Peter Hall Company
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Sir Peter Reginald Frederick Hall (22 November 1930 11 September 2017) was an English theatre, opera and film director. His obituary in ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' described him as "the most important figure in British theatre for half a century" and on his death, a
Royal National Theatre The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...
statement declared that Hall's "influence on the artistic life of Britain in the 20th century was unparalleled". In 2018, the
Laurence Olivier Awards The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of West End Theatre Aw ...
, recognising achievements in London theatre, changed the award for Best Director to the Sir Peter Hall Award for Best Director. In 1955, Hall introduced London audiences to the work of
Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish writer of novels, plays, short stories, and poems. Writing in both English and French, his literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal, and Tragicomedy, tra ...
with the UK premiere of ''
Waiting for Godot ''Waiting for Godot'' ( or ) is a 1953 play by Irish writer and playwright Samuel Beckett, in which the two main characters, Vladimir (Waiting for Godot), Vladimir (Didi) and Estragon (Gogo), engage in a variety of discussions and encounters w ...
''. Hall founded the
Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...
and was its director from 1960 to 1968. He went on to build an international reputation in theatre, opera, film and television. He was director of the National Theatre (1973–88) and artistic director of
Glyndebourne Festival Opera Glyndebourne Festival Opera is an annual opera festival held at Glyndebourne, an English country house near Lewes, in East Sussex, England. History Under the supervision of the Christie family, the festival has been held annually since 1934, e ...
(19841990). He formed the Peter Hall Company (19982011) and became founding director of the
Rose Theatre Kingston The Rose Theatre Kingston is a theatre on Kingston High Street in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in London, England. The theatre seats 822 around a wide, thrust stage. It officially opened on 16 January, 2008 with the play ''Uncle V ...
in 2003. Throughout his career, he was a tenacious champion of public funding for the arts.


Early life and career

Peter Reginald Frederick Hall was born in
Bury St Edmunds Bury St Edmunds (), commonly referred to locally as ''Bury,'' is a cathedral as well as market town and civil parish in the West Suffolk District, West Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer map 211: Bury St. Edmunds an ...
,
Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...
, the only son of Grace Florence (née Pamment) and Reginald Edward Arthur Hall. His father was a stationmaster and the family lived for some time at
Shelford railway station Shelford railway station is on the West Anglia Main Line serving the villages of Great Shelford, Little Shelford and Stapleford, Cambridgeshire, Stapleford in Cambridgeshire, England. It is down the line from Liverpool Street station, London L ...
. He won a scholarship to
The Perse School The Perse School is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private school (English Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging Day school, day and, in the case of the Perse, a former boarding school) in Cambridge, England. Founded i ...
in
Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
. Before taking up a further scholarship to read English at St Catharine's College,
Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
, Hall did his
National Service National service is a system of compulsory or voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act ...
in Germany at the RAF Headquarters for Education in
Bückeburg Bückeburg (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Bückeborg'') is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, on the border with North Rhine Westphalia. It is located in the district of Schaumburg close to the northern slopes of the Weserbergland ridge. Bückeburg ha ...
. Whilst studying at Cambridge he produced and acted in a number of plays, directing five in his final year and a further three for The Marlowe Society Summer Festival. He served on the Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club (CUADC) committee before graduating in 1953. In the same year, Hall staged his first professional play, ''The Letter'' by
W. Somerset Maugham William Somerset Maugham ( ; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German un ...
, at The Theatre Royal Windsor. In 1954 and 1955, Hall was the director of the
Oxford Playhouse The Oxford Playhouse is a theatre designed by Edward Maufe and F. G. M. Chancellor. It is situated in Beaumont Street, Oxford, opposite the Ashmolean Museum. History The Playhouse was founded as ''The Red Barn'' at 12 Woodstock Road (Oxford), W ...
, where he directed several later prominent young actors including
Ronnie Barker Ronald William George Barker (25 September 1929 – 3 October 2005) was an English actor, comedian and writer. He was known for roles in British comedy television series such as ''Porridge (1974 TV series), Porridge'', ''The Two Ronnies'', ...
and
Billie Whitelaw Billie Honor Whitelaw (6 June 1932 – 21 December 2014) was an English actress. She worked in close collaboration with Irish playwright Samuel Beckett for 25 years and was regarded as one of the foremost interpreters of his works. She was als ...
.
Eileen Atkins Dame Eileen June Atkins (born 15 June 1934) is an English actress. She has worked in the theatre, film, and television consistently since 1953. In 2008, she won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress and the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting ...
and
Maggie Smith Dame Margaret Natalie Smith (28 December 1934 – 27 September 2024) was a British actress. Known for her wit in both comedic and dramatic roles, she had List of Maggie Smith performances, an extensive career on stage and screen for over seve ...
were also part of the company as acting Assistants Stage Managers. From 1955 to 1957, Hall ran the
Arts Theatre The Arts Theatre is a theatre in Great Newport Street, in Westminster, Central London. It opened on April 20, 1927. History It opened on 20 April 1927 as a members-only club for the performance of unlicensed plays, thus avoiding theatre cen ...
in London, where he directed the English-language premiere of ''
Waiting for Godot ''Waiting for Godot'' ( or ) is a 1953 play by Irish writer and playwright Samuel Beckett, in which the two main characters, Vladimir (Waiting for Godot), Vladimir (Didi) and Estragon (Gogo), engage in a variety of discussions and encounters w ...
'' in 1955. The production's success transformed his career overnight and attracted the attention of, among others,
Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the three ...
, for whom he would direct the London premieres of '' Camino Real'' (1957) and ''
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof ''Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'' is a 1955 American three-act play by Tennessee Williams. The play, an adaptation of his 1952 short story "Three Players of a Summer Game", was written between 1953 and 1955. One of Williams's more famous works and his ...
'' (1958), and
Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A List of Nobel laureates in Literature, Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramat ...
. Other productions at The Arts included the English language premiere of ''
The Waltz of the Toreadors ''The Waltz of the Toreadors'' (''La Valse des toréadors'') is a 1951 play by Jean Anouilh. Plot This bitter farce is set in 1910 France and focuses on General Léon Saint-Pé and his infatuation with Ghislaine, a woman with whom he danced at a g ...
'' by
Jean Anouilh Jean Marie Lucien Pierre Anouilh (; ; 23 June 1910 – 3 October 1987) was a French dramatist and screenwriter whose career spanned five decades. Though his work ranged from high drama to absurdist farce, Anouilh is best known for his 1944 play ...
.


