d'Arthur - Sir Thomas Malory