Lilian Baylis
Encyclopedia
Lilian Mary Baylis
CH
(9 May 1874 – 25 November 1937) was an English
theatrical producer
and manager. She managed the Old Vic
and Sadler's Wells theatres in London, and ran an opera company, which became the English National Opera
(ENO), a theatre company, which evolved into the English National Theatre
, and a ballet company, which eventually became the English Royal Ballet.
Lilian Baylis was born in London
, England
. Her education was mainly in music, and she began performing and teaching music at an early age. The Baylis family ran a concert party which performed with some success under the name of The Gypsy Revellers and, as a young teenager, Lilian Baylis sometimes played several Gypsy Revellers engagements in one night. The other major influence in Baylis’s life was social housing; Baylis’s aunt, Emma Cons
was an associate of Octavia Hill
and worked energetically to improve the quality of life for those living in London’s slums.
In 1891, Baylis’s family emigrated to South Africa
when The Gypsy Revellers were offered a long term contract there. They toured for some time but eventually settled in Johannesburg
where Baylis earned a good living as a music and dance teacher. In 1898, Baylis returned to London from South Africa as she was ill, and her intended return to South Africa was delayed by the outbreak of the Boer War
. Whilst living in London Baylis assisted Emma Cons in running The Royal Victoria Hall and Coffee Tavern
near Waterloo Station
, and Baylis gradually took on more management duties running concerts, film shows, lecture programmes and variety shows. Eventually she decided to stay in England and, following Cons's death in 1912, Baylis had complete managerial control of the theatre, known by then as the "Old Vic", until her death.
One of her most significant achievements at the Old Vic was to produce a full cycle of Shakespeare's plays, starting with The Taming of the Shrew
in 1914 to Troilus and Cressida
in 1923.
In 1925, Baylis began a campaign to re-open the derelict Sadler's Wells Theatre, something she finally achieved with a gala opening, on the 6th of January 1931, of a production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night starring John Gielgud
as Malvolio and Ralph Richardson
as Toby Belch. For the first few years the opera, drama and ballet companies, known as the "Vic-Wells" companies, rotated between the two theatres, but by 1935 the ballet and opera companies were based at Sadler's Wells and the drama company at the Old Vic.
In 1928, Baylis engaged Ninette de Valois
, under whose direction British classical ballet really developed at Sadler's Wells. Here de Valois nurtured the careers of dancers such as Margot Fonteyn
and Robert Helpmann
, and her productions of classical work often featured guest appearances from Alicia Markova
and Anton Dolin
. Musical direction was by Constant Lambert
, and choreography for new works by de Valois and rising star Frederick Ashton
. The ballet company’s descendants today are the Royal Ballet and the Birmingham
Royal Ballet.
The Drama company also nurtured the careers of stars – Laurence Olivier
, John Gielgud
, Peggy Ashcroft
, Sybil Thorndike
, Edith Evans
, Alec Guinness
, Michael Redgrave
, Maurice Evans
, Ralph Richardson
- and became famous for stylish productions under the artistic directorship of Tyrone Guthrie
during the 1930s. In 1937 Guthrie’s production of Hamlet
played at Elsinore
/Helsingør in Denmark
, with Olivier in the title role, and Vivien Leigh
as Ophelia
.
One of Baylis' greatest achievements was Gielgud's
first performance as Hamlet
in 1930, which became the first Old Vic production to be transferred to the West End
for a run. She also scored a casting coup by featuring Charles Laughton
at the theatre in 1933 after he had become a worldwide name in the film The Private Life of Henry VIII
. To exploit the audiences' interest in the film, she cast Laughton
as Shakespeare's Henry VIII
.
A strong, and occasionally somewhat eccentric, personality she reputedly once told an actress that her wig was unsatisfactory and would have to go back to Berts, the wigmaker.
‘But, Miss Baylis‘, protested the actress, ‘this is my own hair’.
‘I don’t care. It will have to go back to Berts.’