Royal Shakespeare Company

Hall made his debut at the
Shakespeare Memorial Theatre The Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RST) (originally called the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre) is a Grade II* listed 1,040+ seat thrust stage theatre owned by the Royal Shakespeare Company dedicated to the English playwright and poet William Shakes ...
in
Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon ( ), commonly known as Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon (district), Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands region of Engl ...
in 1956 with ''
Love's Labour's Lost ''Love's Labour's Lost'' is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, believed to have been written in the mid-1590s for a performance at the Inns of Court before Queen Elizabeth I. It follows the King of Navarre and his three companions as ...
'': his productions there in the 19571959 seasons included ''
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 ...
'' with
Peggy Ashcroft Dame Edith Margaret Emily "Peggy" Ashcroft (22 December 1907 – 14 June 1991) was an English actress whose career spanned more than 60 years. Born to a comfortable middle-class family, Ashcroft was determined from an early age to become ...
as Imogen, ''
Coriolanus ''Coriolanus'' ( or ) is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1605 and 1608. The play is based on the life of the legendary Roman leader Gnaeus Marcius Coriolanus. Shakespeare worked on it during the same ...
'' with
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 ...
, and ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...
'' with
Charles Laughton Charles Laughton (; 1 July 1899 – 15 December 1962) was a British and American actor. He was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and first appeared professionally on the stage in 1926. In 1927, he was cast in a play wi ...
. In 1960, aged 29, Hall succeeded Glen Byam Shaw as director of the theatre, and expanded operations to be all-year. He founded the
Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...
(RSC) to realise his vision of a resident ensemble of actors, directors and designers producing both modern and classic texts, with a distinctive house style. The company played in Stratford and expanded into the
Aldwych Theatre The Aldwych Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Aldwych in the City of Westminster, central London. It was listed Grade II on 20 July 1971. Its seating capacity is 1,200 on three levels. History Origins The theatre was constructed in th ...
, its first London home. Hall's many productions for the RSC included ''
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 ...
'' (1965, with
David Warner David or Dave Warner may refer to: Sports * Dave Warner (strongman) (born 1969), Northern Ireland strongman competitor * David Bruce Warner (born 1970), South African alpine skier * David Warner (cricketer) (born 1986), Australian cricketer Othe ...
), ''The Government Inspector'' (1966, 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 ...
), the world premiere of Harold Pinter's ''
The Homecoming ''The Homecoming'' is a two-act play written in 1964 and published in 1965 by Harold Pinter. Its premières in London (1965) and New York (1967) were both directed by Sir Peter Hall. The original Broadway production won the 1967 Tony Award ...
'' (1965), and ''
The Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses, known at the time and in following centuries as the Civil Wars, were a series of armed confrontations, machinations, battles and campaigns fought over control of the English throne from 1455 to 1487. The conflict was f ...
'' (1963), adapted with John Barton from Shakespeare's history plays. The latter was described as "the greatest Shakespearian event in living memory which also laid down the doctrine of Shakespearian relevance to the modern world". Hall left the RSC in 1968 after almost ten years as its director.


At the National Theatre

Hall was appointed director of the National Theatre (NT) in 1973 and led the organisation for fifteen years until 1988. He supervised the move from 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 ...
to the new purpose-built complex on London's
South Bank The South Bank is an entertainment and commercial area on the south bank of the River Thames, in the London Borough of Lambeth, central London, England. The South Bank is not formally defined, but is generally understood to be situated betwe ...
"in the face of wide-spread scepticism and violent union unrest, turning a potential catastrophe into the great success story it remains today." Frustrated by construction delays, Hall decided to move the company into the still-unfinished building and to open it theatre by theatre as each neared completion. Extracts from his production of ''
Tamburlaine the Great ''Tamburlaine the Great'' is a play in two parts by Christopher Marlowe. It is loosely based on the life of the Central Asian emperor Timur (Tamerlane/Timur the Lame, d. 1405). Written in 1587 or 1588, the play is a milestone in Elizabethan p ...
'' with
Albert Finney Albert Finney (9 May 1936 – 7 February 2019) was an English actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked in the theatre before attaining fame for movie acting during the early 1960s, debuting with '' The Entertainer'' ( ...
were performed out on the terraces, free to passers-by. Hall directed thirty-three productions for the NT including the world premieres of Harold Pinter's '' No Man's Land'' (1975, with
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
Ralph Richardson Sir Ralph David Richardson (19 December 1902 – 10 October 1983) was an English actor who, with John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier, was one of the trinity of male actors who dominated the British stage for much of the 20th century. He wo ...
) and ''
Betrayal Betrayal is the breaking or violation of a presumptive contract, trust, or confidence that produces moral and psychological conflict within a relationship amongst individuals, between organizations or between individuals and organizations. Of ...
'' (1978),
Peter Shaffer Sir Peter Levin Shaffer (15 May 1926 – 6 June 2016) was an English playwright, screenwriter, and novelist. He is best known for the plays '' Equus'' and '' Amadeus'', the latter of which was adapted for the screen by Miloš Forman, with an ...
's ''
Amadeus Amadeus may refer to: People and fictional characters * Amadeus (name) Amadeus is a theophoric name, theophoric given name derived from the Latin words ' – the Imperative mood, imperative of the word ' ("to love") – and ' ("god"). As a Compou ...
'' (1979, 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 ...
and
Simon Callow Simon Phillip Hugh Callow (born 15 June 1949) is an English actor. Known as a character actor on stage and screen, he has received numerous accolades including an Olivier Award and Screen Actors Guild Award as well as nominations for two BAFT ...
), and the London and Broadway premieres of
Alan Ayckbourn Sir Alan Ayckbourn (born 12 April 1939) is a prolific British playwright and director. As of 2025, he has written and produced 90 full-length plays in Scarborough and London and was, between 1972 and 2009, the artistic director of the Stephen ...
's ''
Bedroom Farce A bedroom farce or sex farce is a type of light comedy focusing on the sexual pairings and recombinations of characters as they move through improbable plots and slamming doors. Overview Georges Feydeau plays, presented in Paris in the 1890s, a ...
''. Other landmark productions included ''
The Oresteia The ''Oresteia'' () is a trilogy of Greek tragedies written by Aeschylus in the 5th century BC, concerning the murder of Agamemnon by Clytemnestra, the murder of Clytemnestra by Orestes, the trial of Orestes, the end of the curse on the House of ...
'' (in a version by
Tony Harrison Tony Harrison (born 30 April 1937) is an English poet, translator and playwright. He was born in Beeston, Leeds and he received his education in Classics from Leeds Grammar School and Leeds University. He is one of Britain's foremost verse ...
with music by
Harrison Birtwistle Sir Harrison Birtwistle (15 July 1934 – 18 April 2022) was an English composer of contemporary classical music best known for his operas, often based on mythological subjects. Among his many compositions, his better known works include '' T ...
, 1981) which became the first Greek play to be performed by a foreign company at the ancient theatre of
Epidaurus Epidaurus () was a small city (''polis'') in ancient Greece, on the Argolid Peninsula at the Saronic Gulf. Two modern towns bear the name Epidavros: ''Palaia Epidavros'' and ''Nea Epidavros''. Since 2010 they belong to the new municipality of Epi ...
, ''
Animal Farm ''Animal Farm'' (originally ''Animal Farm: A Fairy Story'') is a satirical allegorical novella, in the form of a beast fable, by George Orwell, first published in England on 17 August 1945. It tells the story of a group of anthropomorphic far ...
'' (in his own adaptation, 1984) and ''
Antony and Cleopatra ''Antony and Cleopatra'' is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The play was first performed around 1607, by the King's Men at either the Blackfriars Theatre or the Globe Theatre. Its first appearance in print was in the First Folio published ...
'' with
Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Widely considered one of Britain's greatest actors, she is noted for her versatility, having appeared in films and television, as well as for her numerous roles on the stage ...
and
Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor. Considered one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for List of Anthony Hopkins performances, his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins ha ...
(1987). Hall returned to the NT for the last time in 2011 with a production of ''
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 ...
'' mounted by the company to celebrate his eightieth birthday. His daughter,
Rebecca Hall Rebecca Maria Hall (born 3 May 1982) is an English actress and director. She made her first onscreen appearance at the age of 10 in the 1992 The Camomile Lawn (TV serial), television adaptation of ''The Camomile Lawn'', directed by her father, ...
, played
Viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...
alongside Simon Callow as Sir Toby Belch in the Cottesloe Theatre.


