|
William Shaftoe Robertson
William Shaftoe Robertson (c. 1799–1872) was a British actor and theatre manager. He was the nephew of Fanny Robertson, manager of the Lincoln theatre circuit, and her husband Thomas Shaftoe Robertson. As a young man, he began acting with his family in the Lincoln circuit. After his aunt retired in 1843, he became manager of the eight theatres in the circuit. In the 1850s, he moved his large family to London and became joint manager of the Marylebone Theatre and appeared there on stage. He continued to act in provincial theatres until retiring in 1867. His famous children include T. W. Robertson and Madge Kendal. Early life and career Robertson was born in Stamford, Lincolnshire. He became a lawyer, as a young man, then performed with his family in the eight Lincolnshire and nearby theatres that they managed. His first appearance at the Georgian theatre in Wisbech (later the Angles Theatre), was as Rover in the comedy '' Wild Oats'' opposite his aunt, Fanny Robertson (stage ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thomas William Robertson
Thomas William Robertson (9 January 1829 – 3 February 1871) was an English dramatist and stage director. Born to a theatrical family, Robertson began as an actor, but he was not a success and gave up acting in his late 20s. After earning a modest living writing articles for the press, translating and adapting foreign plays and writing several of his own plays he achieved success in 1865 with his play ''Society (play), Society'', which the actor-manager Marie Wilton presented at a small London theatre, the Scala Theatre, Prince of Wales's. Over the next five years Robertson wrote five more plays for the Prince of Wales's. Their naturalistic style and treatment of contemporary social issues was in strong contrast to the melodramas and exaggerated theatricality to which the public had been accustomed, and Robertson's plays were box-office and critical successes. Robertson supervised their productions and was a pioneer of modern stage directing. Among later theatrical figures inf ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |