Frank Dawson Clewlow (October–December 1885 – 13 June 1957) also known under pseudonym of Stafford Dawson, was an English-born actor, director, stage and radio producer and theatre manager, he worked in his native England, as well as Scotland during the 1910s and 1920s, before emigrating to Australia in 1926 where he continued his career and in 1936 he became ''Federal Controller of Productions'' for the

Australian Broadcasting Commission The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is a ...

(later Corporation – ABC).

Early life

He was born in Stone, Staffordshire, England, to Joseph Clewlow (born 1858 Stafford, Staffordshire) and his wife Mary Jane Dawson (born 1857 in

Luton, Bedfordshire Luton () is a town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Bedfordshire, England. The borough had a population of 225,262 at the 2021 census. Luton is on the River Lea, about north-west of London. The town's foundation dates to ...

) whom he married on 29 December 1884 at St Mary, Luton. Frank had two younger siblings Hilda Dorothy Clewlow (born 1891 in Stone) and Harry Dawson Clewlow (born 1898 in Stone) He went to Alleyne's Grammar School then studied maths, physics, chemistry, zoology and botany 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 ...

, but became involved with the Pilgrim Players and, under the influence of Barry Jackson and John Drinkwater, never completed the course. He borrowed £4 and ran away from home as he couldn't take his University exams due to working on the play there. He joined a repertory company in

Ilkeston, Derbyshire Ilkeston ( ) is a town located in the Borough of Erewash in Derbyshire, England, with a population of 40,953 at the 2021 census. Its major industries, coal mining, iron working and lace making/textiles, have now all but disappeared. Part of t ...

.''The Golden Age of Australian Radio Drama'' Richard Lane, Melbourne University Press 1994 He worked for two years as leading actor and stage manager under the name "Stafford Dawson" in 1909 for

Annie Horniman Annie Elizabeth Fredericka HornimanHarding, John, Staging Life: The Story of the Manchester Playwrights (Greenwich Exchange 2018) https://greenex.co.uk/ CH (3 October 1860 – 6 August 1937) was an English theatre matron and manager. She establ ...

at the Manchester

Gaiety Theatre, Manchester The Gaiety Theatre, Manchester was a theatre in Manchester, England. It opened in 1884 and was demolished in 1959. It replaced a previous Gaiety Theatre on the site that had been destroyed by fire. The new theatre was designed by Alfred Darby ...

.,http://digital.library.adelaide.edu.au/dspace/bitstream/2440/24767/7/Warrington_Wilkie_Ch.V.pdf then toured with

Allan Wilkie Allan Wilkie CBE (9 February 1878 – 7 January 1970) was an English Shakespearean actor of Scottish descent noted for his career in Australia. Biography Born in Toxteth Park, Lancashire, he was educated at Liverpool High School and went to ...

(father of Australian journalist Douglas Wilkie) to the

Far East The Far East is the geographical region that encompasses the easternmost portion of the Asian continent, including North Asia, North, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. South Asia is sometimes also included in the definition of the term. In mod ...

in 1911. On his return, he was appointed by (later Sir) Barry Jackson as actor-producer with his newly formed

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 ...

(1913–1918) where he appeared in:

List of plays

* Henry IV Part 1 11 October 1913 *

Cap and Bells The cap and bells is a type of fool's cap with bells worn by a court fool or jester. The bells were also added to the dangling sleeves and announced the appearance of the jester. Forms The cap and bells could be in the following forms:Lucy Bart ...

25 October 1913 *

The Critic ''The Critic'' is an American Adult animation, adult animated sitcom revolving around the life of New York film critic Jay Sherman, voiced by Jon Lovitz. It was created by writing partners Al Jean and Mike Reiss, who had previously worked as w ...

1 November 1913 * Christmas Nativity Plays 20 December 1913 *

26 December 1913 *

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 ...

7 January 1914 * Christmas Party 10 January 1914 *

Candida Candida, or Cándida (Spanish), may refer to: Biology and medicine * ''Candida'' (fungus), a genus of yeasts ** Candidiasis, an infection by ''Candida'' organisms * Malvasia Candida, a variety of grape Places * Candida, Campania, a ''comu ...