Later theatre career

Upon leaving the NT in 1988, Hall launched his own commercial company with productions in the West End and on
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...
of Tennessee Williams' ''
Orpheus Descending ''Orpheus Descending'' is a three-act play by Tennessee Williams. It was first presented on Broadway on March 17, 1957, with Maureen Stapleton and Cliff Robertson, under the direction of Harold Clurman, but had only a brief run (68 performa ...
'' (with
Vanessa Redgrave Dame Vanessa Redgrave (born 30 January 1937) is an English actress. In her career spanning over six decades, she has garnered List of awards and nominations received by Vanessa Redgrave, numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony A ...
) and ''The Merchant of Venice'' (with
Dustin Hoffman Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for Dustin Hoffman filmography, his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable charac ...
). The Peter Hall Company went on to stage more than sixty plays in association with a number of producing partners including
Bill Kenwright William Kenwright (4 September 1945 – 23 October 2023) was an English theatre and film producer. He was also the chairman of Everton Football Club for nearly two decades, from 2004 until his death in 2023. Early life Kenwright was born in ...
and
Thelma Holt Thelma Holt (born 4 January 1932) is a British theatre producer and former actress. After a successful career as an actress, in partnership with Charles Marowitz, Holt founded the Open Space Theatre in Tottenham Court Road, London, which bec ...
. In addition to an ensemble repertory season at 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 ...
(1997), the company enjoyed a long collaboration with the
Theatre Royal, Bath The Theatre Royal in Bath, England, was built in 1805. A Grade II* listed building, it has been described by the Theatres Trust as "One of the most important surviving examples of Georgian theatre architecture". It has a capacity for an audien ...
where a series of summer festivals were staged from 20032011: many productions were subsequently performed on domestic and international tours and in the West End. The plays produced included
Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...
's ''
An Ideal Husband ''An Ideal Husband'' is a four-act play by Oscar Wilde that revolves around blackmail and political corruption, and touches on the themes of public and private honour. It was first produced at the Haymarket Theatre, London in 1895 and ran for ...
'' (1992),
Pam Gems Pam Gems ( Iris Pamela Price; 1 August 1925 – 13 May 2011) was an England, English playwright. The author of numerous original plays, as well as of adaptations of works by European playwrights of the past, Gems is best known for the 1978 Musi ...
' '' Piaf'' (with
Elaine Paige Dame Elaine Jill Paige (born Elaine Jill Bickerstaff, 5 March 1948) is an English singer and actress, best known for her work in musical theatre. Raised in Chipping Barnet, Barnet, Hertfordshire, Paige attended the Aida Foster Theatre School, m ...
, 1993), ''Hamlet'' (with
Stephen Dillane Stephen John Dillane (; born 27 March 1957) is a British actor. He is best known for his roles as Leonard Woolf in the 2002 film ''The Hours (film), The Hours'', Stannis Baratheon in the HBO fantasy series ''Game of Thrones'' (2012–2015) and T ...
, 1994),
Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...
's ''
The Master Builder ''The Master Builder'' () is a play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It was first published in December 1892 and is regarded as one of Ibsen's more significant and revealing works. Performance The play was published by Gyldendal AS in C ...
'' (with
Alan Bates Sir Alan Arthur Bates (17 February 1934 – 27 December 2003) was an English actor who came to prominence in the Cinema of the United Kingdom#The 1960s, 1960s, when he appeared in films ranging from ''Whistle Down the Wind (film), Whistle Down ...
, 1995), ''
A Streetcar Named Desire ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of pe ...
'' (with
Jessica Lange Jessica Phyllis Lange (; born April 20, 1949) is an American actress. With a career spanning over five decades, she is known for her roles Jessica Lange on screen and stage, on stage and screen. She has received List of awards and nominati ...
, 1996), Julian Barry's ''Lenny'' (with
Eddie Izzard Suzy Eddie Izzard ( ; born Edward John Izzard, 7 February 1962) is a British stand-up comedian, actor and activist. Her comedic style takes the form of what appears to the audience as rambling whimsical monologues and self-referential pantomi ...
, 1999), ''
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 ...
'' (with
Rebecca Hall Rebecca Maria Hall (born 3 May 1982) is an English actress and director. She made her first onscreen appearance at the age of 10 in the 1992 The Camomile Lawn (TV serial), television adaptation of ''The Camomile Lawn'', directed by her father, ...
and
Dan Stevens Daniel Jonathan Stevens (born 10 October 1982) is an English actor. He first drew international attention for his role as Matthew Crawley in the ITV period drama series ''Downton Abbey'' (2010–2012). He also starred as David in the thriller ...
, 2003), Brian Clark's '' Whose Life is it Anyway?'' (with
Kim Cattrall Kim Victoria Cattrall (; born 21 August 1956) is a British, Canadian, and American actress. She is known for her portrayal of Samantha Jones on HBO's ''Sex and the City'' (1998–2004), for which she received five Primetime Emmy Award nominati ...
, 2005), the fiftieth anniversary production of ''Waiting for Godot'',
Coward Cowardice is a characteristic wherein excessive fear prevents an individual from taking a risk or facing danger. It is the opposite of courage. As a label, "cowardice" indicates a failure of character in the face of a challenge. One who succumb ...
's ''
Hay Fever Allergic rhinitis, of which the seasonal type is called hay fever, is a type of rhinitis, inflammation in the nose that occurs when the immune system overreacts to allergens in the air. It is classified as a Allergy, type I hypersensitivity re ...
'' (with
Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Widely considered one of Britain's greatest actors, she is noted for her versatility, having appeared in films and television, as well as for her numerous roles on the stage ...
, 2006) and Shaw's '' Pygmalion'' (with
Tim Pigott-Smith Timothy Peter Pigott-Smith (13 May 1946 – 7 April 2017) was a British film and television actor and author. He was best known for his leading role as Ronald Merrick in the television drama series '' The Jewel in the Crown'', for which he won t ...
and
Michelle Dockery Michelle Suzanne Dockery (born 15 December 1981) is an English actress. She is best known for starring as List of Downton Abbey characters#Lady Mary Talbot, Lady Mary Crawley in the ITV (TV network), ITV television period drama series ''Downton ...
, 2007). Hall's final productions for his company were ''
Henry IV, Part 1 ''Henry IV, Part 1'' (often written as ''1 Henry IV'') is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. The play dramatises part of the reign of King Henry IV of England, beginning with the Battle of H ...
'' and '' Part 2'' (2011), staged at the Theatre Royal Bath. Hall directed extensively in the United States including the world premiere of
John Guare John Guare ( ; born February 5, 1938) is an American playwright and screenwriter. He is best known as the author of '' The House of Blue Leaves'' and '' Six Degrees of Separation''. Early life He was raised in Jackson Heights, Queens.Druckma ...
's ''Four Baboons Adoring the Sun'' (
Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5  ...
, 1992), three Shakespeare plays with Center Theater Group, Los Angeles (1999 and 2001) and John Barton's nine-hour epic ''Tantalus'' (2000), an RSC co-production with the
Denver Center for the Performing Arts The Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) is an organization in Denver, Colorado which provides a showcase for live theatre, a nurturing ground for new plays, a preferred stop on the Broadway touring circuit, acting classes for the communi ...
. In 2003, Hall became the founding director of The Rose Theatre a new venue to be constructed in Kingston upon Thames whose design was inspired by the Elizabethan original. He directed a number of productions there including Chekhov's ''Uncle Vanya'', which opened the building in 2008, and ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' (with Judi Dench as Titania, 2010). Hall was also appointed "Director
Emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...
" of The Rose Kingston.


