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| John Hare | |
|---|---|
| Name | John Hare |
| Birth date | 1910 |
| Birth place | London |
| Death date | 1986 |
| Occupation | Actor; Theatrical manager; Director |
| Years active | 1930s–1970s |
| Spouse | Dame Mary O'Farrell |
John Hare John Hare was a British actor and theatre manager prominent in the 20th century London stage scene. He worked across provincial theatres and the West End, collaborating with leading figures in British theatre, and influenced repertory practice, production standards, and actor training. His career intersected with institutions and personalities that shaped modern British dramatic life.
Born in London in 1910, Hare received early schooling in borough institutions before entering formal dramatic training. He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and attended workshops affiliated with the Old Vic company and the Sadler's Wells Theatre. During his formative years he encountered directors and actors from the Garrick Theatre, the Royal Court Theatre, and touring companies linked to the Provincial Players and the Covent Garden circuit.
Hare began acting in repertory companies that toured between the West End and regional venues such as the Bristol Old Vic and the Manchester Library Theatre. He worked under managers associated with the Queen's Theatre and served as assistant director on productions staged at the Lyceum Theatre and Palace Theatre. His collaborations included productions with figures from the Oxford Playhouse, the Cambridge Arts Theatre, and the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s he alternated between acting and administrative roles, joining ensembles that performed works by playwrights represented at the National Theatre and in seasons curated by the British Council.
In the 1960s Hare took on senior managerial responsibilities for companies operating in partnership with the Arts Council of Great Britain and engaged with touring initiatives supported by the Regional Arts Association. He directed plays at venues linked to the Royal Shakespeare Company and mounted revivals of plays associated with the Haymarket Theatre and the Criterion Theatre. His production teams often included designers and stage managers from the Royal Ballet and technicians who previously worked at the Sadler's Wells Opera.
Hare's notable stage performances were in plays by dramatists popular in mid-century London seasons, including productions of works by George Bernard Shaw, Harold Pinter, Noel Coward, and Terence Rattigan. He produced acclaimed revivals of texts originally staged at the Strand Theatre and curated festivals that showcased dramatists alongside companies from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Lyric Hammersmith. Under his leadership, repertory seasons achieved financial stability through box-office successes at the Criterion Theatre and touring circuits that included the Glasgow Citizens Theatre and the Bristol Old Vic.
Hare was instrumental in establishing apprenticeship schemes linked to training establishments such as the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts and collaborative programs with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He championed productions that engaged with scripts previously developed at the Royal Court Theatre and facilitated international exchanges with ensembles from the Comédie-Française and the Groupe des Jeunes.
Hare's social circle included actors, directors, and theatre managers associated with the Royal Opera House, the Globe Theatre (London), and private clubs frequented by members of the Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques. He married a fellow theatre professional whose career intersected with touring seasons at the Lyric Theatre, and they hosted gatherings attended by contributors to the Punch and Judy tradition and literary figures connected to the Sunday Times arts pages. In later life he retired to a residence near cultural hubs like the Brighton Festival and the Cheltenham Literature Festival.
Hare received recognition from theatrical institutions and cultural bodies, including commendations from the Arts Council of Great Britain and awards presented at ceremonies held with representatives from the British Theatre Association and the Society of London Theatre. His influence persisted through pedagogic initiatives at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and repertory practices at the Bristol Old Vic and Manchester Library Theatre. Archival materials relating to his management and productions were deposited in repositories associated with the Victoria and Albert Museum and collections curated by the British Library, informing studies of mid-20th-century British theatre.
Category:British stage actors Category:20th-century British theatre managers and producers