Lilian Mary Baylis (9 May 187425 November 1937) was an English theatrical producer and manager. She managed the
Old Vic
Old or OLD may refer to:
Places
*Old, Baranya, Hungary
*Old, Northamptonshire, England
*Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD)
*OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...
and
Sadler's Wells theatres in London and ran an opera company, which became the
English National Opera
English National Opera (ENO) is a British opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in E ...
(ENO); a theatre company, which evolved into the English
National Theatre; and a ballet company, which eventually became
The Royal Ballet
The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded ...
.
Early life
Lilian Baylis was born in
Marylebone
Marylebone (usually , also ) is an area in London, England, and is located in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. Oxford Street forms its southern boundary.
An ancient parish and latterly a metropo ...
, London, England, to parents Newton Baylis and Elizabeth (Liebe) Cons (or Konss). She was the eldest of six children, and grew up surrounded by music and performance. Her mother was a successful singer and pianist, and Baylis's education was grounded in the arts; she began performing and teaching music at an early age. She attended St. Augustine's school,
Kilburn. She also took violin lessons at the ''Royal Academy of Music'' with leading professionals, such as
John Tiplady Carrodus, who was principal first violin at
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...
.
South Africa
In 1891, the Baylis family emigrated to South Africa when their performance troupe "The Gypsy Revellers" were offered a long-term contract to tour and perform there. As a teenager Lilian played violin and mandolin in "The Gypsy Revellers". She also taught her mother's music and dance students. She earned a good living and played in many concerts. When Baylis fell ill and had to have an operation on her kidneys, her family became concerned for her heath, especially as the country was in turmoil after the
Jameson Raid. Baylis returned to London to recuperate and her aunt
Emma Cons offered her a job at
The Royal Victoria Hall and Coffee Tavern (known as "The Old Vic"), which she managed. Having spent most of her adolescent years in South Africa, Baylis left behind her family, many close friends, and a fiancé.
After arriving in London she met 12-year-old
Gordon Holmes, and the two would become close lifelong friends – Baylis had been romantically involved with Holmes' maternal uncle in Johannesburg, and used to quip to Holmes that, "you know, my dear, if I had married your Uncle Jack, you would be my niece!"
The Old Vic
Baylis assisted Emma Cons in running the Old Vic, and gradually took on more management duties running concerts, film shows, lecture programmes and variety shows. Following Cons' death in 1912, Baylis became lessee and obtained a theatre licence for the Royal Victoria Hall to begin staging theatrical performances.
Initially Baylis was interested in opera, which she preferred to every other art form. She joined forces with
Charles Corri to arrange and perform operas at the Old Vic with a small orchestra and limited resources. Plays were introduced to the Old Vic by Rosina Filippi, husband and wife team, Matheson Lang and Hutin Britton, and Sir Philip Ben Greet. The plays of
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 ...
were often performed and Baylis claimed that the Old Vic had become the London 'Home of Shakespeare'. In the run up to the 300th anniversary of the publication of the
First Folio
''Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies'' is a collection of plays by William Shakespeare, commonly referred to by modern scholars as the First Folio, published in 1623, about seven years after Shakespeare's death. It is cons ...
Baylis produced all of Shakespeare's plays, even the ones she knew would be unlikely to generate many ticket sales. The tradition of doing Shakespeare at the Old Vic continued for many years and performers such as
John Gielgud
Sir Arthur John Gielgud ( ; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Britis ...
and
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 ...
were willing to work for low wages if they could play the great Shakespearean roles.
Sadler's Wells
In 1925, Baylis began a campaign to re-open the derelict
Sadler's Wells Theatre, something she finally achieved with a gala opening on 6 January 1931 of a production of Shakespeare's ''
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 ...
'' starring
John Gielgud
Sir Arthur John Gielgud ( ; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Britis ...
as Malvolio and
Ralph Richardson as
Toby Belch. Acquiring Sadler's Wells enabled Baylis to develop her plans for a dance company, something she had wished to do since 1926 when she engaged
Ninette de Valois to improve the standard of dancing in operas and plays at the Old Vic. For several years the opera, drama and ballet companies known as the "Vic-Wells" companies, moved between the Old Vic and Sadler's Wells but by 1935 the ballet company, which now included
Margot Fonteyn
Dame Margaret Evelyn de Arias Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, DBE ( Hookham; 18 May 191921 February 1991), known by the stage name Margot Fonteyn (), was an English ballerina. She spent her entire career as a dancer with th ...
and
Robert Helpmann, with guest appearances from
Alicia Markova
Dame Alicia Markova Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, DBE (1 December 1910 – 2 December 2004) was a British ballerina and a Choreography (dance), choreographer, director and teacher of classical ballet. Most noted for her ...
and
Anton Dolin, tended to perform at Sadler's Wells. Musical direction was by
Constant Lambert, and choreography for new works by de Valois and rising star
Frederick Ashton
Sir Frederick William Mallandaine Ashton (17 September 190418 August 1988) was a British ballet dancer and choreographer. He also worked as a director and choreographer in opera, film and revue.
Determined to be a dancer despite the oppositio ...
. The ballet company's descendants today are the Royal Ballet and the
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 ...
Royal Ballet. Today the Sadler's Wells Theatre is primarily a dance venue.
Growing stars
The Vic-Wells nurtured the careers of stars such as
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 ...
,
John Gielgud
Sir Arthur John Gielgud ( ; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Britis ...
