Rex Partington
Encyclopedia
Rex Partington was an actor, director and producer. Partington worked in the professional theater in the United States for over fifty years as an actor, production stage manager, director, producer, artistic director and producing director and was active on Broadway as well as professional regional theater. He was instrumental in the establishment of the League of Resident Theatres
and played a vital role in the development of regional theater.
, Partington's initial focus was acting, appearing in leading roles throughout college and then in regional theater. Several seasons of leading roles at the Memphis Arena Theater and the Barter Theater as well as regional tours followed and on December 15, 1954 he made his Broadway debut opposite the great actor/singer Dennis King
in Lunatics and Lovers.
Following Lunatics and Lovers, Partington began dividing his time between acting and stage management. His work as a stage manager brought him opportunities to work with such theatrical luminaries as Thorton Wilder, Moss Hart
, David Merrick
, Jed Harris
, and Tyrone Guthrie
.
After stage managing the original Broadway productions of The Matchmaker
, The First Gentlemen, Child of Fortune, and My Fair Lady
, Partington had the opportunity to work with Orson Welles
, Douglas Campbell and Rod Steiger
, as both an actor and stage manager, in Welles' theatrical adaptation of the Herman Melville
classic, Moby Dick, entitled Moby Dick Rehearsed
. Though not a critical success, Moby Dick Rehearsed is, to this day, considered a great theatrical adaptation and an idiomatic example of Theatrical Minimalism.
In December 1962, Partington was contacted by Tyrone Guthrie and asked to join the newly founded Tyrone Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota
as its first production manager. It was in this capacity that Partington served for the next five years. It was an historic time for American theater and it was during this period that the League Of Resident Theaters was established and saw unprecedented growth.
In 1968, Partington left the Guthrie and established his own theatrical company, Heartland Productions. Based out of the newly opened Southwest Minnesota State College in Marshall, Minnesota
, Heartland Productions was a professional Equity company whose focus was both theatrical classics as well as new dramatic works. Additionally, the company toured throughout the mid-west bringing live professional theater to rural areas. Heartland Productions enjoyed two successful seasons until underwriting was withdrawn and the company was forced to disband.
In 1970, Partington assumed the artistic leadership of the Cleveland Playhouse but that was a short-lived, for early in 1971 friend and colleague Robert Porterfield
, founder of the Barter Theater asked him to come to Virginia and take over artistic responsibilities for the world famous Barter. Porterfield's health was failing and following his death in October 1971, Partington was officially named Producing Artistic Director of the Barter Theater. For the next twenty years, under Partington's leadership, the Barter Theater continued its legacy as America's oldest professional theater.
In 1992, Partington retired as Producing Artistic Director of the Barter Theater and he and his wife, actress Cleo Holladay moved to the Mexican Gulf coastal town of Apalachicola, Florida
. There, Partington purchased and completely renovated the Dixie Theatre, a theater built in 1912. In 1998 the Dixie opened with professional Equity productions of Sylvia and Driving Miss Daisy. Today the Dixie Theatre continues to present as well as produce professional theatrical works, concerts and multi-media presentations. It also has the distinction of being one of the few family owned theaters in the country.
Rex Partington was a longstanding member of both The Players Club and The Lambs Club.
on March 15, 1924. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II as a paratrooper in the historic 101st Airborne Division
. He saw action in Europe and following the end of the war was assigned to General Eisenhower's Elite Guard. He was married to actress Cleo Holladay on September 26, 1953. They had two children.
He died on March 17, 2006, in Panama City, Florida
.
League of Resident Theatres
The League of Resident Theaters is the largest professional theater association of its kind in the United States, with 76 member Theaters located in every major market in the U.S., including 29 states and the District of Columbia...
and played a vital role in the development of regional theater.
Career
A graduate of Syracuse UniversitySyracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
, Partington's initial focus was acting, appearing in leading roles throughout college and then in regional theater. Several seasons of leading roles at the Memphis Arena Theater and the Barter Theater as well as regional tours followed and on December 15, 1954 he made his Broadway debut opposite the great actor/singer Dennis King
Dennis King
Dennis King was an English actor and singer.Born in Coventry as Dennis Pratt, King had a stage career in both drama and musicals. He emigrated to the USA in 1921 and went on to a successful career on the Broadway stage. He appeared in two musical films and played non-singing roles in two other...
in Lunatics and Lovers.
Following Lunatics and Lovers, Partington began dividing his time between acting and stage management. His work as a stage manager brought him opportunities to work with such theatrical luminaries as Thorton Wilder, Moss Hart
Moss Hart
Moss Hart was an American playwright and theatre director, best known for his interpretations of musical theater on Broadway.-Early years:...
, David Merrick
David Merrick
David Merrick was a prolific Tony Award-winning American theatrical producer.-Life and career:Born David Lee Margulois to Jewish parents in St. Louis, Missouri, Merrick graduated from Washington University, then studied law at the Jesuit-run Saint Louis University School of Law...