Another famous quip, according to her niece Marie Baylis, begins with Laurence Olivier coming into her office to request a raise (as his demand grew he received many offers from competing companies), he enjoyed working with her but also wanted more money. A very religious woman, Lilian told Olivier that she would pray about it and get back to him tomorrow. The next day Olivier came into her office again and Lilian turned to him from her desk and said, "Sorry Larry, God said No."
Baylis was awarded an honorary Master’s degree from Oxford University in 1924, only the second such honour to be given to a woman by the university. In 1929, she was made a Companion of Honour
(CH) for service to the nation. In 1934 Birmingham University awarded Baylis an honorary doctorate.
After a long illness, Baylis died of a heart attack on 25 November 1937 aged 63, the night before the Old Vic was to open a production of Macbeth
starring Olivier and Judith Anderson
. She was cremated at East London Cemetery
and Crematorium, where her ashes were scattered at her own request. There is no memorial.
The current Sadler's Wells theatre contains a 200-seat theatre named after her and the National Theatre has a Lilian Baylis terrace. The upper circle in the Old Vic is called the Lilian Baylis Circle. A building in West Hampstead used by ENO for rehearsals and production wardrobe, is called Lilian Baylis House. In Vauxhall
the Lillian Baylis secondary school (now a community centre) is also named in her honour. There is a Lilian Baylis rose
, and the Royal Victoria Hall Foundation administers the annual Lilian Baylis awards for promising acting students. A street alongside Waterloo Station is named Baylis Street.
Pete Townshend
asserted that it was an old photograph of Lilian Baylis that inspired the song Pictures of Lily
by the English pop group The Who
.
CH
Order of the Companions of Honour
The Order of the Companions of Honour is an order of the Commonwealth realms. It was founded by King George V in June 1917, as a reward for outstanding achievements in the arts, literature, music, science, politics, industry or religion....
(9 May 1874 – 25 November 1937) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
theatrical producer
Theatrical producer
A theatrical producer is the person ultimately responsible for overseeing all aspects of mounting a theatre production. The independent producer will usually be the originator and finder of the script and starts the whole process...
and manager. She managed the Old Vic
Old Vic
The Old Vic is a theatre located just south-east of Waterloo Station in London on the corner of The Cut and Waterloo Road. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, it was taken over by Emma Cons in 1880 when it was known formally as the Royal Victoria Hall. In 1898, a niece of Cons, Lilian...
and Sadler's Wells theatres in London, and ran an opera company, which became the English National Opera
English National Opera
English National Opera is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St. Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden...
(ENO), a theatre company, which evolved into the English National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
, and a ballet company, which eventually became the English Royal Ballet.
Lilian Baylis was born in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Her education was mainly in music, and she began performing and teaching music at an early age. The Baylis family ran a concert party which performed with some success under the name of The Gypsy Revellers and, as a young teenager, Lilian Baylis sometimes played several Gypsy Revellers engagements in one night. The other major influence in Baylis’s life was social housing; Baylis’s aunt, Emma Cons
Emma Cons
Emma Cons was a British social reformer, educationalist and theatre manager.-Early life:Born in St. Pancras London, she trained as an artist and joined the Ladies' Co-operative Art Guild, London, run by Caroline Hill, mother of the future housing reformer and founder of the National Trust, Octavia...
was an associate of Octavia Hill
Octavia Hill
Octavia Hill was an English social reformer, whose main concern was the welfare of the inhabitants of cities, especially London, in the second half of the nineteenth century. Born into a family with a strong commitment to alleviating poverty, she herself grew up in straitened circumstances owing...
and worked energetically to improve the quality of life for those living in London’s slums.
In 1891, Baylis’s family emigrated to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
when The Gypsy Revellers were offered a long term contract there. They toured for some time but eventually settled in Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
where Baylis earned a good living as a music and dance teacher. In 1898, Baylis returned to London from South Africa as she was ill, and her intended return to South Africa was delayed by the outbreak of the Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
. Whilst living in London Baylis assisted Emma Cons in running The Royal Victoria Hall and Coffee Tavern
Old Vic
The Old Vic is a theatre located just south-east of Waterloo Station in London on the corner of The Cut and Waterloo Road. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, it was taken over by Emma Cons in 1880 when it was known formally as the Royal Victoria Hall. In 1898, a niece of Cons, Lilian...
near Waterloo Station
Waterloo station
Waterloo station, also known as London Waterloo, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. The station is owned and operated by Network Rail and is close to the South Bank of the River Thames, and in Travelcard Zone 1....