,
Peggy Ashcroft,
Sybil Thorndike
Dame Agnes Sybil Thorndike, Lady Casson (24 October 18829 June 1976) was an English actress whose stage career lasted from 1904 to 1969.
Trained in her youth as a concert pianist, Thorndike turned to the stage when a medical problem with her h ...
,
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 ...
,
Alec Guinness
Sir Alec Guinness (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. In the BFI, British Film Institute listing of 1999 of BFI Top 100 British films, the 100 most important British films of the 20th century ...
,
Marius Goring
Marius Re Goring (23 May 191230 September 1998) was an English stage and screen actor. He is best remembered for the four films he made with Powell and Pressburger, Powell & Pressburger, particularly as Conductor 71 in ''A Matter of Life and D ...
,
Michael Redgrave,
Maurice Evans and
Ralph Richardson, and became famous for stylish productions under the artistic directorship of
Tyrone Guthrie
Sir William Tyrone Guthrie (2 July 1900 – 15 May 1971) was an English theatrical director instrumental in the founding of the Stratford Festival of Canada, the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the Tyrone Guthrie Centre at ...
during the 1930s. In 1937 Guthrie's production of ''
Hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
'' played at
Elsinore/
Helsingør
Helsingør ( , ; ), classically known in English as Elsinore ( ), is a coastal city in northeastern Denmark. Helsingør Municipality had a population of 63,953 on 1 January 2025, making it the 23rd most populated municipality in Denmark. Helsin ...
in Denmark, with Olivier in the title role, and
Vivien Leigh as
Ophelia
Ophelia () is a character in William Shakespeare's drama ''Hamlet'' (1599–1601). She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes and potential wife of Prince Hamlet. Due to Hamlet's actions, Ophelia ultima ...
.
Gielgud's first performance as
Hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
in 1930 became the first
Old Vic
Old or OLD may refer to:
Places
*Old, Baranya, Hungary
*Old, Northamptonshire, England
*Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD)
*OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...
production to be transferred to the West End for a run. Baylis scored a casting coup in 1933 by featuring
Charles Laughton at the theatre after he had become a worldwide name in the film ''
The Private Life of Henry VIII''. To exploit the audiences' interest in the film, she cast
Laughton as
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
Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
.
Recognition and death
Baylis was awarded an honorary master's degree from
Oxford University
The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...
for her work in the theatre in 1924, only the fourth such honour to be given to a woman by the university. In 1929 she was appointed a
Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) for service to the nation. In 1934
Birmingham University
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 ...
awarded Baylis an honorary doctorate. A
Greater London Council
The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council (LCC) which had covered a much smaller area. The GLC was dissolved in 198 ...
blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom, and certain other countries and territories, to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving a ...
commemorates Baylis at her home, 27 Stockwell Park Road in Stockwell, South London.
and the
Lilian Baylis Technology School
Lilian Baylis Technology School (LBTS) is a secondary school for students from ages 11–19, in Kennington, London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the Un ...
, Kennington is so named in her honour.
After a long illness, Baylis died of a heart attack on 25 November 1937, aged 63 in
Lambeth
Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, which today also gives its name to the (much larger) London Borough of Lambeth. Lambeth itself was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey. It is situated 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Charin ...
,
South London
South London is the southern part of Greater London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, Lon ...
, the night before the Old Vic was to open a production of ''
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 ...
'' starring Laurence Olivier and
Judith Anderson. She was cremated at
East London Cemetery and Crematorium, where her ashes were scattered at her request. There is a memorial plaque for Lilian Baylis at the Actors' Church, St Paul's, in the heart of Covent Garden.
Influence
In 1985, English National Opera created an education and outreach department, naming it the Baylis Programme called in Lilian Baylis's honour. The Baylis Programme (later called ENO Baylis and recently renamed to ENO Engage) was led for ten years by its founder directors Rebecca Meitlis and David Sulkin. Subsequent directors included Steve Moffitt,
Alice King-Farlow and Jenny Mollica now CEO of ENO. In the Lilian Baylis tradition the work of ENO Engage focusses on those who are new to opera. It involves around 12,000 people every year in a wide range of projects, events, courses and performances, with a goal of developing creative responses to opera and music theatre; making new work with communities and exploring individual creativity as a means of providing access to ENO's productions; and encouraging learning and development through participation of artists and collaboration of resources.
The current Sadler's Wells Theatre contains a 200-seat theatre named after her, and the National Theatre has a Lilian Baylis Terrace. The upper circle in the Old Vic is called the Lilian Baylis Circle. A building in West Hampstead used by ENO for rehearsals and production wardrobe is called Lilian Baylis House. In Vauxhall
Vauxhall ( , ) is an area of South London, within the London Borough of Lambeth. Named after a medieval manor called Fox Hall, it became well known for the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens.
From the Victorian period until the mid-20th century, Va ...
the Lillian Baylis Secondary School is also named in her honour. There is a Lilian Baylis Rose
A rose is either a woody perennial plant, perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred Rose species, species and Garden roses, tens of thousands of cultivar ...
, and the Royal Victoria Hall Foundation administers the annual Lilian Baylis Awards for promising acting students. A street alongside Waterloo station is named Baylis Road.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baylis, Lilian
1874 births
1937 deaths
Dance managers
English theatre managers and producers
British women theatre managers and producers
Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour
Businesspeople from the City of Westminster
Theatre in London
History of the London Borough of Lambeth
Ballet impresarios
People from Marylebone