Person    | Female  Born 6/10/1914  Died 20/9/2002

Joan Littlewood

Categories: Theatre

Countries: France

Theatre director. Born Stockwell. 1945 set up the Theatre Workshop which moved into the Stratford Theatre Royal in 1953, many of the company living on site while it was being restored. 1963 created the stage production "Oh, What a Lovely War!" which was recreated as a film, as was her 1958 "A Taste of Honey". In 1965 she directed Twang!! which is remembered as "the most expensive flop" in West End history up to that time, though she did manage to resign before it opened.

Married to Ewan MacColl, 1934-1950, and then had a relationship with Gerry Raffles until his death in 1975. After that she worked in France for a time. Died in the London flat of Peter Rankin, a friend and co-worker for 40 years.

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This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Joan Littlewood

Commemorated ati

East 15 Acting School

Margaret Walker (1922 - 2013) founder of East 15 Acting School and Theatre Wo...

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Joan Littlewood - Stratford plaque

Joan Littlewood, 1914 - 2002, theatre director. The sculpture by Philip Jacks...

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Joan Littlewood - Stratford statue

This bronze statue, called The Mother of Modern Theatre, is based on an iconi...

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Other Subjects

People's Palace

People's Palace

Proposed by Walter Besant, the first People's Palace was built by the Beaumont Trustees, ‘Unitarian philanthropists’, to replace Beaumont's Philosophical Institution which had been in Beaumont Squa...

Building, Education, Sport / Games, Theatre

3 memorials
Peckham Shed

Peckham Shed

A theatre company run for children and young people aged five to seventeen years old. Originally set up by Chicken Shed, a similar theatre company based in Cockfosters.

Group, Art, Community / Clubs, Dance, Theatre

1 memorial
The Mousetrap

The Mousetrap

The world's longest running play - still going in 2013.  Written by Agatha Christie who gave the rights to her grandson.  We've heard the butler did it.

Fiction, Fictional, Theatre

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Gilbert Miller

Gilbert Miller

American impresario. Owned the St James's Theatre from 1943 to its demise in 1957.

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1 memorial
John Wright

John Wright

Puppeteer. Born in South Africa. He started work as a farmer in Cape Town, before moving to England in 1935 where he became assistant stage manager for the Ballet Rambert. He toured Europe and Sout...

Person, Theatre, South Africa

1 memorial