24 February 1914 *

She stoops to conquer ''She Stoops to Conquer'' is a comedy by Irish writer Oliver Goldsmith, first performed in London in 1773. The play is a favourite for study by English literature and theatre classes in the English-speaking world. It is one of the few plays ...

18 March 1914 * Mock Doctor 28 March 1914 *

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night, or What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola an ...

20 April 1914 *

23 April 1914 *Rebellion 2 May 1914 *

23 May 1914 *

30 May 1914 * His Excellency the Governor 13 June 1914 * Eldest Son 29 August 1914 * End of the World 12 September 1914 * Cupid and the Styx 19 September 1914 *David Ballard 19 October 1914 * New Ways to Pay Old Debts 24 October 1914 *

The Wild Duck ''The Wild Duck'' (original Norwegian title: ''Vildanden'') is an 1884 play by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It explores the complexities of truth and illusion through the story of a family torn apart by secrets and the intrusion of a ...

21 November 1914 * The Second Mrs Banks 24 November 1914 * Cupid and the Styx 28 November 1914 *

Strife Strife may refer to: Mythology *Eris (mythology), in Greek mythology the goddess of discord, whose name means 'strife' *Bellona (goddess), Roman counterpart of Eris, and a war goddess *Enyalius, a son of Eris and god of strife * Tano Akora, god of ...

5 December 1914 *

26 December 1914 * The Silver Box 13 February 1915 * Tempest 17 April 1915 * Return of the Prodigal 15 May 1915 * The Liars 22 May 1915 *

The Rivals ''The Rivals'' is a comedy of manners by Richard Brinsley Sheridan in five acts which was first performed at Covent Garden Theatre on 17 January 1775. The story has been updated frequently, including a 1935 musical and a 1958 List of Maverick ...

4 September 1915 * Keepers of the Garden 9 September 1915 *

23 October 1915 * His Majesty's Pleasure 30 October 1915 * The Faithful 4 December 1915 *

11 March 1916 *

The Alchemist An alchemist is a person who practices alchemy. Alchemist or Alchemyst may also refer to: Books and stories * ''The Alchemist'' (novel), the translated title of a 1988 allegorical novel by Paulo Coelho * ''The Alchemist'' (play), a play by Ben ...

8 April 1916 *

22 April 1916 *

The Tempest ''The Tempest'' is a Shakespeare's plays, play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1610–1611, and thought to be one of the last plays that he wrote alone. After the first scene, which takes place on a ship at sea during a tempest, th ...

22 April 1916 *

Merry Wives of Windsor ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' or ''Sir John Falstaff and the Merry Wives of Windsor'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare first published in 1602, though believed to have been written in or before 1597. The Windsor of the play's title is a ref ...

24 April 1916 *

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

29 April 1916 *

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a ...

3 May 1916 *

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 ...

15 May 1916 *David Ballard 17 May 1916 *

21 June 1916 * Good Natured Man 16 September 1916 * Cupid and the Styx 30 September 1916 * Sweeps of '98 7 October 1916 * God of Quiet 7 October 1916 * The Silver Box 14 October 1916 * Misfortune of Being Clever 21 October 1916 * First Distiller 26 October 1916 * Farmers Wife 11 November 1916 *

Puss in Boots "Puss in Boots" (; ; ; ) is a European fairy tale about an anthropomorphic cat who uses trickery and deceit to gain power, wealth, and the hand in marriage of a princess for his penniless and low-born master. The oldest written telling version ...

26 December 1916 *

20 January 1917 * Tragedy of Nan 24 February 1917 * Cupid and the Styx 3 March 1917 *While Rome Burns 10 March 1917 * Education of Mr Surrage 19 March 1917 *

7 April 1917 * Augustus in Search of a Wife 14 April 1917 *

23 April 1917 *

Two Gentlemen of Verona ''The Two Gentlemen of Verona'' is a Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1589 and 1593. It is considered by some to be Shakespeare's first play, and is often seen as showing his first ten ...

28 April 1917 *

Change Change, Changed or Changing may refer to the below. Other forms are listed at Alteration * Impermanence, a difference in a state of affairs at different points in time * Menopause, also referred to as "the change", the permanent cessation of t ...