, and Baylis gradually took on more management duties running concerts, film shows, lecture programmes and variety shows. Eventually she decided to stay in England and, following Cons's death in 1912, Baylis had complete managerial control of the theatre, known by then as the "Old Vic", until her death.
One of her most significant achievements at the Old Vic was to produce a full cycle of Shakespeare's plays, starting with The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1591.The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the Induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken tinker named Sly into believing he is actually a nobleman himself...
in 1914 to Troilus and Cressida
Troilus and Cressida
Troilus and Cressida is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1602. It was also described by Frederick S. Boas as one of Shakespeare's problem plays. The play ends on a very bleak note with the death of the noble Trojan Hector and destruction of the love between Troilus...
in 1923.
John Gielgud
Sir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH was an English actor, director, and producer. A descendant of the renowned Terry acting family, he achieved early international acclaim for his youthful, emotionally expressive Hamlet which broke box office records on Broadway in 1937...
as Malvolio and Ralph Richardson
Ralph Richardson
Sir Ralph David Richardson was an English actor, one of a group of theatrical knights of the mid-20th century who, though more closely associated with the stage, also appeared in several classic films....
as Toby Belch. For the first few years the opera, drama and ballet companies, known as the "Vic-Wells" companies, rotated between the two theatres, but by 1935 the ballet and opera companies were based at Sadler's Wells and the drama company at the Old Vic.
In 1928, Baylis engaged Ninette de Valois
Ninette de Valois
Dame Ninette de Valois, OM, CH, DBE, FRAD, FISTD was an Irish-born British dancer, teacher, choreographer and director of classical ballet...
, under whose direction British classical ballet really developed at Sadler's Wells. Here de Valois nurtured the careers of dancers such as Margot Fonteyn
Margot Fonteyn
Dame Margot Fonteyn de Arias, DBE , was an English ballerina of the 20th century. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest classical ballet dancers of all time...
and Robert Helpmann
Robert Helpmann
Sir Robert Helpmann CBE was an Australian dancer, actor, theatre director and choreographer.-Early years:He was born Robert Murray Helpman in Mount Gambier, South Australia and also boarded at Prince Alfred College in Adelaide. From childhood, Helpman had a strong desire to be a dancer...
, and her productions of classical work often featured guest appearances from Alicia Markova
Alicia Markova
Dame Alicia Markova, DBE, DMus, was an English ballerina and a choreographer, director and teacher of classical ballet. Most noted for her career with Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and touring internationally, she was widely considered to be one of the greatest classical ballet dancers of the...
and Anton Dolin
Anton Dolin
Sir Anton Dolin was an English ballet dancer and choreographer.Dolin was born in Slinfold in Sussex as Sydney Francis Patrick Chippendall Healey-Kay but was generally known as Patrick Kay. He joined Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes in 1921, was a principal there from 1924, and was a principal...
. Musical direction was by Constant Lambert
Constant Lambert
Leonard Constant Lambert was a British composer and conductor.-Early life:Lambert, the son of Russian-born Australian painter George Lambert, was educated at Christ's Hospital and the Royal College of Music...
, and choreography for new works by de Valois and rising star Frederick Ashton
Frederick Ashton
Sir Frederick William Mallandaine Ashton OM, CH, CBE was a leading international dancer and choreographer. He is most noted as the founder choreographer of The Royal Ballet in London, but also worked as a director and choreographer of opera, film and theatre revues.-Early life:Ashton was born at...
. The ballet company’s descendants today are the Royal Ballet and the Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
Royal Ballet.
The Drama company also nurtured the careers of stars – Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
, John Gielgud
John Gielgud
Sir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH was an English actor, director, and producer. A descendant of the renowned Terry acting family, he achieved early international acclaim for his youthful, emotionally expressive Hamlet which broke box office records on Broadway in 1937...
