Richard Condon (born 1937 in

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

– died 1991 in

County Mayo County Mayo (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, County Mayo, Mayo, now ge ...

), was an

impresario An impresario (from Italian ''impresa'', 'an enterprise or undertaking') is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, Play (theatre), plays, or operas, performing a role in stage arts that is similar to that of a film producer, film or ...

and theatre manager. Condon, affectionately known as ''Dick'' was made theatre manager of the

Theatre Royal, Norwich The Theatre Royal is a theatre in Norwich, England. It is one of the country's oldest established theatres, founded in 1758. It was rebuilt in 1801 and 1826. It burnt down in 1934 and was bombed during World War II. Peter Wilson ran the theat ...

in 1972. During his tenure, the genial

Irishman The Irish ( or ''Na hÉireannaigh'') are an ethnic group and nation native to the island of Ireland, who share a common ancestry, history and culture. There have been humans in Ireland for about 33,000 years, and it has been continually inhab ...

transformed the theatre into one of the most popular in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. On leaving the theatre after a funding dispute, he formed a partnership with the

Pavilion Theatre, Cromer Pier The Pavilion Theatre is located on Cromer Pier in Cromer, Norfolk. Originally a bandstand when the pier opened, it was converted into an enclosed pavilion in 1905. History The pier as it is known today was opened in 1901. To celebrate its off ...

and helped to produce the ever-popular ''Seaside Special''. In 1987, he was appointed general manager of the revived

D'Oyly Carte Opera Company The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company is a professional British light opera company that, from the 1870s until 1982, staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere. The ...

, helping to restart the company in 1988. After his death the

Eastern Daily Press The ''Eastern Daily Press'' (''EDP'') is a regional newspaper covering Norfolk, northern parts of 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 ...

wrote that he was among the "best known and assuredly best loved figures in Norfolk"Skipper, Keith. ''More Norfolk Connections'' Poppyland (1992)

References

External links

Spooky Norfolk
1937 births 1991 deaths Businesspeople from Belfast Impresarios {{theat-bio-stub