8 September 1917 *Over a Wall 20 October 1917 * Cophetua 27 October 1917 *Tragedy of Nan 3 November 1917 * Trelawny of the Wells 10 November 1917 * Corsican Brothers 24 November 1917 * Just to Get Married 23 February 1918 *St George and the Dragon 30 March 1918 *

Measure for Measure ''Measure for Measure'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604 and first performed in 1604. It was published in the First Folio of 1623. The play centers on the despotic and puritan Angelo (Measure for ...

23 April 1918 *

2 May 1918 * The Silver Box 18 May 1918 * Cupid and the Styx 25 May 1918 *

Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a Frame story, framing device, often referred to as the Induction (play), inducti ...

15 June 1918

Director-producer

He played with

Ian McLaren Ian Francis McLaren (30 March 1912 – 17 April 2000) , F.R.H.S.V., was an Australian politician, accountant, businessman, historian, bibliographer and book-collector. Early life He was born at Launceston in Tasmania to draper Alexander Mo ...

's company as ''Touchstone'' and ''Sir Andrew Aguecheek'', In November 1921 he met Herbert Pochin and Walter Martin in a cafe to discuss setting up the Leicester Drama Society. The inaugural meeting took place on 25 January 1922 at Council Room at the Chamber of Commerce where he was appointed Honorary Secretary. Following this on 11 April 1922 a public meeting was held at the Association Hall in Leicester where Frank persuaded

Lena Ashwell Lena Margaret Ashwell, Lady Simson ( Pocock; 28 September 1872 – 13 March 1957) was a British actress and theatre manager and producer, known as the first to organise large-scale entertainment for troops at the front, which she did during Wo ...

to form a

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

branch of the British Drama Society and directed it for three years. Of the three founding members Frank Clewlow was the only one with acting experience. Whilst there he produced *The Silver Box 12 June 1922 * The Cobblers Shop 1922 *The Fantasticks 1922 *

Othello ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'', often shortened to ''Othello'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare around 1603. Set in Venice and Cyprus, the play depicts the Moorish military commander Othello as he is manipulat ...

1923 (and played the part of the Moor) *Strife 1923 *The Cassils Engagement 1923 *An Enemy of the People 1923 *

The Merry Wives of Windsor ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' or ''Sir John Falstaff and the Merry Wives of Windsor'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare first published in 1602, though believed to have been written in or before 1597. The Windsor of the play's title is a ref ...

1924

Scottish productions

He worked as producer for Scottish National Theatre Society (1922–1947) at The Athenaeum Theatre in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

and the Museum Hall in

Bridge of Allan Bridge of Allan (, ), also known colloquially as ''Bofa'', is a former spa town in the Stirling (council area), Stirling council area in Scotland, just north of the city of Stirling. Overlooked by the National Wallace Monument, it lies on th ...

for two years where he directed *Thomas the Rhymer 2 December 1924 * The Two Shepherds 2 December 1924 *The Lifting 1 February 1925 * The Guinea's Stamp 13 February 1925 * Mary Stuart 24 March 1925 *The Dark Lady 25 March 1925 * James the First of Scotland 11 May 1925 * The Inn of Adventure 13 October 1925 * Punch Counts Ten 22 December 1925 * Souterness 19 January 1926 * The House of the Queen 19 January 1926 * Gregarach 23 March 1926 *The Fantasticks 23 March 1926 , and as stage manager for Royal Carl Rosa Opera Company.

Immigration to Australia and personal life

He was brought out to Australia in 1926 by Wilkie, as actor and stage director. He married Minnie Suckling, an actress with the same troupe (having previously married Gertrude Mary T Littlewood between April and June 1910 in St John Baptist, Hulme, Manchester, Lancashire, England). He played ''Henry VIII'', ''Mercutio'' and ''Lafeu'' at the Theatre Royal, Hobart and ''Henry VIII'' at the Otago Theatre,

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

, New Zealand.