Opera

Peter Hall was also an internationally celebrated opera director. His first experience was in 1957, directing ''The Moon and Sixpence'' by John Gardner at
Sadler's Wells Sadler's Wells Theatre is a London performing arts venue, located in Rosebery Avenue, Islington. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site. Sadler's Wells grew out of a late 17th-century pleasure garden and was opened as a theatre buil ...
.Christiansen, Rupert. Peter Hall, 1930–2017. ''
Opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
'', Vol.68 No.11, November 2017, p1428-32.
He was able to play the piano well enough to read opera scores. His first major project was Schoenberg's ''
Moses und Aron ''Moses und Aron'' (English: ''Moses and Aaron'') is a three-act opera by Arnold Schoenberg with the music to the third act unfinished. The German libretto is by the composer. It is based on selected incidents from the Book of Exodus (chapters 3 ...
'' at Covent Garden, which led on to further productions at that house. Hall worked at many of the world's leading houses as well as
Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...
, including the
Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...
in New York,
Houston Grand Opera Houston Grand Opera (HGO) is an American opera company located in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1955 by German-born impresario Walter Herbert and three local Houstonians,Giesberg, Robert I., Carl Cunningham, and Alan Rich. ''Houston Grand Opera at ...
,
Los Angeles Opera The Los Angeles Opera, originally called the Los Angeles Music Center Opera, is an American opera company in Los Angeles, California. It is the fourth-largest opera company in the United States. The company's home base is the Dorothy Chandler P ...
,
Lyric Opera of Chicago Lyric Opera of Chicago is an American opera company based in Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded in Chicago in 1954, under the name 'Lyric Theatre of Chicago' by Carol Fox (Chicago opera), Carol Fox, Nicola Rescigno and Lawrence Kelly, w ...
and the
Bayreuth Festival The Bayreuth Festival () is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of stage works by the 19th-century German composer Richard Wagner are presented. Wagner himself conceived and promoted the idea of a special ...
where he, with conductor Georg Solti, directed Wagner's Ring Cycle (''
Der Ring des Nibelungen (''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the . The compo ...
'') in 1983 to honour the centenary of the composer's death. The production was played until 1986. Hall staged the world premieres of Michael Tippett's ''
The Knot Garden ''The Knot Garden'' is the third opera by composer Michael Tippett for which he wrote the original English libretto. The work had its first performance at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, on 2 December 1970 conducted by Sir Colin Davis and p ...
'' (1970) and '' New Year'' (1989). He had a close relationship with the
Glyndebourne Festival Glyndebourne Festival Opera is an annual opera festival held at Glyndebourne, an English country house near Lewes, in East Sussex, England. History Under the supervision of the Christie family, the festival has been held annually since 1934, e ...
where he was artistic director from 1984 to 1990, directing more than twenty productions including the Mozart/Da Ponte operas. His production of Benjamin Britten's ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...
'' (1981) was revived nine times, most recently 35 years after its premiere, in August 2016. Hall also directed ''
Albert Herring ''Albert Herring'', Op. 39, is a chamber opera in three acts by Benjamin Britten. Composed in the winter of 1946 and the spring of 1947, this comic opera was a successor to his serious opera '' The Rape of Lucretia''. The libretto, by Eric Cro ...
'' by Benjamin Britten, Cavalli's ''
La Calisto ''La Calisto'' is an Italian opera by Francesco Cavalli from a libretto by Giovanni Faustini based on the mythological story of Callisto (mythology), Callisto. The opera received its first performance on 28 November 1651 at the Teatro Sant'Apol ...
'', Monteverdi's ''
Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria ''Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria'' ( SV 325, ''The Return of Ulysses to his Homeland'') is an opera consisting of a prologue and five acts (later revised to three), set by Claudio Monteverdi to a libretto by Giacomo Badoaro. The opera was first p ...
'' and Gluck's ''
Orfeo ed Euridice (; French: '; English: ''Orpheus and Eurydice'') is an opera composed by Christoph Willibald Gluck, based on the myth of Orpheus and set to a libretto by Ranieri de' Calzabigi. It belongs to the genre of the '' azione teatrale'', meaning an ...
'' (all with
Janet Baker Dame Janet Abbott Baker (born 21 August 1933) is an English mezzo-soprano best known as an opera, concert, and lieder singer.Blyth, Alan, "Baker, Dame Janet (Abbott)" in Sadie, Stanley, ed.; John Tyrell; exec. ed. (2001). ''New Grove Dictionar ...
); ''L'incoronazione di Poppea'' and ''Carmen'' – both with his then wife, Maria Ewing, with whom he also staged a celebrated ''Salome (opera), Salome'' (The Royal Opera London and L.A. Opera) in 1986. ''Opera magazine'' noted Hall's characteristics as (in relation to ''La Cenerentola'' at Glyndebourne) "dignity and emotional veracity", recalling that "he would always insist that 'the singers, like actors, played off each other'".


Film and TV

Hall's films for cinema and TV include ''Akenfield'' (1974), a fictionalisation based on Ronald Blythe's oral history and filmed in Blythe's native Suffolk with a cast of local people. It was restored and relaunched in 2016 by the BFI. Hall's film ''She's Been Away'' was written by Stephen Poliakoff and starred
Peggy Ashcroft Dame Edith Margaret Emily "Peggy" Ashcroft (22 December 1907 – 14 June 1991) was an English actress whose career spanned more than 60 years. Born to a comfortable middle-class family, Ashcroft was determined from an early age to become ...
and Geraldine James who both won awards for their performances at the Venice Film Festival. Hall also directed ''The Camomile Lawn (TV serial), The Camomile Lawn'' and ''The Final Passage'' for Channel 4 television, as well as a number of his opera and stage productions. His only American studio movie, the 1995 erotic thriller ''Never Talk to Strangers'', "proved to me that I have no aptitude whatever for surviving the Hollywood rat race," as Hall wrote in the updated edition of his memoir ''Making an Exhibition of Myself''. For several years during the 1970s he presented the arts programme ''Aquarius (UK TV series), Aquarius'' for London Weekend Television. In 2005 he was the subject of a two-hour documentary for ''The South Bank Show'', ''Peter Hall, Fifty Years in Theatre''.


Acting

Hall began acting as a student at Cambridge University, where Dadie Rylands taught him to speak Shakespearean verse. He was also influenced in his understanding of Shakespeare by the literary critic and teacher F. R. Leavis. He subsequently acted in three German films in the 1970s: ''The Pedestrian (film), Der Fußgänger'' (''The Pedestrian'', directed by Maximilian Schell, 1973), ''Als Mutter streikte'' (''When Mother Went on Strike'', 1974) and ''Der letzte Schrei'' (''The Last Word'', 1974).


