Harley Granville-Barker (November 25 1877 – August 31 1946) was a English actor, director, producer, critic and playwright.
Born in London, Granville-Barker made his first appearance onstage there at the age of 14. His acting work led to increasing discontent with the low standards of the commercial theatre. In 1900 he became a leading member of the Stage Society and this led to contacts with George Bernard Shaw and William Poel among others. His first play, The Marrying of Ann Leete was produced by the Stage Society in 1900 as well.
After success with the Stage Society, Granville-Barker turned his attentions to his own theatre operation and took a lease on the Royal Court Theatre in London. There he managed three seasons of repertory theatre. Among many of the works he produced were plays by Shaw, Henrik Ibsen, Maurice Maeterlinck, and new translations of Euripides. These plays were produced successfully in repertory.
His productions of Shakespeare's plays were highly influential. Granville-Barker did away with "star" system and instead concentrated on excellence in the entire ensemble.
As a playwright, Granville-Barker experimented with form. His best known plays are The Voysey Inheritance (1905), Waste (1906) and The Madras House (1909). He has also published volumes of criticism, prefaces to Shakespeare, and translations of Spanish plays .
He died in Paris in 1946.
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Last updated: 08-23-2005 18:47:39