Career in Australia

It was during this time he met a young actor Catherine Duncan with whom he was to have a professional association several years later. He was appointed director of the Melbourne Repertory Theatre Society, succeeding

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 ...

in 1928., amongst other plays directed '' The Touch of Silk'' (by Australian playwright

Betty Roland Betty Roland (22 July 1903 – 12 February 1996) was an Australian writer of plays, screenplays, novels, children's books and comics. Early years Betty Roland was born Mary Isobel Maclean at Kaniva, Victoria, the daughter of Roland and Matilda ...

) in November of that year. Angel Symon, who had also toured with Wilkie and assembled an important collection of stage ephemera now held at the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. Its main campus in the Adelaide city centre includes many Sa ...

, was his secretary. The Repertory Theatre disbanded around 1930 after encountering financial difficulties. Clearly a man of huge enthusiasms, newspaper cuttings of this time show him appearing in public almost every week, whether conducting poetry recitals, lectures on German theatre, on poetry, judging at eisteddfods and elocution competitions, even opening an art exhibition in 1930. He contributed an article ''The Future of the Theatre'' for July 1931 ''Stream'' leftist literary journal that included an article by

Nettie Palmer Janet Gertrude "Nettie" Palmer (née Higgins) (18 August 1885 – 19 October 1964) was an Australian poet, essayist and Australia's leading literary critic of her day. She corresponded with women writers and collated the ''Centenary Gift Book'' ...

. He was responsible for the stage debut of

Coral Browne Coral Edith Browne (23 July 1913 – 29 May 1991) was an Australian-American stage and screen actress. Her extensive theatre credits included Broadway productions of ''Macbeth'' (1956), '' The Rehearsal'' (1963) and '' The Right Honourable Gent ...

in the

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 ...

play ''You Never Can Tell'' at the

Garrick Theatre The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play, ...

in 1930. Around 1930 he organised a series of "great plays" for 3LO, a new member station of the

, which led to his appointment in 1931 as Director of Drama for that station. He assembled a strong group of radio actors to perform several great plays every week. A similar group was assembled by his counterpart in Sydney, Laurence Halbert, and the two stations exchanged programs by landline and transcription disc. In 1938 he was moved to Sydney to become National Director of Productions for the ABC by (later Sir)

Charles Moses Sir Charles Alfred Joseph Moses (21 January 19009 February 1988) was a British-born Australian administrator who was general manager of the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) from 1935 until 1965. A 1918 graduate of the Royal Military ...

, who was developing the Commission into a more centralised network. It is difficult now to appreciate what a powerful position this was, but in the decades before television radio drama was the chief form of entertainment for most Australians and the major radio networks provided the chief source of employment for many hundreds of actors (and a springboard to a movie career for many such as

Peter Finch Frederick George Peter Ingle Finch (28 September 191614 January 1977) was an English-Australian actor of theatre, film and radio. Born in London, he emigrated to Australia at the age of ten and was raised in Sydney, where he worked in vaudevi ...

) and the drama heads of radio stations and production houses such as

Grace Gibson Grace Isabel Gibson OAM, (17 June 1905 – 10 July 1989), also known as Grace Atchison and Grace Parr was an American Australian radio entrepreneur, executive and producer. She was best known for her long-running serials ''Dr. Paul'' and the ...

and

Hector Crawford Hector William Crawford CBE AO (14 August 191311 March 1991) was an Australian entrepreneur, conductor and media mogul, best known for his radio and television production firms. He and his sister Dorothy Crawford founded Crawford Productions ...

could make or break an actor and the success or otherwise of a production could make or break a program. *As guest adjudicator for a

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

elocution Elocution is the study of formal speaking in pronunciation, grammar, style, and tone as well as the idea and practice of effective speech and its forms. It stems from the idea that while communication is symbolic, sounds are final and compel ...

competition in 1934, he was impressed with

Ida Elizabeth Osbourne Ida Elizabeth Lea MBE (29 August 191630 October 2014), professionally known as "Elizabeth" Osbourne and Ida Elizabeth Jenkins, was an Australian actor and broadcaster, best known as the co-founder of the Australian Broadcasting Commission's l ...

