Louise Durant Petherbridge (née Harris, born 1931), is a New Zealand actor, director, deviser, producer and lecturer. Louise Petherbridge

Early life

Born in Dunedin, New Zealand, Petherbridge attended St Hilda's Collegiate and the

University of Otago , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate u ...

, graduating in 1953 with a BA in English. She was an active member of the Otago University Drama Society (OUDS), and also appeared in plays for the

Dunedin Repertory Society Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

, including Aldous Huxley's ''The Gioconda Smile'' (1949). In 1953, Petherbridge won a New Zealand Government Drama Bursary, which allowed her to study for two years at the Northern Theatre School in Bradford, under Esmé Church. A fellow student was

Edward Petherbridge Edward Petherbridge (born 3 August 1936) is an English actor, writer and artist. Among his many roles, he portrayed Lord Peter Wimsey in the 1987 BBC television adaptations of Dorothy L. Sayers' novels, and Guildenstern in Tom Stoppard's '' ...

, and the two married in 1957.

Career

Petherbridge acted in weekly and fortnightly rep with companies including Lincoln Theatre Rep and Ipswich Rep (under director

Peter Coe Percy Newbold "Peter" Coe (27 September 1919 – 9 August 2008) was a British athletics coach, author, translator and coach of his son Sebastian Coe. Early life and education Coe was born Percy Newbold Coe in Stepney, the only child of carpenter ...

), playing Alison in the first out-of-London production of John Osborne's ''

Look Back in Anger ''Look Back in Anger'' (1956) is a realist play written by John Osborne. It focuses on the life and marital struggles of an intelligent and educated but disaffected young man of working-class origin, Jimmy Porter, and his equally competent yet i ...

'' in August 1957. She also played the title role in

The Diary of Anne Frank ''The Diary of a Young Girl'', also known as ''The Diary of Anne Frank'', is a book of the writings from the Dutch-language diary kept by Anne Frank while she was in hiding for two years with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Neth ...

at Ipswich Rep early in 1958, again directed by Coe, amongst other plays. In 1958, Petherbridge (with her husband) returned to New Zealand to spend eighteen months touring with the

New Zealand Players The New Zealand Players were one of New Zealand's first professional theatre companies, active between 1952 and 1960. The company's director was Richard Campion, who with his wife and co-founder Edith Campion were former members of the New Zea ...

under Stafford Byrne. She played the lead, Clarissa Hailsham-Brown, in Agatha Christie's ''The Spider's Web'', and Gwendolen Fairfax in Oscar Wilde's ''The Importance of Being Earnest''. Edward Petherbridge played Algernon Moncrieff in this production, and Stafford Byrne's wife, English actor Barbara Leake, played Lady Bracknell. Both shows toured the country during 1958 - 59, following which the Petherbridges performed with the NZ Players Drama Quartet, giving 150 schools performances during 1959, one of which Edward recalls in his autobiography. The Petherbridges returned to England, where Louise later gave birth to their son David, and continued her career, including a brief period working for

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combina ...

. She returned to New Zealand in the mid 1970s, after she and Edward separated, divorcing in 1980. She has had a long and outstanding career as an actor, producer, writer/deviser and director in New Zealand. Petherbridge's many theatre acting roles after her return to New Zealand include: Amanda in ''

The Glass Menagerie ''The Glass Menagerie'' is a memory play by Tennessee Williams that premiered in 1944 and catapulted Williams from obscurity to fame. The play has strong autobiographical elements, featuring characters based on its author, his histrionic mother, ...

'' by

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thre ...

, 1977,

Fortune Theatre, Dunedin New Zealand's Fortune Theatre laid claim to being the world's southernmost professional theatre company and sole year round professional theatre group in Dunedin, until its closure on 1 May 2018, citing financial difficulties. The company ran ...

, at the

Athenaeum Athenaeum may refer to: Books and periodicals * ''Athenaeum'' (German magazine), a journal of German Romanticism, established 1798 * ''Athenaeum'' (British magazine), a weekly London literary magazine 1828–1921 * ''The Athenaeum'' (Acadia U ...

