Nugent Monck
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Walter Nugent Monck CBE (1878–1958) was an English
theatre director A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production such as a play, opera, dance, drama, musical theatre performance, etc. by unifying various endeavors a ...
and founder of Maddermarket Theatre,
Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...
. He was born in Welshampton,
Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...
, the son of George Gustavus Monck (1849–1920), vicar of Welshampton who later worked as a priest in
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
. The son was educated there and at the
Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the firs ...
. In 1895, he abandoned his study of the violin in favour of acting. After some years with a regional touring company, he premiered in London in
Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson Bjørnstjerne Martinius Bjørnson ( , ; 8 December 1832 – 26 April 1910) was a Norwegian writer who received the 1903 Nobel Prize in Literature "as a tribute to his noble, magnificent and versatile poetry, which has always been distinguished ...
's ''Beyond Human Power'' at the
Royalty Theatre The Royalty Theatre was a small London theatre situated at 73 Dean Street, Soho. Established by the actress Frances Maria Kelly in 1840, it opened as Miss Kelly's Theatre and Dramatic School and finally closed to the public in 1938.
in 1901. That same year, Monck met William Poel, who would profoundly influence Monck's career. By 1902 Monck was stage manager for the Elizabethan Stage Society, learning to direct in Poel's revolutionary manner. In 1909, he directed a series of historical tableaus at St. Andrew's Hall, Norwich. Thenceforth, his career centered on
Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...
, although he occasionally returned to London, as he did in 1910 to manage Poel's production of '' The Two Gentlemen of Verona'' at His Majesty's Theatre. From 1910, he produced a series of
masque The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment that flourished in 16th- and early 17th-century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio (a public version of the masque was the pageant). A mas ...
s at Blickling Hall. In 1911, he directed an amateur production of ''
The Countess Cathleen ''The Countess Cathleen'' is a verse drama by William Butler Yeats in blank verse (with some lyrics). It was dedicated to Maud Gonne, the object of his affections for many years. Editions and revisions The play was first published in 1892 in ...
'' which was seen by Yeats; Yeats subsequently invited Monck to become temporary director of the Abbey Theatre while Yeats and the main company toured the United States. The same year, Monck formed a troupe of amateur players to produce
mystery play Mystery plays and miracle plays (they are distinguished as two different forms although the terms are often used interchangeably) are among the earliest formally developed plays in medieval Europe. Medieval mystery plays focused on the represe ...
s and
morality play The morality play is a genre of medieval and early Tudor drama. The term is used by scholars of literary and dramatic history to refer to a genre of play texts from the fourteenth through sixteenth centuries that feature personified concepts ( ...
s. Out of this troupe came the Shakespearean company that, a decade later (after
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
service in the Royal Army Medical Corps), Monck housed in a renovated Catholic chapel which had once served as a
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factory. Monck named his theatre after the adjoining Church of Saint John the Baptist, Maddermarket, Norwich. Madder (now known commercially as
rose madder Rose madder (also known as madder) is a red paint made from the pigment madder lake, a traditional lake pigment extracted from the common madder plant '' Rubia tinctorum''. Madder lake contains two organic red dyes: alizarin and purpur ...
) is a plant that since medieval times had been used to dye Norwich cloth. Originally seating 220, the theater was expanded in 1953 to seat 324. Audiences viewed plays staged on a replica of a Renaissance stage, the first such permanent stage since before the
English Restoration The Stuart Restoration was the reinstatement in May 1660 of the Stuart monarchy in Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland. It replaced the Commonwealth of England, established in January 164 ...
. On this stage, Monck and his company kept up a steady stream of performance. The repertory, which changed at a rate of one per month, included all of Shakespeare's work, of course, as well as numerous other Renaissance plays and many modern works. By the early 1950s, he had produced over 200 plays. Despite his isolation from London, he was among the more influential mid-century producers. From the mid-30s on, he occasionally directed in London and Stratford. These productions included a '' Pericles, Prince of Tyre'' with
Paul Scofield David Paul Scofield (21 January 1922 – 19 March 2008) was an English actor. During a six-decade career, Scofield achieved the Triple Crown of Acting, winning an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Tony Award for his work. Scofield ...
in 1947; ''
Cymbeline ''Cymbeline'' (), also known as ''The Tragedie of Cymbeline'' or ''Cymbeline, King of Britain'', is a play by William Shakespeare set in British Iron Age, Ancient Britain () and based on legends that formed part of the Matter of Britain concer ...
'' at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in 1946; and ''
King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...
'' in London in 1953. Monck retired from his positions in 1952, but he remained intermittently active with the company until his death in 1958. While generally considered less innovative and less imaginative than Poel, Monck was an influential director both for directors and for scholars. For directors, he continued Poel's destruction of the legacy of actor-managers such as Charles Kean and restored some of the vital conditions of Renaissance stagecraft. For the same reason, he aided scholars in exploring their own theories about Elizabethan practice; for example, his ruthlessly cut performances provided insight into the "two hours traffic" of the Renaissance stage. Additionally, Monck is posthumously credited with an article in the 1959 Shakespeare Survey, volume 12, about the Maddermarket Theatre. The article was derived from a paper presented by Monck at the Shakespeare Conference, Stratford-upon-Avon, on 5 September 1957. His death is reported to have happened on 21 October 1958. Highlights from the article include a brief history of the formation of The Norwich Players and the Maddermarket theatre and the financial arrangements required to get the Elizabethan style playhouse off the ground. Also mentioned are details about the opening night 23 September 1921 presentation of "As You Like It" and many subsequent productions from the Shakespeare Canon. Production descriptions talk about specific staging requirements. He also states that he managed to deliver the entire Shakespeare cycle during his 56 years with the company. These words adequately sum up his perspective, "These remarks are not those of a scholar, not of an original thinker, but of a man who has spent his life trying to put Shakespeare simply on the stage."


Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Monck, Walter Nugent English theatre directors People from Shropshire 1878 births 1958 deaths Royal Army Medical Corps soldiers British Army personnel of World War I Commanders of the Order of the British Empire