and found parts for her in radio productions. *He commissioned

Edmund Barclay Edmund Piers Barclay (2 May 1898 – 26 August 1961) was an English-Australian writer known for his work in radio drama. Radio historian Richard Lane called him "Australian radio's first great writer and, many would say, Australian radio's g ...

to write the series ''As Ye Sow'' which ran for most of 1937. *In 1939 he cast the (then) unknown

Nigel Lovell Nigel Tasman Lovell (27 January 1916 – 13 December 2001) was an Australian stage, radio, film and television actor, and producer of opera and both stage and radio drama. History Lovell was born in Sydney, the son of Tasman Lovell, Professor ...

in a radio adaptation of ''The Wild Ass's Skin'' by Balzac, then as ''Romeo'' in

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 ...

's ''

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

''. *That same year he was authorised by ABC head

to create a national children's radio program, and called on Osbourne to develop what became the highly influential ''Children's Session'' and ''

Argonauts Club ''The Argonauts Club'' was an Australian children's radio program, first broadcast in 1933 on ABC Radio Melbourne. Its format was devised by Nina Murdoch who had run the station's Children's Hour as "Pat". The show was discontinued in 1934 when N ...

''. *Later that same year he placed

on contract. *He produced one of the most famous Australian radio plays, ''

The Fire on the Snow ''The Fire on the Snow'' is a 1941 Australian verse play by Douglas Stewart about the Terra Nova Expedition to Antarctica by Robert Falcon Scott. It premiered on ABC radio on 6 June 1941 to great acclaim and inspired a series of Australian verse ...

'' by

Douglas Stewart Douglas Stewart may refer to: *Douglas Stewart (poet) (1913–1985), Australian poet * Edward Askew Sothern (1826–1881), English actor who was sometimes known as Douglas Stewart * Douglas Stewart (equestrian) (1913–1991), British Olympic equestr ...

, first performed by the ABC on 6 June 1941 with

as Narrator. *In 1943 he commissioned

Gwen Meredith Gwenyth Valmai Meredith OBE (18 November 1907 – 3 October 2006), also known by her married name Gwen Harrison, was an Australian writer, dramatist and playwright, and radio writer. She is best known for her radio serials ''The Lawsons'' (1944 ...

to write a radio serial to be a feature of the Country Hour, with the remit of providing agricultural information along with entertainment, expressly to consult with the NSW Agricultural Department and the ABC Rural Department. That program ''The Lawsons'' ran from 1944 to 1949 then morphed into the historic '' Blue Hills'' which ran until 1976.http://publications.epress.monash.edu/doi/pdf/10.2104/sc050007 *He appointed Catherine Duncan to write for radio after judging her entry ''The Sword Sung'' in a Sydney New Theatre competition. But rivals and opponents such as Leslie Rees and Lawrence H Cecil were developing influence within the organization. His insistence on "high standards" could easily be interpreted as reactionary, and his acid tongue made enemies of people who disagreed with him. In 1950 he was excised from his position and (quite unwillingly) transferred to

Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...

to produce plays there.

Recognition

*He appeared in the ''

Who's Who in Australia The pronoun ''who'', in English language, English, is an English interrogative words, interrogative pronoun and a English relative words, relative pronoun, used primarily to refer to persons. Unmarked, ''who'' is the pronoun's subjective form; ...

'' for publications 1936 and 1947. *A portrait of Clewlow painted by Jack Carington Smith was an exhibited entry for the 1955

Archibald Prize The Archibald Prize is an Australian portraiture art prize for painting, generally seen as the most prestigious portrait prize in Australia. It was first awarded in 1921 after the receipt of a bequest from J. F. Archibald, J. F. Archib ...

References

External links

Frank Clewlow's Australian theatre credits
at

AusStage AusStage: The Australian Live Performance Database is an online database which records information about live performances in Australia, providing records of productions from the first recorded performance in Australia (1789, by convicts) up unt ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clewlow, Frank 1885 births 1957 deaths Australian theatre directors Australian theatre managers and producers Australian radio producers English theatre managers and producers English male stage actors People from Stone, Staffordshire Alumni of the University of Birmingham Australian Broadcasting Corporation executives 20th-century English businesspeople British emigrants to Australia Male actors from Staffordshire Actors from the Borough of Stafford