, directed by Murray Hutchinson; Eleanor of Aquitaine in James Goldman's ''The'' '' Lion in Winter'' 1980, Fortune Theatre, director Alex Gilchrist; Nurse in ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with ''Ham ...

'', 1981, Fortune Theatre, directed by Anthony Richardson; Stephanie Abrahams in Tom Kempinski's ''Duet For One'', Fortune Theatre, director Anthony Richardson; Judith Bliss in Noël Coward's ''

Hay Fever Allergic rhinitis, of which the seasonal type is called hay fever, is a type of inflammation in the nose that occurs when the immune system overreacts to allergens in the air. Signs and symptoms include a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, red ...

'', 1984, Centrepoint Theatre, Palmerston North, directed by

Stuart Devenie Stuart Forbes Devenie is a New Zealand actor and theatre director, whose career spans three decades on stage and screen. He has performed in theatre productions nationally and internationally. In the 1980s, he was the artistic director of Cent ...

; Madame de Rosemonde in Christopher Hampton's '' Les Liaisons Dangereueses,'' 1986, Fortune Theatre, director Lisa Warrington; Lila in Michelanne Forster's ''Songs My Mother Taught Me'', 1994, Court 2, Christchurch, director Brian Bell; multiple roles in Giles Havergal's adaptation of Graham Greene's ''

Travels With My Aunt ''Travels with My Aunt'' (1969) is a novel written by English author Graham Greene. The novel follows the travels of Henry Pulling, a retired bank manager, and his eccentric Aunt Augusta as they find their way across Europe, and eventually ev ...

,'' 2000, Fortune Theatre, director Hilary Norris; Auntie in Morris Panych's ''Auntie and Me'', 2005, Fortune Theatre, director Lisa Warrington.

Plays and productions (selected list)

1974: Played

Katherine Mansfield Kathleen Mansfield Murry (née Beauchamp; 14 October 1888 – 9 January 1923) was a New Zealand writer, essayist and journalist, widely considered one of the most influential and important authors of the modernist movement. Her works are celebr ...

Brian McNeill Brian McNeill (born 6 April 1950, Falkirk, Scotland) is a Scottish folk multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer and musical director. He was a founding member of Battlefield Band which combined traditional Celtic melodies and new ...

's ''The Two Tigers'' (

Fortune Theatre The Fortune Theatre is a 432-seat West End theatre on Russell Street, near Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster. Since 1989 the theatre has hosted the long running play ''The Woman in Black''. History The site was acquired by author, playw ...

at the

, director Murray Hutchinson). "Louise Petherbridge gave quite a superb performance as Katherine. So fluid in speech and movement, she was delicate or brave as required..." 1976: Director/co-adaptor (with Rowena Cullen), '' The Tempest,'' a

Bunraku (also known as ) is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theatre, founded in Osaka in the beginning of the 17th century, which is still performed in the modern day. Three kinds of performers take part in a performance: the or ( puppeteer ...

puppet-style adaptation of Shakespeare's play, initially at the

Globe Theatre, Dunedin Globe Theatre is a theatre located in Dunedin, New Zealand, and the amateur theatre company that runs it. The theatre was built in 1961 by Patric and Rosalie Carey as an extension of their house. The building to which it is attached, at 104 Lond ...

, and in 1978 at the Court Theatre, Christchurch. 1978: Director/artistic director, ''

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures r ...

'', an adaptation of Virginia Woolf's novel ( John Drummond composer,

Shona Dunlop Shona often refers to: * Shona people, a Southern African people * Shona language, a Bantu language spoken by Shona people today Shona may also refer to: * Shona (album), ''Shona'' (album), 1994 album by New Zealand singer Shona Laing * Shona (g ...

choreographer) for Dunedin Dance Theatre as a contemporary masque, encompassing music, dance and drama. At Playhouse Theatre, Dunedin. "We do not presume to interpret Virginia Woolf's brilliant novel entire. This is simply a montage inspired by it." 1981: Director/co-creator ''While Grandmother Played Bridge'' for Dunedin Dance Theatre, at Dunedin Teachers College Auditorium, choreographer Shona Dunlop. Inspired by a short story by the Austrian emigre Dr Nicholas Zisserman, it sought to recreate the mood in Austria prior to and during the Nazi takeover as perceived by the young Nicholas. Performers included Petherbridge's son David as Young Nicholas, Honor McKellar,

Jan Bolwell Jan Patricia Bolwell (born 1949) is a Wellington-based New Zealand playwright, choreographer, director, dancer and teacher of dance. She established the Crows Feet Dance Collective in 1999 and remains its director. Biography Bolwell was bor ...

