Wal Cherry
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Walter John Cherry (10 May 1932 – 7 March 1986) was an Australian theatre director, producer, and manager. He was also an academic, playwright, and drama scholar. He was Foundation Chair of Drama at
Flinders University Flinders University, established as The Flinders University of South Australia is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia, with a footprint extending across a number of locations in South Australia and ...
in
Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
from 1967 until around 1980, and also held other positions at the university. Over his career, he directed over 86 performances; wrote a novel and two plays; collaborated on film scripts; published articles and delivered papers in Australia and the United States; and served on many committees.


Early life and education

Walter John Cherry was born on 10 May 1932 in
Ballarat, Victoria Ballarat ( ) () is a city in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Australian census, 2021 census, Ballarat had a population of 111,973, making it the third-largest urban inland city in Australi ...
to Victorian parents Walter Joseph Cherry, a commercial artist, and Vera White. He attended St. Patricks College in Ballarat, and Geelong High School. He started studying at the
University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...
in 1951, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1954. He was active in student theatre at the university.


Career

In 1956 Cherry became director of the
Union Theatre Repertory Company The Melbourne Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1953 as the Union Theatre Repertory Company at the Union Theatre at the University of Melbourne, it is the oldest professional theatre com ...
(later Melbourne Theatre Company), where he showcased plays by
Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...
as well as contemporary British and American playwrights. After undertaking a European study tour in 1957, Cherry resigned from Union Theatre in 1959 and established his own theatre workshop and actors' studio. Cherry adapted Dorothy Blewett's play '' The First Joanna'' for
ABC Television ABC Television most commonly refers to: *ABC Television Network of the American Broadcasting Company, United States, or *ABC Television (Australian TV network), a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia ABC Television or ABC ...
, which featured
Norman Kaye Norman James Kaye (17 January 1927 – 28 May 2007) was an Australian actor. He was best known for his roles in the films of director Paul Cox. Early life and education Kaye was born into a tough childhood in Depression Era Melbourne, as one ...
in the lead role and aired in 1961. As the co-founder and director of the Emerald Hill Theatre Company in
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
,
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...
in 1962, Cherry gained a reputation in the early 1960s for innovative programming and bold productions, particularly of Australian plays. Along with George Whaley, he experimented with different acting forms and approaches to theatre, After encountering financial difficulties, the company closed in 1966; however it had inspired a "new wave" of Australian theatre, which grew in
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
and Melbourne from the late 1960s. In 1967, Cherry was appointed to the Foundation Chair of Drama at the recently created
Flinders University Flinders University, established as The Flinders University of South Australia is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia, with a footprint extending across a number of locations in South Australia and ...
in
Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
,
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
. He also chaired the school of language and literature (which became the school of humanities) from 1968 to 1970, and the theatre management committee in from 1968 until 1978, and was dean of University Hall (
hall of residence A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm), also known as a hall of residence, a residence hall (often abbreviated to halls), or a hostel, is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential qu ...
) in from 1970 to 1974. Flinders Drama Centre now has an international reputation, with many successful actors, directors, and playwrights among its alumni of the centre. While at Flinders, Cherry continued his contribution to professional Australian theatre off-campus. He was a key member of the board of the nascent South Australian Theatre Company (later State Theatre Company of South Australia). In that position, he drove significant changes in the direction of the company, but his objective of a continuing close link between the SATC and the Flinders Drama Department was never realised. He also continued to direct for various companies, including a notable production of
Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary criticism, literary critic, considered a leading figure in 20th ...
's ''Kean'' for the SATC in 1970. On-campus, in 1971-2 he wrote and directed a play, ''Horrie's Alibi'', with a student cast augmented by a number of professional actors. This production also toured Israel, playing at a number of
kibbutz A kibbutz ( / , ; : kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1910, was Degania Alef, Degania. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economi ...
im as a cultural exchange under the auspices of the Israeli Government. In 1980, Cherry took up an appointment as chairman of the Theater Department and Professor of Theater at
Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...
,
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
. In 1985, he was appointed as associate director of the Boston Shakespeare Company. Cherry directed at least 86 performances of various types; wrote a novel and two plays; collaborated on film scripts; published articles and delivered papers in Australia and the United States; and served on over 30 committees.


Recognition and awards

Cherry won the 1958 and 1961
Erik Award The Erik Kuttner Award, known as the Erik Award, was an annual drama critics' award for professional theatre in Melbourne, Australia. Established in 1955, the award had categories for actors, actresses, producers (directors) and designers. It opera ...
s in Melbourne and the 1959 Western Australian General Motors Holden award for best production. He travelled to the US on Fulbright fellowships in 1972 and 1976, and to Japan on a fellowship from the Cultural and Social Centre for the Asia-Pacific Region in 1973.


Personal life

Cherry married Marcelle Lynette (Peg) Mathieson, a schoolteacher, in 1956 in Geelong. They have two daughters.


Death and legacy

Cherry died in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
, Massachusetts in March 1986, aged 53, of ischemic heart disease. In his memory, the Play of the Year Award for Best Unproduced Play was established by the
Victorian Arts Centre Arts Centre Melbourne, originally known as the Victorian Arts Centre and briefly called the Arts Centre, is a performing arts centre consisting of a complex of theatres and concert halls in the Melbourne Arts Precinct, located in the central M ...
in 1989.
Flinders University Flinders University, established as The Flinders University of South Australia is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia, with a footprint extending across a number of locations in South Australia and ...
holds a biennial Wal Cherry Lecture. In 2024, Scott Hicks' 1982 documentary film about the 11th
Adelaide Festival of the Arts The Adelaide Festival of Arts, also known as the Adelaide Festival, an arts festival, takes place in the South Australian capital of Adelaide in March each year. Started in 1960, it is a major celebration of the arts and a significant cultural ...
under artistic director,
Jim Sharman James David Sharman (born 12 March 1945) is an Australian director and writer for film and stage with more than 70 productions to his credit. He is renowned in Australia for his work as a theatre director since the 1960s, and is best known in ...
, titled ''The Hall of Mirrors: A Festival'', was screened at the Space Theatre in the
Adelaide Festival Centre Adelaide Festival Centre, Australia's first capital city multi-purpose arts centre and the home of South Australia's performing arts, was built in the early 1970s and designed by Hassell (architecture firm), Hassell Architects. The Festival The ...
, followed by a conversation with the two men. In 2024, the lecture was presented by the Assemblage Centre for Creative Arts at Flinders, in partnership with the
Helpmann Academy The Helpmann Academy is an organisation that provides support emerging artists in the performing and visual arts, located in Adelaide, South Australia. It is named in honour of Sir Robert Helpmann, a famous Australian dancer. History The Helpma ...
and the Don Dunstan Foundation.


Selected works

*''
Martine Martine is a feminine given name and a surname. Given name * Martine Aubry (born 1950), French politician * Martine Audet (born 1961), Canadian poet * Martine Aurillac (born 1939), French politician * Martine Baay-Timmerman (born 1958), Dutch ...
'' (1961) *''
Waters of the Moon ''Waters of the Moon'' is a 1951 stage play by N. C. Hunter which originally ran for two years at the Theatre Royal Haymarket from 1951 to 1953. It was adapted into a 1961 TV play broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. This versio ...
'' (1961) *'' The First Joanna'' (1961 screenplay)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cherry, Wal 1932 births 1986 deaths Australian theatre directors