Books

His books on theatre include ''The Necessary Theatre'' (Nick Hern, 1999), ''Exposed by the Mask'' (Oberon, 2000) and ''Shakespeare's Advice to the Players'' (Oberon, 2003). ''The Peter Hall Diaries the Story of a Dramatic Battle'', edited by John Goodwin (theatre publicist), John Goodwin (Hamish Hamilton) were first published in 1983 and documented his struggle to establish the National Theatre on the South Bank. His autobiography, ''Making an Exhibition of Myself'' (Sinclair-Stevenson), was published in 1993.


Awards

Peter Hall was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE in 1963 and Knight Bachelor, knighted in 1977 for his services to the theatre. He was awarded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, Chevalier de L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (1965), received the Shakespeare Prize (1967) and was elected Member of the Athens Academy for Services to Greek Drama (2004). His professional awards and nominations included two Tony Awards (''The Homecoming'' and ''Amadeus'') and four awards for lifetime achievement in the arts. In 2005 Hall was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame. He was Chancellor of Kingston University (20002013), held the Wortham Chair in Performing Arts at the University of Houston (19992002) and was awarded honorary doctorates from a number of universities including Cambridge, York, Liverpool, Bath and London.


Personal life

Hall was married four times. He had six children and nine grandchildren. His first wife was French actress Leslie Caron, with whom he had a son, Christopher Hall (producer), Christopher, and a daughter, Jennifer Caron Hall, Jennifer. With his second wife, Jacqueline Taylor, he had a son, Edward Hall (director), Edward , and a daughter. Hall married American opera singer Maria Ewing in 1982, with whom he had one daughter, Rebecca Hall, Rebecca. He was lastly married to Nicki Frei; the couple had one daughter, Emma. Hall worked with all his children: for the National Theatre, Jennifer played Miranda in ''The Tempest'' (1988); Rebecca, aged nine, played young Sophie in the Channel 4 adaptation of ''The Camomile Lawn'', for The Peter Hall Company she played Vivie in ''Mrs Warren's Profession'' (2002), Rosalind in ''As You Like It'' (2003), Maria in ''Gallileo's Daughter'' (2004) and, for the NT, Viola in ''Twelfth Night'' (2011); Emma, aged two, played Joseph in ''Jacob'' (2004, TV Movie); for the Peter Hall Company, Lucy designed ''Hamlet'' (1994), ''Cuckoos'' (2003) and ''Whose Life is it Anyway?'' (2005); Christopher produced the Channel 4 television drama ''The Final Passage'' (1996); Edward co-directed the stage epic ''Tantalus'' (2000). Hall was diagnosed with dementia in 2011 and retired from public life. Hall was described by ''The Guardian, Guardian'' contributor Mark Lawson as a "committed atheist, from as early as his 20s", leading "to a punishing work rate in his hurry to get everything done".


Death and legacy

On 11 September 2017, Hall died from pneumonia at University College Hospital, London, surrounded by family. He was 86 years old. His obituary in ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' declared him "the most important figure in British theatre for half a century" and a
Royal National Theatre The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...
statement declared that Hall's "influence on the artistic life of Britain in the 20th century was unparalleled". Many luminaries of British theatre paid tribute to Hall. Nicholas Hytner said: "Without him there would have been no Royal Shakespeare Company.""Sir Peter Hall, Royal Shakespeare Company founder, dies aged 86"
''Daily Telegraph', 12 September 2017.
Trevor Nunn said: "Not only a thrilling director, he was the great impresario of the age." Richard Eyre called Hall the "godfather" of British theatre: "Peter created the template of the modern director – part-magus, part-impresario, part-politician, part celebrity." Impresario Cameron Mackintosh said: "It's thanks to Peter Hall that people like Trevor Nunn, Nicholas Hytner and Sam Mendes transformed musical theatre around the world." Theatre critic Michael Coveney said that he believed Hall's production of ''The Wars of the Roses'' "recast the [Shakespeare] history plays and put them at the centre of our culture". Peter Brook said: "Peter was a man for all seasons – he could play any part that was needed".
Elaine Paige Dame Elaine Jill Paige (born Elaine Jill Bickerstaff, 5 March 1948) is an English singer and actress, best known for her work in musical theatre. Raised in Chipping Barnet, Barnet, Hertfordshire, Paige attended the Aida Foster Theatre School, m ...
said: "Peter Hall had absolute authority and, as a heavyweight of the theatre, real presence." Griff Rhys Jones said: "Peter was an absolute smoothie, the most charming and diplomatic man" and Samuel West said "Peter was an extraordinarily energetic, imaginative director – if you left him in the corner of a room he'd direct a play – but he was also a great campaigner. He never stopped arguing for the role of subsidised art in a civilised society and its ability to change people's lives." In April 2018, the Society of London Theatre, which presents the annual
Laurence Olivier Awards The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of West End Theatre Aw ...
recognizing achievements in London theatre, changed the award for Best Director to the Sir Peter Hall Award for Best Director.