Terry MacTavish Terry Isobel MacTavish (born 1950) is an actor and teacher from Dunedin, New Zealand. Early life and family MacTavish was born in Taiwan in 1950, where her parents MacDonald MacTavish, a Scottish Free Church minister, and Shona Dunlop MacTa ...

, Carol Brown and others. 1981: Actor (Lady Bracknell), Oscar Wilde's ''

The Importance of Being Earnest ''The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious ...

'', Fortune Theatre, Dunedin, director

Rawiri Paratene Peter David Broughton , generally known as Rawiri Paratene, is a New Zealand stage and screen actor, director and writer. He is known for his acting roles in ''Whale Rider'' (2002) and ''The Insatiable Moon'' (2010). Biography Paratene was born ...

. 1982: Actor/script commissioner, ''The Perfumed Business Woman'' by Brian McNeill (playwright) and John Drummond (composer),

, Dunedin, director Anthony Richardson. A solo play about

Mata Hari Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod (née Zelle; 7 August 187615 October 1917), better known by the stage name Mata Hari (), was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for Germany during World War I. She was executed ...

. 1991: Director/deviser, with Edwin Carr (music), ''Coup De Folie'', a piece about NZ writer and teacher

Sylvia Ashton-Warner Sylvia Constance Ashton-Warner (17 December 1908 – 28 April 1984) was a New Zealand novelist, non-fiction writer, poet, pianist and world figure in the teaching of children. Her ideas for a child-based or organic approach to the teaching of ...

(played by Terry MacTavish). Manhattan Theatre, Dunedin. Choreography by Shona Dunlop. 2007: Actor (Miss Helen), Athol Fugard's '' The Road To Mecca'', at the

, directed by Lisa Warrington.

Film and television

Petherbridge has made some film and television appearances. Short films include ''Cake Tin (2006),'' directed by

Rosemary Riddell Rosemary Riddell is an actor, film director and Family Court judge from New Zealand. Riddell was born and educated in Auckland. She began her career working in broadcasting and public relations, then went overseas and met her husband Mike Riddel ...

and ''Dream-Makers'' (1992), written and directed by

Robert Sarkies Robert Sarkies (born 6 March 1967) is a New Zealand film director and screenwriter. Sarkies grew up in the South Island city of Dunedin. He attended Kaikorai Valley College. His three feature films to date have been set in Dunedin, or in the lowe ...

. She appeared in two episodes of ''Beyond the Law'' for

TVNZ , type = Crown entity , industry = Broadcast television , num_locations = New Zealand , location = Auckland, New Zealand , area_served = Nationally (New Zealand) and some Pacific Island nations such as the Cook Islands, Fiji, and the ...

, in one of which she played con-artist

Amy Bock Amy Maud Bock (18 May 1859 – 29 August 1943) was a Tasmanian-born New Zealand female confidence trickster. Her usual pattern involved making emotional claims to her employer or other acquaintances in order to obtain money or property, or comm ...

, aka 'Percy Redwood'.

Awards and honours

In 2000, Petherbridge was awarded the QSO for community service in the

Queen's Birthday Honours List The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning British monarch's official birthday by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are presen ...

. In 2012, she was given a Lifetime Achievement award at the

Dunedin Theatre Awards The Dunedin Theatre Awards are annual theatre awards in Dunedin, New Zealand. The awards were established in 2010 by director and actor Patrick Davies, and the winners are selected by a panel of theatre reviewers. The winners are selected by the ...

. In 2014, she was awarded a New Zealand Theatre Services honour medal.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Petherbridge, Louise New Zealand theatre directors New Zealand women theatre directors 1931 births Companions of the Queen's Service Order University of Otago alumni Actors from Dunedin Living people