Sir Barry Vincent Jackson (6 September 1879 – 3 April 1961) was an English theatre director, entrepreneur and the founder of the

Birmingham Repertory Theatre Birmingham Repertory Theatre, commonly called Birmingham Rep or just The Rep, is a producing theatre based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England. Founded by Barry Jackson, it is the longest-established of Britain's building-based theatre ...

and, alongside

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...

, the Malvern Festival.

Early life

Jackson was born on 6 September 1879 in

Kings Norton, Worcestershire Kings Norton, alternatively King's Norton, is an area of Birmingham, in the county of the West Midlands, England. Historically in Worcestershire, it was also a Birmingham City Council ward within the borough of Birmingham. The district lie ...

the son of George and Jane ( Spreadborough) Jackson. The Jacksons were a prominent and wealthy family of merchant grocers. His father, George, was a prominent businessman who was passionate about the theatre, reportedly naming his son for renowned British stage actor

Barry Sullivan Barry Sullivan may refer to: *Barry Sullivan (American actor) (1912–1994), US film and Broadway actor *Barry Sullivan (stage actor) (1821–1891), Irish born stage actor active in Britain and Australia *Barry Sullivan (lawyer), Chicago lawyer and ...

. From a young age, Jackson was exposed to the theatre and to the arts, from school where he was privately educated, to regularly attending the theatre, opera and ballet. The young Jackson saw his first Shakespeare production, ''

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunke ...

'', performed by the Frank Benson Company when he was ten years old. In his teenage years, he travelled around Europe, visiting Greece and Italy, living in Geneva for eighteen months where he studied French and learnt to paint. He desired to become an artist, but his father persuaded him to take a job in the architect's office of Frank Osborn in Birmingham, beginning working there in 1897. His time there did now inspire him creativity, as he had already turned his focus to writing and performing plays with a group of his friends. Along with his friends they christened the company, The Pilgrim Players. This was to be the amateur foundations for the future Birmingham Repertory Theatre Company. Jackson alongside his friends, John Drinkwater, H S Milligan and C. R. Dawes had been performing their own productions at the Jackson's family home of the Grange in Moseley, from around 1902 to family and friends. Their first public appearance took place on 2 October 1907 at the Mission Hall in Inge Street. The following year performances moved to the Edgbaston Assembly Rooms. The company was increasingly gaining in reputation and popularity in the city. Jackson was confident in the potential that the dedicated company possessed. He employed Drinkwater as the company Secretary from 1909, and from 1911, all of the Players were paid. At the start of 1912, Jackson began to identify and develop plans to build a permanent theatre for the expanding company. He had clear ideas about the design which he discussed with the architect

S. N. Cooke Samuel Nathaniel Cooke Jr. (26 June 1882 – 11 April 1964) was an English architect active in Birmingham, England in the early to mid 20th century. He was almost invariably credited as S. N. Cooke and his later work was carried out under the aus ...

, who had studied with Jackson at the School of Art.

Birmingham Repertory Theatre

In 1913 Jackson officially founded the

Birmingham Repertory Company Birmingham Repertory Theatre, commonly called Birmingham Rep or just The Rep, is a producing theatre based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England. Founded by Barry Jackson, it is the longest-established of Britain's building-based theatre c ...

and after just four months building work (which took place day and night), on 15 February 1913, Jackson opened the Birmingham Repertory Theatre on Station Street, when it opened it became the first purpose built repertory theatre in the world. Old Rep theatre Birmingham

The theatre rapidly became home to one of the most famous and exciting repertory theatre companies in the country with the repertoire ranging from innovative modern dress Shakespeare, medieval moralities, Greek drama and modern experimental drama, as well as presenting many world premieres including George Bernard Shaw's epic Back to Methuselah in 1923. Jackson had an exceptional eye for young talent, later employing many young actors who later went on to become stars in their own right. Some of the early names included;

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...

Peggy Ashcroft Dame Edith Margaret Emily "Peggy" Ashcroft (22 December 1907 – 14 June 1991) was an English actress whose career spanned more than 60 years. Born to a comfortable middle-class family, Ashcroft was determined from an early age to become ...

Edith Evans Dame Edith Mary Evans (8 February 1888 – 14 October 1976) was an English actress. She was best known for Edith Evans – stage and film roles, her work on the West End theatre, West End stage, but also appeared in films at the beginning and t ...