Selected works


Stage productions

Hall published a complete list of his productions in his autobiography: * ''The Letter'' (
W. Somerset Maugham William Somerset Maugham ( ; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German un ...
, Theatre Royal Windsor) 1953 * ''Blood Wedding'' (Federico García Lorca, Lorca, London debut, Arts Theatre) 1954 * ''The Impresario from Smyrna'' (Goldoni, Arts Theatre) 1954 * ''The Immoralist'' (Gide, Arts Theatre) 1954 * ''Listen to the Wind'' (Angela Jeans, music by Vivian Ellis, Arts Theatre) 1954 * ''The Lesson'' (Eugène Ionesco, Ionesco, Arts Theatre) 1955 * ''South'' (Julian Green, Arts Theatre) 1955 * ''Mourning Becomes Electra'' (Eugene O'Neill, O'Neill, Arts Theatre) 1955 * ''
Waiting for Godot ''Waiting for Godot'' ( or ) is a 1953 play by Irish writer and playwright Samuel Beckett, in which the two main characters, Vladimir (Waiting for Godot), Vladimir (Didi) and Estragon (Gogo), engage in a variety of discussions and encounters w ...
'' (Samuel Beckett, Beckett, English-language world premiere, Arts Theatre) 1955 * ''The Burnt Flower-Bed'' (Ugo Betti, Arts Theatre) 1955 * ''Summertime'' (Ugo Betti, Arts Theatre) 1955 * ''
The Waltz of the Toreadors ''The Waltz of the Toreadors'' (''La Valse des toréadors'') is a 1951 play by Jean Anouilh. Plot This bitter farce is set in 1910 France and focuses on General Léon Saint-Pé and his infatuation with Ghislaine, a woman with whom he danced at a g ...
'' (
Jean Anouilh Jean Marie Lucien Pierre Anouilh (; ; 23 June 1910 – 3 October 1987) was a French dramatist and screenwriter whose career spanned five decades. Though his work ranged from high drama to absurdist farce, Anouilh is best known for his 1944 play ...
, English-language premiere, Arts Theatre) 1956 * ''Gigi'' (Colette, New Theatre) 1956 * ''Love's Labours Lost'' (Shakespeare, Stratford-on-Avon) 1956 * ''The Gates of Summer'' (John Whiting, New Theatre Oxford) 1956 * ''Camino Real'' (
Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the three ...
, Phoenix Theatre, London) 1957 * ''The Moon and Sixpence'' (John Gardner, opera debut, Sadlers Wells) 1957 * ''Cymbeline'' (Shakespeare, Stratford-on-Avon) 1957 * ''The Rope Dancers'' (Morton Wishengard, New York debut, Cort Theatre) 1957 * ''Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'' (
Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the three ...
, Comedy Theatre) 1958 * ''Twelfth Night'' (Shakespeare, Stratford-on-Avon) 1958 * ''Brouhaha'' (George Tabori, Aldwych) 1958 * ''Shadow of Heroes'' (Robert Ardrey, Piccadilly Theatre) 1958 * ''Madame de…'' (Anouilh, Arts Theatre) 1959 * ''Le Voyageur sans bagage, Traveller Without Luggage'' (Anouilh, Arts Theatre) 1959 * ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' (Shakespeare, Stratford-on-Avon) 1959 * ''Coriolanus'' (Shakespeare, Stratford-on-Avon) 1959 * ''The Wrong Side of the Park'' (John Mortimer, Cambridge Theatre) 1959 * ''The Two Gentlemen of Verona'' (Shakespeare, Royal Shakespeare Company) 1960 * ''Twelfth Night'' (Shakespeare, RSC) 1960 * ''Troilus and Cressida'' (Shakespeare, RSC) 1960 * ''Ondine (play), Ondine'' (Giraudoux, RSC, Aldwych) 1961 * ''Becket'' (Anouilh, RSC, Aldwych) 1961 * ''Romeo and Juliet'' (Shakespeare, RSC) 1961 * ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' (Shakespeare, RSC) 1962 * ''The Collection'' (Pinter, RSC) 1962 * ''Troilus and Cressida'' (Shakespeare, RSC) 1962 * ''
The Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses, known at the time and in following centuries as the Civil Wars, were a series of armed confrontations, machinations, battles and campaigns fought over control of the English throne from 1455 to 1487. The conflict was f ...
'' (adapted with John Barton from Shakespeare's ''Henry VI Parts 1, 2 and 3'' and ''Richard III (play), Richard III'', RSC) 1963 * ''Edward IV'' (Shakespeare, RSC) 1963 * ''Richard II'' (Shakespeare, RSC) 1964 * ''Henry IV Parts 1 and 2'' (Shakespeare, RSC) 1964 * ''Henry V'' (Shakespeare, RSC) 1964 * ''Eh?'' (Henry Livings, RSC, Aldwych) 1964 * ''The Homecoming'' (Pinter, world premiere, RSC) 1965 * ''Moses and Aaron'' (Schoenberg, UK premiere, Royal Opera House) 1965 * ''Hamlet'' (Shakespeare, RSC) 1965 * ''The Government Inspector'' (Gogol, RSC, Aldwych) 1966 * ''The Magic Flute'' (Mozart, Royal Opera House) 1966 * ''Staircase'' (Charles Wood, RSC, Aldwych) 1966 * ''Macbeth'' (Shakespeare, RSC) 1967 * ''A Delicate Balance'' (Edward Albee, RSC, Aldwych) 1969 * ''Dutch Uncle'' (Simon Gray, RSC, Aldwych) 1969 * ''Landscape'' and ''Silence'' (Pinter, world premieres, RSC, Aldwych) 1969 * ''The Knot Garden'' (Michael Tippett, Tippett, world premiere, Royal Opera House) 1970 * ''La Calisto'' (Cavalli, Glyndebourne debut, Glyndebourne Festival Opera) 1970 * ''The Battle of Shrivings'' (Peter Shaffer, Shaffer, Lyric Theatre) 1970 * ''Eugene Onegin (opera), Eugene Onegin'' (Tchaikovsky, Royal Opera House) 1971 * ''Old Times'' (Harold Pinter, world premiere, RSC Aldwych) 1971 * ''Tristan und Isolde'' (Wagner, Royal Opera House) 1971 * ''All Over'' (Edward Albee, RSC, Aldwych) 1972 * ''Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria, Il Ritorno d'Ulisse'' (Monteverdi, Glyndebourne Festival Opera) 1972 * ''Via Galactica'' (lyrics by Christopher Gore, music by Galt MacDermot, New York) 1972 * ''Le Nozze di Figaro'' (Mozart, Glyndebourne Festival Opera) 1973 * ''The Tempest'' (Shakespeare, National Theatre) 1973 * ''John Gabriel Borkman'' (Ibsen, NT) 1974 * ''Happy Days'' (Beckett, NT) 1974 * ''No Man's Land'' (Pinter, world premiere, NT) 1975 * ''Hamlet'' (Shakespeare, official opening of the Lyttelton, NT) 1975 * ''Judgement'' (Barry Collins, NT) 1975 * ''Tamburlaine the Great'' (Christopher Marlowe, official opening of the Olivier, NT) 1976 * ''
Bedroom Farce A bedroom farce or sex farce is a type of light comedy focusing on the sexual pairings and recombinations of characters as they move through improbable plots and slamming doors. Overview Georges Feydeau plays, presented in Paris in the 1890s, a ...
'' (Ayckbourn, also co-director, London and US premieres, NT and Broadway) 1977 * ''Don Giovanni'' (Mozart, Glyndebourne Festival Opera) 1977 * ''Volpone'' (Ben Jonson, NT) 1977 * ''The Country Wife'' (Wycherley, NT) 1977 * ''Così fan tutte'' (Mozart, Glyndebourne Festival Opera) 1978 * ''The Cherry Orchard'' (Chekhov, NT) 1978 * ''Macbeth'' (Shakespeare, NT) 1978 * ''
Betrayal Betrayal is the breaking or violation of a presumptive contract, trust, or confidence that produces moral and psychological conflict within a relationship amongst individuals, between organizations or between individuals and organizations. Of ...
'' (Pinter, world premiere, NT) 1978 * ''Fidelio'' (Beethoven, Glyndebourne Festival Opera) 1979 * ''
Amadeus Amadeus may refer to: People and fictional characters * Amadeus (name) Amadeus is a theophoric name, theophoric given name derived from the Latin words ' – the Imperative mood, imperative of the word ' ("to love") – and ' ("god"). As a Compou ...
'' (Peter Shaffer, world premiere, NT) 1979 * ''Othello'' (Shakespeare, NT) 1980 * ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...
'' (Britten, Glyndebourne Festival Opera) 1981 * ''The Oresteia'' (Aeschylus, trans. Harrison, NT and Epidaurus) 1981 * ''
Orfeo ed Euridice (; French: '; English: ''Orpheus and Eurydice'') is an opera composed by Christoph Willibald Gluck, based on the myth of Orpheus and set to a libretto by Ranieri de' Calzabigi. It belongs to the genre of the '' azione teatrale'', meaning an ...
'' (Gluck, Glyndebourne Festival Opera) 1982 * ''The Importance of Being Earnest'' (Oscar Wilde, Wilde, NT) 1982 * ''Macbeth (Verdi), Macbeth'' (Verdi, Metropolitan Opera, New York) 1982 * ''Other Places'' (Pinter, world premiere, NT) 1982 * ''
Der Ring des Nibelungen (''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the . The compo ...
'' (Wagner, Bayreuth Festival Opera) 1983 * ''Jean Seberg (musical), Jean Seberg'' (lyrics by Christopher Adler (lyricist), Christopher Adler, book by Julian Barry, music by Marvin Hamlisch, NT) 1983 * ''
Animal Farm ''Animal Farm'' (originally ''Animal Farm: A Fairy Story'') is a satirical allegorical novella, in the form of a beast fable, by George Orwell, first published in England on 17 August 1945. It tells the story of a group of anthropomorphic far ...