, Peggy Ashcroft
Peggy Ashcroft
Dame Peggy Ashcroft, DBE was an English actress.-Early years:Born as Edith Margaret Emily Ashcroft in Croydon, Ashcroft attended the Woodford School, Croydon and the Central School of Speech and Drama...
, Sybil Thorndike
Sybil Thorndike
Dame Agnes Sybil Thorndike CH DBE was a British actress.-Early life:She was born in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire to Arthur Thorndike and Agnes Macdonald. Her father was a Canon of Rochester Cathedral...
, Edith Evans
Edith Evans
Dame Edith Mary Evans, DBE was a British actress. She was known for her work on the British stage. She also appeared in a number of films, for which she received three Academy Award nominations, plus a BAFTA and a Golden Globe award.Evans was particularly effective at portraying haughty...
, Alec Guinness
Alec Guinness
Sir Alec Guinness, CH, CBE was an English actor. He was featured in several of the Ealing Comedies, including Kind Hearts and Coronets in which he played eight different characters. He later won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Colonel Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai...
, Michael Redgrave
Michael Redgrave
Sir Michael Scudamore Redgrave, CBE was an English stage and film actor, director, manager and author.-Youth and education:...
, Maurice Evans
Maurice Evans (actor)
Maurice Herbert Evans was an English actor noted for his interpretations of Shakespearean characters. In terms of his screen roles, he is probably best known as Dr...
, Ralph Richardson
Ralph Richardson
Sir Ralph David Richardson was an English actor, one of a group of theatrical knights of the mid-20th century who, though more closely associated with the stage, also appeared in several classic films....
- and became famous for stylish productions under the artistic directorship of Tyrone Guthrie
Tyrone Guthrie
Sir William Tyrone Guthrie was an English theatrical director instrumental in the founding of the Stratford Festival of Canada, the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota and the Tyrone Guthrie Centre, at his family's home, Annaghmakerrig, in County Monaghan, Ireland.-Life and career:Guthrie...
during the 1930s. In 1937 Guthrie’s production of Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
played at Elsinore
Elsinore
Helsingør is a city and the municipal seat of Helsingør municipality on the northeast coast of the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark. Helsingør has a population of 46,279 including the southern suburbs of Snekkersten and Espergærde...
/Helsingør in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, with Olivier in the title role, and Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh, Lady Olivier was an English actress. She won the Best Actress Academy Award for her portrayal of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire , a role she also played on stage in London's West End, as well as for her portrayal of the southern belle Scarlett O'Hara, alongside Clark...
as Ophelia
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
.
One of Baylis' greatest achievements was Gielgud's
John Gielgud
Sir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH was an English actor, director, and producer. A descendant of the renowned Terry acting family, he achieved early international acclaim for his youthful, emotionally expressive Hamlet which broke box office records on Broadway in 1937...
first performance as Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
in 1930, which became the first Old Vic production to be transferred to the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
for a run. She also scored a casting coup by featuring Charles Laughton
Charles Laughton
Charles Laughton was an English-American stage and film actor, screenwriter, producer and director.-Early life and career:...
at the theatre in 1933 after he had become a worldwide name in the film The Private Life of Henry VIII
The Private Life of Henry VIII
The Private Life of Henry VIII is a 1933 film about Henry VIII, King of England. It was written by Lajos Biró and Arthur Wimperis, and directed by Sir Alexander Korda.Charles Laughton won the 1933 Academy Award as Best Actor for his performance as Henry...
. To exploit the audiences' interest in the film, she cast Laughton
Charles Laughton
Charles Laughton was an English-American stage and film actor, screenwriter, producer and director.-Early life and career:...
as Shakespeare's Henry VIII
Henry VIII (play)
The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight is a history play by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher, based on the life of Henry VIII of England. An alternative title, All is True, is recorded in contemporary documents, the title Henry VIII not appearing until the play's publication...
.
A strong, and occasionally somewhat eccentric, personality she reputedly once told an actress that her wig was unsatisfactory and would have to go back to Berts, the wigmaker.
‘But, Miss Baylis‘, protested the actress, ‘this is my own hair’.
‘I don’t care. It will have to go back to Berts.’
Another famous quip, according to her niece Marie Baylis, begins with Laurence Olivier coming into her office to request a raise (as his demand grew he received many offers from competing companies), he enjoyed working with her but also wanted more money. A very religious woman, Lilian told Olivier that she would pray about it and get back to him tomorrow. The next day Olivier came into her office again and Lilian turned to him from her desk and said, "Sorry Larry, God said No."
Baylis was awarded an honorary Master’s degree from Oxford University in 1924, only the second such honour to be given to a woman by the university. In 1929, she was made a Companion of Honour
Order of the Companions of Honour
The Order of the Companions of Honour is an order of the Commonwealth realms. It was founded by King George V in June 1917, as a reward for outstanding achievements in the arts, literature, music, science, politics, industry or religion....
(CH) for service to the nation. In 1934 Birmingham University awarded Baylis an honorary doctorate.
After a long illness, Baylis died of a heart attack on 25 November 1937 aged 63, the night before the Old Vic was to open a production of Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
starring Olivier and Judith Anderson
Judith Anderson
Dame Judith Anderson, AC, DBE was an Australian-born American-based actress of stage, film and television. She won two Emmy Awards and a Tony Award and was also nominated for a Grammy Award and an Academy Award.-Early life:...
. She was cremated at East London Cemetery
East London Cemetery
The East London Cemetery and Crematorium are located in Plaistow in the London Borough of Newham. It is owned and operated by the East London Cemetery Company.-History:...
and Crematorium, where her ashes were scattered at her own request. There is no memorial.
Influence
In 1985, English National Opera created an education and outreach department, naming it the Baylis Programme called in Lilian Baylis's honour. The Baylis Programme (now called eno baylis) was led for ten years by its founder directors Rebecca Meitlis and David Sulkin. Subsequent directors included Steve Moffitt and Alice King-Farlow. In the Lilian Baylis tradition the work of ENO Baylis focusses on those who are new to opera. It involves around 12,000 people every year in a wide range of projects, events, courses and performances, with a goal of developing creative responses to opera and music theatre; making new work with communities and exploring individual creativity as a means of providing access to ENO's productions; and encouraging learning and development through participation of artists and collaboration of resources.The current Sadler's Wells theatre contains a 200-seat theatre named after her and the National Theatre has a Lilian Baylis terrace. The upper circle in the Old Vic is called the Lilian Baylis Circle. A building in West Hampstead used by ENO for rehearsals and production wardrobe, is called Lilian Baylis House. In Vauxhall
Vauxhall
-Demography:Many Vauxhall residents live in social housing. There are several gentrified areas, and areas of terraced townhouses on streets such as Fentiman Road and Heyford Avenue have higher property values in the private market, however by far the most common type of housing stock within...
the Lillian Baylis secondary school (now a community centre) is also named in her honour. There is a Lilian Baylis rose
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
, and the Royal Victoria Hall Foundation administers the annual Lilian Baylis awards for promising acting students. A street alongside Waterloo Station is named Baylis Street.
Pete Townshend
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
asserted that it was an old photograph of Lilian Baylis that inspired the song Pictures of Lily
Pictures of Lily
"Pictures of Lily" is a single by the British rock band The Who, written by guitarist and primary songwriter Pete Townshend. It was released in 1967 as a single, and made the top five in the UK, but failed to break into the top 50 in the United States....
by the English pop group The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
.
External links
- Sadler's Wells biography
- Lilian Baylis Theatre
- Lilian Baylis School, Kennington
- Lilian Baylis Technology School, Kennington
- Morton Place, Lambeth (home)
- Lilian Baylis archive at the University of Bristol Theatre Collection, University of BristolUniversity of BristolThe University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
- Old Vic archive at the University of Bristol Theatre Collection, University of BristolUniversity of BristolThe University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...