Margaret Nancy Hewins (14 February 1902 – 17 January 1978) was a British theatre director and actress. She founded the first all-woman theatre troupe who toured the UK presenting Shakespeare particularly to schools.

Life

Hewins was born in

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 ...

. Her parents were Margaret (born) and

William Hewins William Albert Samuel Hewins (11 May 1865 – 17 November 1931) was a British economist and Conservative politician. In 1895, he was appointed by Sidney Webb as the first Director of the London School of Economics, a post he held until 1903. Fa ...

. She had a brother and a sister. Her godmother was

Beatrice Webb Martha Beatrice Webb, Baroness Passfield, (née Potter; 22 January 1858 – 30 April 1943) was an English sociology, sociologist, economist, feminism, feminist and reformism (historical), social reformer. She was among the founders of the Lo ...

(her father had been appointed to be the director of the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

in 1895 by

Sidney Webb Sidney James Webb, 1st Baron Passfield, (13 July 1859 – 13 October 1947) was a British socialist, economist and reformer, who co-founded the London School of Economics. He was an early member of the Fabian Society in 1884, joining, like Geo ...

. She became interested in the theatre while she was at

St Hugh's College St Hugh's College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. It is located on a site on St Margaret's Road, to the north of the city centre. It was founded in 1886 by Elizabeth Wordsworth as a ...

in Oxford. In 1924 she graduated and set up an amateur theatre company called Isis. She founded the first British professional all-woman set of players named "Osiris" in 1927. She was helped by £40 which

Lord Rothermere Viscount Rothermere, of Hemsted in the county of Kent, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1919 for the press lord Harold Harmsworth, 1st Baron Harmsworth. He had already been created a baronet, of Horsey in ...

gave her to help. Rothermere was a friend of her fathers. The troupe toured in two Rolls-Royces because Hewins said that they were big enough to take them and their props and they were reliable. The troupe toured the UK presenting Shakespeare particularly to schools. The troupe was never larger than seven women and they were the actors and the crew. The troupe would sleep on the floor of village halls as the budget never stretched to paying for board and lodging. She had a few actors who were the core of the troupe but most would be employed for a couple of years and then they would be replaced as they could not endure the conditions of the employment. The troupe never received grants but survived on its own fortunes. Hewins would occasionally take work as a lighting expert for other productions. She worked for pageants and for the director Edy Craig. Others found Craig abrupt, but Hewins welcomed her direct criticism.

Death and legacy

Hewins died in 1978 in

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

and the players were disbanded by former Osiris member Wynne Griffiths. Her troupe had toured throughout England but they never appeared in the West End. In 2004

Imogen Stubbs Imogen Stubbs (born 20 February 1961) is an English actress and writer. Her first leading part was in '' Privileged'' (1982), followed by '' A Summer Story'' (1988). Her first play, ''We Happy Few'', was produced in 2004. In 2008 she joined ' ...

play "

We Happy Few ''We Happy Few'' is an action-adventure video game developed by Compulsion Games and published by Gearbox Publishing. In 2016, an early access version was released for Windows, with the full game seeing wide release for PlayStation 4, Windows, ...

" was performed at the London's

Gielgud Theatre The Gielgud Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, at the corner of Rupert Street, in the City of Westminster, London. The house currently has 994 seats on three levels. The theatre was designed by W. G. R. Sprague and ...

. The play was based on Hewins and her troupe's life during the second world war. A production of "Much Ado About Nothing" was inspired by Hewins. It was directed by Brigid Larmour at the

Watford Palace Theatre Watford Palace Theatre, opened in 1908, is an Edwardian Grade II listed building in Watford, Hertfordshire. The 600-seat theatre on Clarendon Road was refurbished in 2004. It houses its own rehearsal room, wardrobe, cafe and bar. History The ...

in 2018 and it was set during WWII and included an all-woman cast.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hewins, Nancy 1902 births 1978 deaths People from London British theatre directors British women theatre directors