Peggy Ramsay
Encyclopedia
Margaret Francesca Ramsay (née Venniker, born 27 May 1908, Molong, New South Wales
, Australia
– 4 September 1991, London) was a British
theatrical agent. Ramsay was raised in South Africa
, but during a brief and unhappy marriage came to England in 1929; her husband Norman Ramsay was under investigation in South Africa. After touring with an opera company, and a spell as an actress, she began reading scripts for a number of managements including that of Peter Daubeny
, later noted for organising annual 'World Theatre' Seasons.
As she was gaining no financial return from scripts she was finding, her friends and acquaintances persuaded her to open her own agency (1953), in which they invested. For her entire career her business was based in Goodwin's Court, an alley off St. Martin's Lane
. She was able to buy out her partners in 1963, after the success of her first 'discovery', Robert Bolt
.
She represented many of the leading dramatists to emerge from the 1950s onwards including Alan Ayckbourn
and David Hare
. After discovering Joe Orton
, then living on National Assistance
, she persuaded producer Michael Codron
to stage his Entertaining Mr Sloane
.
Vanessa Redgrave
portrayed her in the Orton film biography Prick Up Your Ears (1987); and Peggy For You (2000), a play by Alan Plater
set in the late 1960s, puts Ramsay at centre stage. Two books have been written about Ramsay; the work by Colin Chambers cited below is a straightforward biography, while Simon Callow
's memoir Love Is Where It Falls : The Story of a Passionate Friendship (1999) is an account of their close friendship.
Peggy Ramsay's last years were affected by the onset of Alzheimer's disease
. Her estate has established a foundation to help writers and writing for the stage.
Molong, New South Wales
Molong is a small town in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia, in Cabonne Shire.Molong is located on the Mitchell Highway about 300 kilometres west of Sydney and about 30 kilometres from the city of Orange. It is elevated at 529 metres above sea level. At the 2006 census, Molong...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
– 4 September 1991, London) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
theatrical agent. Ramsay was raised in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, but during a brief and unhappy marriage came to England in 1929; her husband Norman Ramsay was under investigation in South Africa. After touring with an opera company, and a spell as an actress, she began reading scripts for a number of managements including that of Peter Daubeny
Peter Daubeny
Sir Peter Lauderdale Daubeny was a German-born British theatre impresario.Daubeny trained with Michel Saint-Denis and began his career under actor-manager William Armstrong at the Liverpool Playhouse...
, later noted for organising annual 'World Theatre' Seasons.
As she was gaining no financial return from scripts she was finding, her friends and acquaintances persuaded her to open her own agency (1953), in which they invested. For her entire career her business was based in Goodwin's Court, an alley off St. Martin's Lane
St. Martin's Lane
St. Martin's Lane is a street on the edge of Covent Garden in Central London, which runs from the church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, after which it is named, near Trafalgar Square northwards to Long Acre.A narrow street with relatively little traffic, St...
. She was able to buy out her partners in 1963, after the success of her first 'discovery', Robert Bolt
Robert Bolt
Robert Oxton Bolt, CBE was an English playwright and a two-time Oscar winning screenwriter.-Career:He was born in Sale, Cheshire. At Manchester Grammar School his affinity for Sir Thomas More first developed. He attended the University of Manchester, and, after war service, the University of...
.
She represented many of the leading dramatists to emerge from the 1950s onwards including Alan Ayckbourn
Alan Ayckbourn
Sir Alan Ayckbourn CBE is a prolific English playwright. He has written and produced seventy-three full-length plays in Scarborough and London and was, between 1972 and 2009, the artistic director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, where all but four of his plays have received their...
and David Hare
David Hare (dramatist)
Sir David Hare is an English playwright and theatre and film director.-Early life:Hare was born in St Leonards-on-Sea, Hastings, East Sussex, the son of Agnes and Clifford Hare, a sailor. He was educated at Lancing, an independent school in West Sussex, and at Jesus College, Cambridge...
. After discovering Joe Orton
Joe Orton
John Kingsley Orton was an English playwright.In a short but prolific career lasting from 1964 until his death, he shocked, outraged and amused audiences with his scandalous black comedies...
, then living on National Assistance
National Assistance Act 1948
The National Assistance Act 1948 was an Act of Parliament passed in the United Kingdom by the Labour government of Clement Attlee.-Overview:It formally abolished the Poor Law system which had existed since the reign of Elizabeth I, and established a social safety-net for those who didn’t pay...
, she persuaded producer Michael Codron
Michael Codron
Michael Victor Codron is a British film and theatre producer, known for his productions of the early work of Harold Pinter, Christopher Hampton, David Hare, Simon Gray and Tom Stoppard...
to stage his Entertaining Mr Sloane
Entertaining Mr Sloane
Entertaining Mr Sloane is a play by the English playwright Joe Orton. It was first produced in London at the New Arts Theatre on 6 May 1964 and transferred to the West End's Wyndham's Theatre on 29 June 1964.-Plot summary:Act 1...
.
Vanessa Redgrave
Vanessa Redgrave
Vanessa Redgrave, CBE is an English actress of stage, screen and television, as well as a political activist.She rose to prominence in 1961 playing Rosalind in As You Like It with the Royal Shakespeare Company and has since made more than 35 appearances on London's West End and Broadway, winning...
portrayed her in the Orton film biography Prick Up Your Ears (1987); and Peggy For You (2000), a play by Alan Plater
Alan Plater
Alan Frederick Plater, CBE, FRSL was an English playwright and screenwriter, who worked extensively in British television from the 1960s to the 2000s.-Career:...
set in the late 1960s, puts Ramsay at centre stage. Two books have been written about Ramsay; the work by Colin Chambers cited below is a straightforward biography, while Simon Callow
Simon Callow
Simon Phillip Hugh Callow, CBE is an English actor, writer and theatre director. He is also currently a judge on Popstar to Operastar.-Early years:...
's memoir Love Is Where It Falls : The Story of a Passionate Friendship (1999) is an account of their close friendship.
Peggy Ramsay's last years were affected by the onset of Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
. Her estate has established a foundation to help writers and writing for the stage.
Source
- Colin Chambers Peggy: The Life of Margaret Ramsay Play Agent, 1997, Nick Hern Books