Craig Noel (August 25, 1915 – April 3, 2010) was an American

theatre producer Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communicat ...

. He was the founding director of the

Old Globe Theatre The Old Globe is a professional theatre company in Balboa Park in San Diego, California. It produces about 15 plays and musicals annually in summer and winter seasons. Plays are performed in three separate theatres in the complex, which is collec ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, and led it for more than 60 years. He "helped transform it from an insular community group into an influential powerhouse among regional theaters." The Old Globe began as an attraction at Balboa Park's 1935 California Pacific International Exposition with the presentation of 50-minute versions of Shakespeare plays. After the exposition was over, the group reorganized as a community theatre. Noel, who had moved with his family to San Diego in 1918San Diego Union-Tribune, April 11, 2010
/ref> and graduated from

San Diego High School San Diego High School (SDHS) is an urban public high school located on the southern edge of Balboa Park, San Diego, California, Balboa Park in San Diego, California, United States. It is the oldest high school in the San Diego Unified School Dist ...

, acted in the initial production in 1937 at the age of 22. He soon began directing, and he was named the Globe's general director in 1939. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

service and a stint in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

, he returned to The Globe in 1947 as resident director. He never left, personally directing more than 200 productions, producing 270 more, and building the Globe into a theatrical powerhouse which won the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

for best regional theater in 1984.San Diego News Network, April 4, 2010
Shows which originated at the Old Globe have gone on to

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

to win nine Tony Awards and nearly 60 nominations. In 1981 Noel hired Jack O'Brien to replace him as artistic director, but he remained active in the leadership of the Old Globe right up until his death. He created the San Diego National Shakespeare Festival in 1949, making the Globe the first professional

Actors Equity The Actors' Equity Association (AEA), commonly called Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing those who work in live theatrical performance. Performers appearing in live stage productions without a book or thro ...

theater on the West Coast. Under his leadership the Globe added a second theatre, the in-the-round Cassius Carter Theatre, in 1968, and a third, the outdoor Festival Stage, in 1978. He led rebuilding efforts after the original Globe and later the Festival Stage were destroyed by arson. He was instrumental in creating the Master of Fine Arts in Acting program at the

University of San Diego The University of San Diego (USD) is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in San Diego, California, United States. Chartered in 1949 as the independent San Diego College for Women and San Diego University ...

in 1987. In 1983, he established Teatro Meta, a bilingual playwriting program involving thousands of San Diego young people. He fostered the careers of numerous actors and directors who later achieved fame, including Jack O'Brien,

Marion Ross Marion Ross (born Marian Eileen Ross; October 25, 1928) is an American actress. Her best-known role is that of Marion Cunningham (Happy Days), Marion Cunningham on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television sitcom ''Happy Days'', on which ...

David Ogden Stiers David Allen Ogden Stiers ( ; October 31, 1942 – March 3, 2018) was an American actor and conductor. He appeared in numerous productions on Broadway, and originated the role of Feldman in '' The Magic Show'', in 1974. In 1977, Stiers was cast ...

Kelsey Grammer Allen Kelsey Grammer (born February 21, 1955) is an American actor and producer. He gained fame for his role as the psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' (1984–1993) and its spin-off ''Frasier'' (1993–2004, and again F ...

, Kandis Chappell and Jonathan McMurtry. In 2005 Craig Noel celebrated his 90th birthday coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the Old Globe Theatre. In 2007, he was awarded the

National Medal of Arts The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and Patronage, patrons of the arts. A prestigious American honor, it is the highest honor given to artists and ar ...

for his ”decades of leadership as a pillar of the American theater.” He died April 3, 2010, at the age of 94 at his home in San Diego.

Craig Noel Awards

In the early 2000s, the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle started an annual ceremony, presenting awards to theater performers in the San Diego region. The 2019 event was organized by Julie Sarno, Dea Hurton and Denise Bevers. Some of the donors were Lon and Denise Bevers, the Dr. Seuss Foundation and

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Noel, Craig 1915 births 2010 deaths American theatre managers and producers Businesspeople from San Diego United States National Medal of Arts recipients Balboa Park (San Diego) People from Deming, New Mexico 20th-century American businesspeople San Diego High School alumni