Richard Courtney
Encyclopedia
Richard Courtney, drama teacher, theatre scholar and leading international expert in children's drama, was born in Newmarket, England on 4 June 1927 and was educated at Culford School
and the University of Leeds
.
Between 1948 and 1952 Courtney studied at Leeds with Shakespeare scholar G. Wilson Knight and Pirandello scholar and translator Frederick May. While there, he directed and appeared in a number of theatre productions and upon graduation continued his this endeavor with the Arts Theatre in Leeds and the Rep Theatre in Yorkshire.
On 21 December 1953, he married Rosemary Gale.
From 1956 to 1960, he played various roles on BBC
radio. Between 1952 and 1959 he taught drama at schools in England before becoming Senior Lecturer in Drama at Trent Park College of Education in 1959, a position he would retain until 1967. From 1968 to 1971, he was Associate Professor of Theatre at the University of Victoria
, British Columbia and was Professor of Drama from 1971 to 1974 at the University of Calgary
. While in Calgary, Courtney also directed theatre and served as President of the Canadian Child and Youth Drama Association as well as being an advisor to the Minister of Culture, Andre Fortier.
In 1974, he was appointed Professor of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
and the University of Toronto
Graduate Centre for Drama. At the latter he worked with Peter McLaren
, one of the leading architects of critical pedagogy
. He maintained these positions until his retirement in 1995. Dr. Robert Gardner, one of Professor Courtney's doctoral students, remembered his contact with Richard during the eighties. "Professor Courtney was considered a rather eccentric figure. He seemed constantly dressed in green. He had a full beard and often wore a wide brimmed hat. His work, Play, Drama, and Thought, had earned him an international reputation and students from all over the world sought him out. He was an incredibly kind and patient teacher and he delighted in assisting students with slightly off-beat thesis proposals. He certainly was one of the most popular professors at the Ontario Institutes for Studies in Education. Although he was a modest man, it was clear to many of his doctoral candidates that he was a gifted teacher and scholar."
In 1975, he traveled to New Mexico to research the dramatic rituals of the Hopi
and the Navajo Nation
s. He visited the University of Melbourne
in 1970 and 1974 and was a Visiting Fellow in the Spring of 1979 at the Melbourne State College, Victoria.
Above all Richard Courtney was a well-respected drama theorist. He wrote extensively on the subject and has roughly one hundred published works to his name.
In addition, he was also responsible for numerous reports and journal articles touching on such subjects as educational drama, drama therapy, arts education, criticism and the history of drama. Courtney lectured extensively in Australia, Canada, the UK and the US. He was President of the Canadian Conference of the Arts, 1973-1976 and Chairman of the National Inquiry into Arts and Education in Canada, 1975-1979.
Richard Courtney died on Saltspring Island, British Columbia on 16 August 1997.
Culford School
Culford School is a coeducational HMC and IAPS public school for pupils age 3–18. Founded in 1881, it is situated in Culford, four miles north of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, England.-History:...
and the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
.
Between 1948 and 1952 Courtney studied at Leeds with Shakespeare scholar G. Wilson Knight and Pirandello scholar and translator Frederick May. While there, he directed and appeared in a number of theatre productions and upon graduation continued his this endeavor with the Arts Theatre in Leeds and the Rep Theatre in Yorkshire.
On 21 December 1953, he married Rosemary Gale.
From 1956 to 1960, he played various roles on BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
radio. Between 1952 and 1959 he taught drama at schools in England before becoming Senior Lecturer in Drama at Trent Park College of Education in 1959, a position he would retain until 1967. From 1968 to 1971, he was Associate Professor of Theatre at the University of Victoria
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria, often referred to as UVic, is the second oldest public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It is a research intensive university located in Saanich and Oak Bay, about northeast of downtown Victoria. The University's annual enrollment is about 20,000 students...
, British Columbia and was Professor of Drama from 1971 to 1974 at the University of Calgary
University of Calgary
The University of Calgary is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1966 the U of C is composed of 14 faculties and more than 85 research institutes and centres.More than 25,000 undergraduate and 5,500 graduate students are currently...
. While in Calgary, Courtney also directed theatre and served as President of the Canadian Child and Youth Drama Association as well as being an advisor to the Minister of Culture, Andre Fortier.
In 1974, he was appointed Professor of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto is a teachers' college in Toronto, Ontario.-History:OISE/UT traces its origins to the founding of the Provincial Normal School in 1847...
and the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
Graduate Centre for Drama. At the latter he worked with Peter McLaren
Peter McLaren
Peter McLaren is a Professor in the Division of Urban Schooling, the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, University of California, Los Angeles . He is the author and editor of forty-five books and hundreds of scholarly articles and chapters...
, one of the leading architects of critical pedagogy
Critical pedagogy
Critical pedagogy is a philosophy of education described by Henry Giroux as an "educational movement, guided by passion and principle, to help students develop consciousness of freedom, recognize authoritarian tendencies, and connect knowledge to power and the ability to take constructive...
. He maintained these positions until his retirement in 1995. Dr. Robert Gardner, one of Professor Courtney's doctoral students, remembered his contact with Richard during the eighties. "Professor Courtney was considered a rather eccentric figure. He seemed constantly dressed in green. He had a full beard and often wore a wide brimmed hat. His work, Play, Drama, and Thought, had earned him an international reputation and students from all over the world sought him out. He was an incredibly kind and patient teacher and he delighted in assisting students with slightly off-beat thesis proposals. He certainly was one of the most popular professors at the Ontario Institutes for Studies in Education. Although he was a modest man, it was clear to many of his doctoral candidates that he was a gifted teacher and scholar."
In 1975, he traveled to New Mexico to research the dramatic rituals of the Hopi
Hopi
The Hopi are a federally recognized tribe of indigenous Native American people, who primarily live on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona. The Hopi area according to the 2000 census has a population of 6,946 people. Their Hopi language is one of the 30 of the Uto-Aztecan language...
and the Navajo Nation
Navajo Nation
The Navajo Nation is a semi-autonomous Native American-governed territory covering , occupying all of northeastern Arizona, the southeastern portion of Utah, and northwestern New Mexico...
s. He visited the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
in 1970 and 1974 and was a Visiting Fellow in the Spring of 1979 at the Melbourne State College, Victoria.
Above all Richard Courtney was a well-respected drama theorist. He wrote extensively on the subject and has roughly one hundred published works to his name.
In addition, he was also responsible for numerous reports and journal articles touching on such subjects as educational drama, drama therapy, arts education, criticism and the history of drama. Courtney lectured extensively in Australia, Canada, the UK and the US. He was President of the Canadian Conference of the Arts, 1973-1976 and Chairman of the National Inquiry into Arts and Education in Canada, 1975-1979.
Richard Courtney died on Saltspring Island, British Columbia on 16 August 1997.