'' (George Orwell, adapted by Hall, NT) 1984 * ''Coriolanus'' (Shakespeare, NT and Athens) 1984 * ''L'incoronazione di Poppea'' (Monteverdi, Glyndebourne Festival Opera) 1984 * ''Yonadab'' (Shaffer, world premiere, NT) 1985 * ''Carmen'' (Bizet, Glyndebourne) 1985 * ''
Albert Herring ''Albert Herring'', Op. 39, is a chamber opera in three acts by Benjamin Britten. Composed in the winter of 1946 and the spring of 1947, this comic opera was a successor to his serious opera '' The Rape of Lucretia''. The libretto, by Eric Cro ...
'' (Britten, Glyndebourne) 1985 * ''The Petition'' (Brian Clark, NT) 1986 * ''Simon Boccanegra'' (Verdi, Glyndebourne) 1986 * ''Salome (opera), Salome'' (Strauss, LA Opera) 1986 * ''Coming in to Land'' (Poliakoff, world premiere, NT) 1986 * ''Antony and Cleopatra'' (Shakespeare, NT) 1987 * ''La traviata'' (Verdi, Glyndebourne) 1987 * ''Entertaining Strangers'' (David Edgar (playwright), David Edgar, NT) 1987 * ''Cymbeline'' (Shakespeare, NT, Moscow and Epidaurus) 1988 * ''The Winter's Tale'' (Shakespeare, NT, Moscow and Epidaurus) 1988 * ''The Tempest'' (Shakespeare, NT, Moscow and Epidaurus) 1988 * ''Falstaff (opera), Falstaff'' (Verdi, Glyndebourne) 1988 * ''
Orpheus Descending ''Orpheus Descending'' is a three-act play by Tennessee Williams. It was first presented on Broadway on March 17, 1957, with Maureen Stapleton and Cliff Robertson, under the direction of Harold Clurman, but had only a brief run (68 performa ...
'' (
Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the three ...
, Peter Hall Company, Haymarket and Broadway) 1988/9 * ''The Merchant of Venice'' (Shakespeare, PHCo, Phoenix Theatre and Broadway) 1989/90 * '' New Year'' (Tippett, world premiere, Houston Opera) 1989 * ''Le Nozze di Figaro'' (Mozart, Glyndebourne) 1989 * ''The Wild Duck'' (Ibsen, trans. Hall/Ewbank, PHCo, Phoenix Theatre) 1990 * ''Born Again'' (after Ionesco's ''Rhinoceros'', lyrics by Julian Barry, music by Jason Carr, PHCo/Chichester Festival Theatre) 1990 * ''The Homecoming'' (Pinter, PHCo Comedy Theatre) 1990 * ''Twelfth Night'' (Shakespeare, PHCo, Playhouse Theatre) 1991 * ''Tartuffe'' (Moliere, trans. Bolt, PHCo, Playhouse Theatre) 1991 * ''The Rose Tattoo'' (Tennessee Williams, PHCo, Playhouse Theatre) 1991 * ''Four Baboons Adoring the Sun'' (John Guare, world premiere, Lincoln Center) 1992 * ''Sienna Red'' (Poliakoff, PHCo, Liverpool Playhouse) 1992 * ''All's Well That Ends Well'' (Shakespeare, RSC, Swan) 1992 * ''The Gift of the Gorgon'' (Shaffer, world premiere, RSC, Barbican and Wyndham's Theatre) 1992 * ''An Ideal Husband'' (Wilde, PHCo/Bill Kenwright Ltd, Globe Theatre and Broadway) 1992 * ''The Magic Flute'' (Mozart, LA Opera) 1993 * ''Separate Tables'' (Rattigan, PHCo/BKL, Albery Theatre) 1993 * ''Lysistrata'' (Aristophanes, trans. Bolt, PHCo/BKL, Old Vic, Wyndham's and Epidaurus) 1993 * ''She Stoops to Conquer'' (Goldsmith, PHCo/BKL, Queen's Theatre) 1993 * ''Piaf'' (Pam Gems, PHCo/BKL, Piccadilly Theatre) 1993 * ''An Absolute Turkey'' (Feydeau, trans. Hall/Frei, PHCo/BKL, Thorndike Theatre) 1993 * ''On Approval'' (Lonsdale, PHCo/BKL, Playhouse Theatre) 1994 * ''Hamlet'' (Shakespeare, PHCo/BKL, Gielgud Theatre) 1994 * ''The Master Builder'' (Ibsen, trans. Hall/Ewbank, PHCo/BKL, Haymarket) 1995 * ''Julius Caesar'' (Shakespeare, RSC) 1995 * ''Occupe-toi d'Amélie!, Mind Millie for Me'' (Feydeau, trans. Hall/Frei, PHCo/BKL, Haymarket) 1996 * ''The Oedipus Plays'' (Sophocles, trans. Bolt, NT, Athens and Epidaurus) 1996 * ''The School for Wives'' (Moliere, trans. Bolt, PHCo/BKL, Picadilly Theatre) 1996 * ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' (Tennessee Williams, PHCo/BKL, Haymarket) 1996 * ''Waste'' (Granville Barker, PHCo, Old Vic) 1997 * ''The Seagull'' (Chekhov, trans. Stoppard, PHCo, Old Vic) 1997 * ''Waiting for Godot'' (Beckett, PHCo, Old Vic) 1997 * ''King Lear'' (Shakespeare, PHCo, Old Vic) 1997 * ''Just the Three of Us'' (Simon Gray, PHCo/BKL, Theatre Royal, Windsor) * ''The Misanthrope'' (Moliere, trans. Bolt, PHCo/BKL, Piccadilly Theatre) 1998 * ''Major Barbara'' (George Bernard Shaw, PHCo/BKL, Piccadilly) 1998 * ''Filumena'' (de Fillipo, PHCo/BKL, Piccadilly) 1998 * ''
Amadeus Amadeus may refer to: People and fictional characters * Amadeus (name) Amadeus is a theophoric name, theophoric given name derived from the Latin words ' – the Imperative mood, imperative of the word ' ("to love") – and ' ("god"). As a Compou ...
'' (Shaffer, PHCo, Old Vic and Broadway) 1998/9 * ''Kafka's Dick'' (Alan Bennett, PHCo/BKL Piccadilly) 1998 * ''Measure for Measure'' (Shakespeare, Center Theater Group, Los Angeles) 1999 * ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' (Shakespeare, Center Theater Group, LA) 1999 * ''Lenny'' (Julian Barry, PHCo, Queen's Theatre) 1999 * ''Cuckoos'' (Manfredi, trans. Teevan, PHCo, Gate Theatre) 2000 * ''Tantalus'' (John Barton, world premiere, RSC/Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Denver, UK tour and Barbican) 2000/1 * ''Romeo and Juliet'' (Shakespeare, Center Theater Group, LA) 2001 * ''Japes'' (Simon Gray, world premiere, PHCo, Haymarket) 2001 * ''Troilus and Cressida'' (Shakespeare, Theatre for a New Audience, off-Broadway) 2001 * ''Otello'' (Verdi, Glyndebourne and Lyric Opera, Chicago) 2001 * ''The Royal Family'' (Ferber, PHCo, Haymarket) 2001 * ''Lady Windermere's Fan'' (Wilde, PHCo, Haymarket) 2002 * ''The Bacchai'' (Euripides, trans. Teevan, NT and Epidaurus) 2002 * ''Albert Herring'' (Britten, Glyndebourne) 2002 * ''Mrs. Warren's Profession'' (Shaw, PHCo, Strand Theatre) 2002 * ''Where There's a Will'' (Feydeau, trans. Frei, PHCo/Theatre Royal Bath) 2003 * ''Betrayal'' (Pinter, PHCo/Theatre Royal Bath, UK tour and West End) 2003 * ''Design for Living'' (Coward, PHCo/Theatre Royal Bath and UK tour) 2003 * ''As You Like It'' (Shakespeare, PHCo/Theatre Royal Bath, UK and US tour) 2003/4 * ''Le Nozze di Figaro'' (Mozart, Lyric Opera Chicago) 2003 * ''Happy Days'' (Beckett, PHCo/Theatre Royal Bath and Arts Theatre) 2003 * ''Man and Superman'' (Shaw, PHCo/Theatre Royal Bath) 2004 * ''Gallileo's Daughter'' (Timberlake Wertenbaker, world premiere, PHCo/Theatre Royal Bath) 2004 * ''The Dresser'' (Ronald Harwood, Harwood, PHCo/Theatre Royal Bath, UK tour and West End) 2004 * ''Whose Life is it Anyway?'' (Brian Clark, PHCo/Sonia Friedman Productions, Duke of York's) 2005 * ''La Cenerentola'' (Rossini, Glyndebourne) 2005 * ''Much Ado About Nothing'' (Shakespeare, PHCo/Theatre Royal Bath) 2005 * ''You Never Can Tell'' (Shaw, PHCo/Theatre Royal Bath and West End) 2005 * ''
Waiting for Godot ''Waiting for Godot'' ( or ) is a 1953 play by Irish writer and playwright Samuel Beckett, in which the two main characters, Vladimir (Waiting for Godot), Vladimir (Didi) and Estragon (Gogo), engage in a variety of discussions and encounters w ...
'' (Samuel Beckett, Beckett, 50th anniversary production, PHCo/Theatre Royal Bath, UK tour and West End) 2005/6 * ''The Midsummer Marriage'' (Tippett, Lyric Opera Chicago) 2005 * ''The Importance of Being Earnest'' (Wilde, Los Angeles and New York) 2006 * ''Hay Fever'' (Coward, PHCo/Bill Kenwright Ltd, Haymarket) 2006 * ''Measure for Measure'' (Shakespeare, PHCo/Theatre Royal Bath) 2006 * ''Habeas Corpus'' (Alan Bennett, PHCo/Theatre Royal Bath and UK tour) 2006 * ''Amy's View'' (David Hare (playwright), David Hare, PHCo/Theatre Royal Bath, UK tour and West End) 2006 * ''Old Times'' (Pinter, PHCo/Theatre Royal Bath and UK tour) 2007 * ''Little Nell'' (Simon Gray, world premiere, PHCo/Theatre Royal Bath) 2007 * ''Pygmalion'' (Shaw, PHCo/Theatre Royal Bath and Old Vic) 2007/8 * ''The Vortex'' (Coward, PHCo/BKL, Windsor, UK tour and West End) 2007/8 * ''Uncle Vanya'' (Chekhov, trans. Mulrine, English Touring Theatre, Rose Kingston and UK tour) 2008 * ''The Portrait of a Lady'' (Henry James, adapted by Frei, PHCo/Theatre Royal Bath and Rose Kingston) 2008 * ''A Doll's House'' (Ibsen, trans. Mulrine, PHCo/Theatre Royal Bath and Rose Kingston) 2008 * ''Love's Labours Lost'' (Shakespeare, Rose Kingston) 2008 * ''The Browning Version'' (Rattigan, PHCo/Theatre Royal Bath and UK tour) 2009 * ''The Apple Cart'' (Shaw, PHCo/Theatre Royal Bath) 2009 * ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' (Shakespeare, PHCo, Rose Kingston) 2010 * ''Bedroom Farce'' (Ayckbourn, PHCo/BKL, Rose Kingston and West End) 2010 * ''The Rivals'' (Sheridan, PHCo/Theatre Royal Bath, UK tour and West End) 2010 * ''Twelfth Night'' (Shakespeare, NT) 2011 * ''Henry IV Parts 1'' and ''2'' (Shakespeare, PHCo/Theatre Royal Bath) 2011