, Jed Harris
Jed Harris
Jed Harris was a renowned Austrian-American theater producer and director, and writer of film.-Personal history:...
, and 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...
.
After stage managing the original Broadway productions of The Matchmaker
The Matchmaker
The Matchmaker is a play by Thornton Wilder.The play has a long and colorful history. John Oxenford's 1835 one-act farce A Day Well Spent had been extended into a full-length play entitled Einen Jux will er sich machen by Austrian playwright Johann Nestroy in 1842...
, The First Gentlemen, Child of Fortune, and My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe...
, Partington had the opportunity to work with Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
, Douglas Campbell and Rod Steiger
Rod Steiger
Rodney Stephen "Rod" Steiger was an Academy Award-winning American actor known for his performances in such films as On the Waterfront, The Big Knife, Oklahoma!, The Harder They Fall, Across the Bridge, The Pawnbroker, Doctor Zhivago, In the Heat of the Night, and Waterloo as well as the...
, as both an actor and stage manager, in Welles' theatrical adaptation of the Herman Melville
Herman Melville
Herman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. He is best known for his novel Moby-Dick and the posthumous novella Billy Budd....
classic, Moby Dick, entitled Moby Dick Rehearsed
Moby Dick Rehearsed
Moby Dick Rehearsed is the title of a play written and directed by Orson Welles. It was performed in London in 1955. A lost film of the play, directed by Welles, starred the original stage cast....
. Though not a critical success, Moby Dick Rehearsed is, to this day, considered a great theatrical adaptation and an idiomatic example of Theatrical Minimalism.
In December 1962, Partington was contacted by Tyrone Guthrie and asked to join the newly founded Tyrone Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
as its first production manager. It was in this capacity that Partington served for the next five years. It was an historic time for American theater and it was during this period that the League Of Resident Theaters was established and saw unprecedented growth.
In 1968, Partington left the Guthrie and established his own theatrical company, Heartland Productions. Based out of the newly opened Southwest Minnesota State College in Marshall, Minnesota
Marshall, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,735 people, 4,914 households, and 2,914 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,537.0 people per square mile . There were 5,182 housing units at an average density of 625.4 per square mile...
, Heartland Productions was a professional Equity company whose focus was both theatrical classics as well as new dramatic works. Additionally, the company toured throughout the mid-west bringing live professional theater to rural areas. Heartland Productions enjoyed two successful seasons until underwriting was withdrawn and the company was forced to disband.
In 1970, Partington assumed the artistic leadership of the Cleveland Playhouse but that was a short-lived, for early in 1971 friend and colleague Robert Porterfield
Robert Porterfield
Robert Huffard Porterfield, born on December 21, 1905, on the outskirts of Austinville, in Wythe County, VA. He died October 28, 1971, in Abingdon, VA, and was best known for being the founder of "Virginia's World-Famous" Barter Theatre, the state theatre of Virginia.-Family history:Robert...
, founder of the Barter Theater asked him to come to Virginia and take over artistic responsibilities for the world famous Barter. Porterfield's health was failing and following his death in October 1971, Partington was officially named Producing Artistic Director of the Barter Theater. For the next twenty years, under Partington's leadership, the Barter Theater continued its legacy as America's oldest professional theater.
In 1992, Partington retired as Producing Artistic Director of the Barter Theater and he and his wife, actress Cleo Holladay moved to the Mexican Gulf coastal town of Apalachicola, Florida
Apalachicola, Florida
Apalachicola is a city in Franklin County, Florida, on US 98 about southwest of Tallahassee. The population was 2,334 at the 2000 census. The 2005 census estimated the city's population at 2,340...
. There, Partington purchased and completely renovated the Dixie Theatre, a theater built in 1912. In 1998 the Dixie opened with professional Equity productions of Sylvia and Driving Miss Daisy. Today the Dixie Theatre continues to present as well as produce professional theatrical works, concerts and multi-media presentations. It also has the distinction of being one of the few family owned theaters in the country.
Rex Partington was a longstanding member of both The Players Club and The Lambs Club.
Personal life
Partington was born in Newark, New JerseyNewark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
on March 15, 1924. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II as a paratrooper in the historic 101st Airborne Division
101st Airborne Division
The 101st Airborne Division—the "Screaming Eagles"—is a U.S. Army modular light infantry division trained for air assault operations. During World War II, it was renowned for its role in Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, in Normandy, France, Operation Market Garden, the...
. He saw action in Europe and following the end of the war was assigned to General Eisenhower's Elite Guard. He was married to actress Cleo Holladay on September 26, 1953. They had two children.
He died on March 17, 2006, in Panama City, Florida
Panama City, Florida
-Personal income:The median income for a household in the city was $31,572, and the median income for a family was $40,890. Males had a median income of $30,401 versus $21,431 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,830...
.