Yvonne Bryceland

Yvonne Bryceland (18 November 1925 – 13 January 1992) was a South African stage actress. Some of her best-known work was in the plays of Athol Fugard.

Early life

She was born Yvonne Heilbuth in Cape Town, South Africa, the daughter of Adolphus Walter Heilbluth, a railway foreman,"South African Yvonne Bryceland Ventured Far from Her Privileged Roots to Reach the Road to Mecca" (July 18, 1988) ''People'' and Clara Ethel (''née'' Sanderson). She was educated at St. Mary's Convent, Hope St., Cape Town.''Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia'' (2000)

Career

Bryceland worked as a newspaper librarian for the ''Cape Argus'' before her professional theatrical début in ''Stage Door'' in 1947, becoming an actress with the Cape Performing Arts Board in 1964. Prior to her professional career, she had performed as an amateur at the Barn Theatre in Constantia which had been founded by David Bloomberg who later became the mayor of Cape Town. Having had no formal training prior to becoming a professional actress, Bryceland took private lessons with acting teacher Rita Maas (RADA, LAMDA), who with her husband, Morris Phillips, a ballroom dancer, founded the Maas-Phillips School of Dance, Speech and Drama, in Cape Town in the 1950s.

Yvonne's first husband was an immigrant from England named Danny Bryceland, a real-estate salesman. The relationship became abusive and, although a devout Roman Catholic, after urgent consultations with her priest, they were divorced in 1960.Michael Green (2004) ''Around and About: Memoires of a South African Newspaperman'', David Philip Publishers, Cape Town They had three children – daughters Colleen, Melanie, and Mavourneen, the latter also having a brief but well-received career as an actress.

In 1969, Bryceland performed in the première of Athol Fugard's play ''Boesman and Lena'' and repeated the role in the 1974 film version.

Described as the first lady of South African theatre, Bryceland was a committed artist who, in 1972, defied racial segregation by co-founding, with her second husband, Brian Astbury,"Yvonne Bryceland"
''Encyclopædia Britannica'' South Africa's first non-racial theatre, the Space Theatre in Cape Town.Staff writer (undated).
"The Order of Ikhamanga in Silver Awarded to Yvonne Bryceland (1925–1992) for Excellent Achievement in the Field of Dramatic Art — Profile of Yvonne Bryceland"
President of South Africa. Accessed 2 January 2010.

She joined the Royal National Theatre in 1978, making her acclaimed début in ''The Woman'' by Edward Bond."Yvonne Bryceland Is Dead at 66; Actress in Plays by Athol Fugard"
(Jan 29, 1992) ''New York Times'' She remained with the National Theatre for eight years. She received the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in 1985 for her performance in '' The Road to Mecca''.

Fugard attempted to have ''The Road to Mecca'' produced in New York in 1985 but Actors Equity refused to grant Bryceland permission to perform on Broadway on the grounds that she was not an "international star" and therefore not entitled to preference over an American actress.Mecca' Star Could Rise or Fall with Ruling on International Status" (4 June 1987) ''Chicago Tribune'' p. 9 She performed the role in a 1987 production at the Spoleto Festival, which is not subject to Equity contracts, receiving a rave review from the ''Chicago Tribune'':

For sheer emotional range, Bryceland's performance is phenomenal. Barefoot at times, wrapped in a worn cardigan whose sleeves seem to want to cover her hands, the actress journeys from failing old age to heights of insight. She suggests a person reborn into a faith of her own invention. It is a difficult part in a play that is far from easy, but Bryceland gives it a sustained glow.

As a result of the dispute with Equity, Fugard refused to allow the play to be produced by any other company in the United States. In July 1987, Equity relented and gave permission for Bryceland to perform. In 1988, Bryceland appeared in a New York production at the Promenade Theater, off-Broadway, with Fugard as the clergyman and Amy Irving as Miss Helen's friend Elsa, receiving an Obie Award for her performance, as well as a Theatre World Award. In 1989, Bryceland reprised her role alongside Fugard at the Eisenhower Theater at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Kathy Bates playing the part of Elsa, a role she also played in the film version.

In 1987, Bryceland participated in an educational programme at Cornell University developed by the Education Department of the National Theatre of Great Britain for actors in training.

Theatre

* ''People Are Living There'' (1969) – Millie
* ''Boesman and Lena'' (1971) – Lena
* ''Orestes'' (1971) – Clytemnestra
* ''Statements After an Arrest Under the Immorality Act'' (1972)
* ''Dimetos'' (1976) (with Paul Scofield and Ben Kingsley)
* Franz Grillparzer's ''Medea'' (1977) translated by Barney Simon
* ''Hello and Goodbye'' (1978)
* ''The Woman'' (1978) – Hecuba
* '' Richard III'' (1979) – Queen Margaret
* '' Othello'' (1980) Emilia
* Dario Fo and Franca Rame (1981) ''One Woman Plays'':
::''Waking up''; ''A Woman Alone''; ''The Same Old Story''; ''Medea''
* ''Coriolanus'' (1984) – Volumnia
* ''The Road to Mecca'' (1985) – Helen Martins
* ''The Wild Duck'' – Gina Ekdal
* ''Mrs. Warren's Profession'' – title role
* ''The Glass Menagerie'' – Amanda Wingfield

Filmography

* ''Boesman and Lena'' (1972)
*''Stealing Heaven'' (1988) as Baroness Lamarck
*''Johnny Handsome'' (1989) as Sister Luke
*'' The Road to Mecca'' (1991) as Miss Helen

Awards

*The Order of Ikhamanga in Silver was awarded posthumously to Bryceland for "Excellent Achievement in the Fields of Dramatic Art""Cape Visual Artist Honoured for Excellence" (Oct 9, 2006) ''Cape Times''
* Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards for Best Actress 1966, 1969 & 1973
* Laurence Olivier Award for Actress of the Year in a New Play 1978 (nominated)
* Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress 1985
* Obie Award for Distinguished Performance by an Actress 1988
* Theatre World Award 1988

Death

Yvonne Bryceland died of complications from cancer in 1992 at age 66 in London, United Kingdom.

Other

Her name has sometimes been misspelled as Yvonne Brayceland.

References

External links

*
Yvonne Bryceland's biodata at Britannica.comBiodataTribute to Bryceland

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bryceland, Yvonne
1925 births
1992 deaths
Deaths from cancer in England
South African film actresses
South African stage actresses
Actresses from Cape Town
20th-century South African actresses
Recipients of the Order of Ikhamanga
Laurence Olivier Award winners