Film and television

Hall published a complete list of his films in his autobiography: * ''Work Is a Four-Letter Word'' (1968) * ''A Midsummer Night's Dream (1968 film), A Midsummer Night's Dream'' (1968) * ''Three into Two Won't Go'' (1969) * ''Perfect Friday'' (1970) * ''The Homecoming (film), The Homecoming'' (1973) * ''Akenfield'' (1974) * ''When Mother Went on Strike'' (1974) * ''Aquarius (UK TV series), Aquarius'' TV (presenter: 1975–1976) * ''She's Been Away'' (BBC Films, 1989: wins two awards at the Venice Film Festival) * ''The Camomile Lawn (TV serial), The Camomile Lawn'' (Channel 4 TV mini-series, 1992) * ''Jacob (film), Jacob'' (TV movie, 1994) * ''Never Talk to Strangers'' (1995) * ''The Final Passage#Television adaptation, The Final Passage'' (Channel 4 TV, 1996)


Books

* ''The Wars of the Roses'' (with John Barton: BBC Books) 1970 * ''John Gabriel Borkman'' (Ibsen, trans. with Inga-Stina Ewbank: Athlone Press) 1975 * ''Peter Hall's Diaries: the Story of a Dramatic Battle'' (ed. John Goodwin (theatre publicist), John Goodwin: Hamish Hamilton) 1983; reissued (Oberon Books) 2000 * ''Animal Farm'' (stage adaptation of George Orwell's novel: Heinemann Press/Methuen) 1986 * ''The Wild Duck'' (
Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...
, trans. with Inga-Stina Ewbank: Absolute Classics) 1990 * ''Making An Exhibition of Myself'' (autobiography: Sinclair-Stevenson Ltd) 1993; updated (Oberon Books) 2000 * ''An Absolute Turkey'' (Georges Feydeau, trans. with Nicki Frei: Oberon Books) 1994 * ''The Master Builder'' (Ibsen, trans. with Inga-Stina Ewbank) 1995 * ''The Necessary Theatre'' (Nick Hern Books) 1990 * ''Exposed by the Mask: Form and Language in Drama'' (Oberon Books) 2000 * ''Shakespeare's Advice to the Players'' (Oberon Books) 2003


References


Further reading

* * *


External links


The Company: A Biographical Dictionary of the RSC: Online database

Peter Hall
at the British Film Institute * * *
Peter Hall
video a
Web of Stories




5 November 1987 (about opera)
Parliament & the Sixties- Peter Hall- 1967 Theatre Censorship – UK Parliament Living Heritage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Peter 1930 births 2017 deaths Military personnel from Bury St Edmunds 20th-century Royal Air Force personnel Royal Air Force airmen Alumni of St Catharine's College, Cambridge British opera directors Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Drama Desk Award winners English atheists English film directors English television directors English theatre directors Knights Bachelor Laurence Olivier Award winners British opera managers People associated with Kingston University People educated at The Perse School People from Bury St Edmunds Tony Award winners People from Great Shelford Deaths from pneumonia in England Shakespearean directors