Dame Doratea Alice Lucy Walkden Fitton (3 November 18972 April 1985) was an Australian actress and pioneering theatre entrepreneur, and theatrical director and producer who became best known for establishing with 19 other actors The Independent Theatre Ltd. in Sydney in 1930, which operated for some forty-seven years and produced over 400 productions from

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

to the literary classic reportoire and contemporary American and European theatre The Independent staged a diverse range of local and international dramas, many for the first time in Australia, during its tenure playing host to plays including Gwen Meredith's, ''Shout at the Thunder'', Sumner Locke Elliott's wartime comedy, '' Rusty Bugles'' and Max Afford's thriller '' Lady in Danger''

Early life

Fitton was born in Santa Ana,

Manila, Philippines Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on the island of Luzon, it is ...

, to English-born accountant and broker Walter Albert and Janet Frazer (née Cameron) Fitton. Her father died when she was young and in 1902, aged five, she relocated to Melbourne, Australia, with her mother and elder sister, Janet. She was educated at Loreto Convent,

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) () is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 census, Ballarat had a population of 111,973, making it the third-largest urban inland city in Australia and the third-largest city in Victoria. Within mo ...

and took acting classes at the Melbourne Repertory Company under director

Gregan McMahon Gregan McMahon, CBE (2 March 1874 – 30 August 1941)Allan Ashbolt,McMahon, Gregan (1874–1941), Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 10, Melbourne University Press, MUP, 1986, pp 336–337. Retrieved 2 October 2009 was an Australian act ...

. Fitton had her first acting role in Melbourne with J. C. Williamson in 1915. In 1922, Fitton married law clerk Norbert Keck "Tug" Mason in Sydney, where they lived in Chatswood, New South Wales and Potts Point, New South Wales before moving to Berry Street, North Sydney in 1953. Doris Fitton 1930

Career

Fitton joined the Turret Theatre in 1929, where she was secretary as well as performer. She helped found The Independent Theatre (known then simply as '' Independent Theatre'') in St James' Hall in 1930, taking its name from the Independent Theatre Society founded in London by J. T. Grein. As the company developed, they progressively moved to better premises until in 1939 they took over the old Coliseum in Miller Street,

North Sydney North Sydney is a suburb and commercial district on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. And is the administrative centre for the local government area of North Sydney Council. History The Indigenous people on the s ...

. Doris Fitton was usually producer and director, and frequently acted in productions as a

leading lady A leading actor, leading actress, or leading man or lady or simply lead (), plays a main role in a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person w ...

, and in each of these roles she won praise from the critics. With Doris's failing health,

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

closed in May 1977. It was reopened in 1998, continuing its tradition as a training ground for young actors and playwrights.

Independent Theatre alumni

Alumni of the theatre include: *

Reg Livermore Reginald Dawson Livermore (born 11 December 1938) is an Australian actor, singer, theatrical performer, designer, director, lyricist and writer and former television presenter. Biography Early life From a young age, Livermore demonstrated an ...

* Garry McDonald * Maggie Dence * Helen Morse * Gwen Plumb * John Appleton, stage and radio producer * Sumner Locke Elliott, stage producer and writer * Ruth Cracknell, Australian actress * Jeannie Little

Honours

She gained public recognition for her commitment to theatre in Australia with her appointments as Officer of

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in 1955, as Commander (CBE) in 1975, and as Dame Commander (DBE) in 1982.

Personal life

Doris and "Tug" Mason had two sons, Ewen Richard Cameron Mason (born 19 February 1925) and Malcolm John (born 26 July 1933). In 1952, they were living at a three-storey flat in Pott's Point before moving to North Sydney in 1953. They then lived in a house in Berry St, North Sydney. This house was later demolished to make way for the Northern Expressway. They then moved to Ridge Street, North Sydney, around the corner from The Independent Theatre.

Death and legacy

Doris Fitton published her autobiography, ''Not Without Heat and Dust'', in 1981. She died in North Sydney, on 2 April 1985, aged 87. A

commemorative plaque A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, or in other places referred to as a historical marker, historic marker, or historic plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, bearing text or an image in relief, or both, ...

was unveiled on 17 December 1986 on the footpath in front of the Independent Theatre in her honour, with the famous stanza from

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wil ...

'': "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances..." Doris Fitton Park at 1 Little Walker Street,

, is named after her.

Sources

* *

References

External links

* * * * CC-By-SA">Creative_Commons_license.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Creative Commons license">CC-By-SA/nowiki> {{DEFAULTSORT:Fitton, Doris 1897 births 1985 deaths Australian film actresses Australian stage actresses Australian theatre directors Australian women theatre directors Australian Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Actresses awarded damehoods Actresses from Sydney Australian people of English descent People from Santa Ana, Manila 20th-century Australian women People educated at Loreto College, Victoria Filipino emigrants to Australia