Stewart Granger Stewart Granger (born James Lablache Stewart; 6 May 1913 – 16 August 1993) was a British film actor, mainly associated with heroic and romantic leading roles. He was a popular leading man from the 1940s to the early 1960s, rising to fame thr ...

and

Ralph Richardson Sir Ralph David Richardson (19 December 1902 – 10 October 1983) was an English actor who, with John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier, was one of the trinity of male actors who dominated the British stage for much of the 20th century. He wo ...

all gaining valuable early experience with the then thriving repertory system. He toured plays to the city's parks, established a theatre school and made Birmingham Repertory Theatre one of the most renowned theatres in the world. Their productions were aired on

BBC radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations cove ...

, and a few, in 1938, by the early BBC television service. As the theatre's reputation grew more talent was to develop on its stage with the likes of

Paul Scofield David Paul Scofield (21 January 1922 – 19 March 2008) was an English actor. During a six-decade career, Scofield achieved the Triple Crown of Acting, winning an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Tony Award for his work. Scofield ...

Julie Christie Julie Frances Christie (born 14 April 1940) is a British actress. Christie's accolades include an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She has appeared in six films ranked in the British Film Institu ...

Albert Finney Albert Finney (9 May 1936 – 7 February 2019) was an English actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked in the theatre before attaining fame for movie acting during the early 1960s, debuting with '' The Entertainer'' ( ...

and

Derek Jacobi Sir Derek George Jacobi (; born 22 October 1938) is an English actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen as well as for his work at the Royal National Theatre, he has received numerous accolades including a Tony Award, a BAFTA Award, two ...

Peter Brook Peter Stephen Paul Brook (21 March 1925 – 2 July 2022) was an English theatre and film director. He worked first in England, from 1945 at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, from 1947 at the Royal Opera House, and from 1962 for the Royal Shak ...

directed at the Rep just after World War II and transferred with Sir Barry and Paul Scofield to Stratford. As well as being the founder and Governing Director of the

, he was also a director of the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. From 1929, he gave his support to the

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Repertory Theatre and worked closely with

Martha Allan Marguerite Martha Allan (August 5, 1894 – April 4, 1942) was the founder of the Montreal Repertory Theatre and co-founder of the Dominion Drama Festival. She loathed amateur theatre, but her energies spearheaded the Canadian Little Theatre Mov ...

promoting

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

theatre. From 1933, the ''Sir Barry Jackson Trophy'' was awarded to the best Canadian play staged at the

Dominion Drama Festival The Dominion Drama Festival was an organisation in Canada that sought to promote amateur theatre across the country. It lasted, in one form or another, from 1932 until 1978. Founding The Dominion Drama Festival (DDF) was devised in 1932 as a wa ...

. Jackson returned to Birmingham Repertory Theatre in 1948, but retired from running the company.

The Malvern Festival

The now knighted, Jackson purchased a home at Blackhill in the Malverns in 1929, due to the relaxing and inspiring atmosphere. From 1929 to 1937, he joined forces with the Malvern Theatre manager, Roy Limbert to put on an annual summer festival. After coming to Birmingham to see Heartbreak House,

struck up a friendship with Jackson and consequently wrote The Apple Cart for the festival's first season. Initially the festival was primarily to showcase the work of Shaw, however the two of them soon began to develop the festival into what it remains to this day. Correspondence between the two is now held in Birmingham City Archives. The actors and production staff who toured at Malvern from Birmingham found the setting and the work enjoyable and worthwhile. The festivals, however, were costly and were not, in Jackson's opinion, received gratefully by the people of Malvern. He directed the Malvern Summer Festivals from 1929 to 1937 and was Director of the

Shakespeare Memorial Theatre The Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RST) (originally called the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre) is a Grade II* listed 1,040+ seat thrust stage theatre owned by the Royal Shakespeare Company dedicated to the English playwright and poet William Shakes ...

Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon ( ), commonly known as Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon (district), Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands region of Engl ...

in 1946–48. He was awarded the Freedom of the City of Birmingham on 16 April 1955. Many plays transferred to London or toured. In 1932 Jackson was supporting four companies and told Shaw he had spent thousands supporting the theatre, calling it more fun than running a yacht.

Shakespeare Memorial Theatre

In 1945, Jackson was appointed as artistic director at the

. His appointment was welcomed by the press and a period of reform was anticipated. The Theatre had been neglected during the war and was worn and shabby. His aim was to transform the theatre into one of national and international status. However, it was a difficult undertaking. His relationship with the chairman of the governors,

Fordham Flower Fordham may refer to: Education * Fordham Preparatory School, an all-male, Jesuit high school in New York City * Fordham University, a Jesuit university in New York City ** Fordham Rams, athletic teams of the above university ** Fordham University ...

, was uneasy from the start as Jackson insisted in bringing in his own staff and using a completely new company of actors. This alienated some previously loyal supporters within Stratford. Undeterred, Jackson followed his plan to produce eight plays staggered throughout the season, each directed by a guest director. The hit of the first season in 1946 was ''

Love's Labour's Lost ''Love's Labour's Lost'' is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, believed to have been written in the mid-1590s for a performance at the Inns of Court before Queen Elizabeth I. It follows the King of Navarre and his three companions as ...

'', directed by Peter Brook and starring Paul Scofield as Armado. However, despite critical success the season culminated in the largest financial deficit the Memorial Theatre had ever experienced. Whilst this did not faze Jackson, the governors used it as a further reason to question his methods. But, despite their protests his contract was extended to three years, this demonstrated a recognition that in order to establish real change he needed more time. The 1947 season included Brook's Romeo and Juliet and Benthall's ''The Merchant of Venice''. Neither received much praise from the critics and the governors' patience was tested again. This culminated in Jackson's dramatic announcement of his retirement in January 1948. The governors did nothing to prevent his departure and had already decided on his successor,

Anthony Quayle Sir John Anthony Quayle (7 September 1913 – 20 October 1989) was a British actor. He was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his supporting role as Thomas Wolsey in the film '' Anne of the Thousand Days'' (1969). He also played impor ...

. However, in three years Jackson had done much to restore the fortunes and reputation of the Theatre.

Later years

Throughout the late 1950s plans were developed for a new theatre building in Birmingham and in 1960 the City Council and the Arts Council agreed funding would be provided. In 1960, Jackson's health began to deteriorate as a result of

leukaemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...

. He spent time between the hospital in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

, his home in Malvern and his office at the theatre. The final play he saw was "''Antony and Cleopatra''" at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, but he was unable to stay longer than the first intermission. He did not live to see the new Rep on Broad Street, which opened in 1971. After a long period of severe illness, Sir Barry Jackson died 3 April 1961, at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, aged 81.

Legacy

A bust of Jackson now stands in the Birmingham REP. Jackson was gay and the partner of Scott Sunderland. Letters written by Jackson and other materials are held at the

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

Special Collections and at Birmingham Central Library Archives. There is a tower block named in his honour: Barry Jackson Tower in Aston, Birmingham. There is a commemorative plaque to Jackson, set into a rock at Wynds Point, which is near

British Camp British Camp is an Iron Age hill fort located at the top of Herefordshire Beacon in the Malvern Hills. The hill fort is protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument and is owned and maintained by Malvern Hills Conservators. The fort is thought to h ...

in the

Malvern Hills The Malvern Hills are in the English counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and a small area of northern Gloucestershire, dominating the surrounding countryside and the towns and villages of the district of Malvern. The highest summit af ...

Jackson donated artworks to Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.

Honours

Birmingham Civic Society Birmingham Civic Society is a voluntary body in Birmingham, England, and is registered with the Civic Trust. History The society was founded at an inaugural meeting on 10 June 1918 in the Birmingham Council House. The first president of th ...

Gold Medal, 1922 *

Honorary An honorary position is one given as an honor, with no duties attached, and without payment. Other uses include: * Honorary Academy Award, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, United States * Honorary Aryan, a status in Nazi Germany ...

MA (

), 1922 *

Knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

, 1925 for services to theatre * ''Sir Barry Jackson Trophy'' awarded at the

, 1933 *

LL.D A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

( St. Andrews), 1937 *

D.Litt Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or '), also termed Doctor of Literature in some countries, is a terminal degree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In the United States, at universities such as Drew University, the degree ...

(

), 1950 * Freedom of the City of Birmingham, 1955

References

* *Hankinson, C. F. J. (ed.), ''Debrett's Baronetage, Knightage and Companionage, 1954'', Odhams Press, 1954 *''Birmingham Post and Mail Year Book and Who's Who, 1973-74'', Birmingham Post and Mail Ltd., July 1973

External links

Birmingham Repertory Theatre's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Sir Barry V. 1879 births 1961 deaths English theatre directors People from Birmingham, West Midlands Knights Bachelor