Beryl Annear Bryant (1893 – 31 May 1973) was an Australian stage actress and theatrical producer born in America who was active in the 1930s and 1940s. She was responsible for first bringing the plays of

Patrick White Patrick Victor Martindale White (28 May 1912 – 30 September 1990) was a British-born Australian writer who published 12 novels, three short-story collections, and eight plays, from 1935 to 1987. White's fiction employs humour, florid prose, ...

to the stage. Her career had many parallels with that of

Doris Fitton Dame Doris Alice Lucy Walkden Fitton, (3 November 18972 April 1985) was an Australian actress of stage and film and theatrical director and producer who founded and for 35 years headed The Independent Theatre Ltd. in Sydney, New South Wales. ...

and her

Independent Theatre Independent Theatre, formerly known as The Independent Theatre Ltd., was an Australian dramatic society founded in 1930 by Dame Doris Fitton in Sydney, Australia. It is also the name given to the building it occupied from 1939 (then known as the ...

Biography

Bryant's mother, Elizabeth Anne Bryant (née Annear), was an Australian actress whose brother was the architect

Harold Desbrowe Annear Harold Desbrowe-Annear (16 August 1865 – 22 June 1933) was an influential Australian architect who was at the forefront of the development of the Arts and Crafts movement in the country. During the 1890s he was an instructor in architecture a ...

.Radi, Heather "Beryl Annear Bryant" Australian Dictionary of Biography online
/ref> Her father George Edwin Bryant (1865– 26 November 1943), (who was to prove an invaluable aid to his daughter throughout her "Bryant's Playhouse" period) was an actor born in England. He began his career in Australia around 1885 in a Brough–

Boucicault Dionysius Lardner "Dion" Boucicault (né Boursiquot; 26 December 1820 – 18 September 1890) was an Irish actor and playwright famed for his melodramas. By the later part of the 19th century, Boucicault had become known on both sides of the ...

production playing a policeman. He and his wife Elizabeth left for America in 1890, working in productions for

Daniel Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength" ...

and

Charles Frohman Charles Frohman (July 15, 1856 – May 7, 1915) was an American theater manager and producer, who discovered and promoted many stars of the American stage. Notably, he produced ''Peter Pan'', both in London and the US, the latter production ...

David Belasco David Belasco (July 25, 1853 – May 14, 1931) was an American theatrical producer, impresario, director, and playwright. He was the first writer to adapt the short story ''Madame Butterfly'' for the stage. He launched the theatrical career of m ...

and the

Kyrle Bellew Harold Kyrle Money Bellew (28 March 1850 – 2 November 1911) was an English stage and silent film actor. He notably toured with Cora Brown-Potter in the 1880s and 1890s, and was cast as the leading man in many stage productions alongside ...

–

Mrs Brown-Potter Mary Cora Urquhart or Cora Brown–Potter (May 15, 1857 – February 12, 1936) was an American actress who found success in London. Formerly a member of ''The Four Hundred (Gilded Age), The Four Hundred'' in New York'','' she was one of the first ...

partnership. He and Beryl toured the US with

E. H. Sothern Edward Hugh Sothern (December 6, 1859 – October 28, 1933) was an American actor who specialized in dashing, romantic leading roles and particularly in Shakespeare roles. Biography Sothern was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of English ...

and played in the New York production of '' The College Widow''. He returned to Australia for a J. C. Williamson production of '' The Squaw Man''. and '' The Virginian''. He worked for

Muriel Starr Muriel Starr (20 February 1888 – 19 April 1950) was a Canadian stage actress. She was particularly popular in Australia in the 1910s and 1920s. She appeared in one film, ''Within the Law (1916 film), Within the Law'' (1916), an adaptation of ...

and

Gregan McMahon Gregan McMahon, CBE (2 March 1874 – 30 August 1941)Allan Ashbolt,McMahon, Gregan (1874–1941), Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 10, MUP, 1986, pp 336–337. Retrieved 2 October 2009 was an Australian actor and theatrical director ...

, when he notably played the part of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

. By this time they had decided to settle in Australia, purchasing a farm in

Lilydale, Victoria Lilydale is a town and outer suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 34 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district, located within the Shire of Yarra Ranges local government area. Lilydale recorded a population of 17,348 at ...

. She attended the Church of England Girls Grammar School in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Acting

Bryant joined J. C. Williamson's Criterion Company in 1917, playing in ''The Outcast'', produced by Hugh J. Ward, followed by ''

L'Aiglon ''L'Aiglon'' is a play in six acts by Edmond Rostand based on the life of Napoleon II, who was the son of Emperor Napoleon I and his second wife, Empress Marie Louise. The title of the play comes from a nickname for Napoleon II, the French wor ...

'', ''

The Rainbow ''The Rainbow'' is a novel by British author D. H. Lawrence, first published by Methuen & Co. in 1915. It follows three generations of the Brangwen family living in Nottinghamshire, focusing particularly on the individual's struggle to growth ...

'', ''Cheating Cheaters'', ''Daddy Long Legs'', ''Romance'', ''A Tailor-Made Man'', ''Nothing But the Truth'', ''Seven Keys to Baldpate'', '' Tilly of Bloomsbury'', ''The Silent Witness'', ''The Blindness of Virtue'', ''His Lady Friends'', ''Adam and Eva'', all with favourable notices. By 1923 when she retired to start her family, she was playing lead in ''The Faithful Heart''. From this time her stage acting was confined to amateur productions with her own company (as detailed below) until 1941 when she played Calpurnia in Arthur Greenaways production of ''Julius Caesar''.

Production

Bryant's own company had its origins when she took on students for elocution and stagecraft then mounted modest plays. By 1931 she was producing plays at The Savoy theatre for charitable causes. She soon, with assistance of her father, took over the tiny Community Theatre in Forbes Street,

Darlinghurst Darlinghurst is an inner-city, eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Darlinghurst is located immediately east of the Sydney central business district (CBD) and Hyde Park, within the local government area of the City of Sydney. I ...

from Carrie Tennant. The Bryant Playhouse, as they renamed it, near Kings Cross was the crypt of a church with two just dressing rooms and audience capacity of only 90. The ethics she imbued in her pupils were that there were no "stars", only members, and each was expected to pass through a sort of apprenticeship which could include anything from program selling to scene shifting. In July 1942 she was forced to vacate the Forbes Street premises so moved to the "Little Theatre" at 5

Phillip Street Phillip Street is a street in the central business district of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. While the street runs from King Street in the south to Circular Quay in the north, the present street is effectively in two sections, sepa ...

(near

Circular Quay Circular Quay is a harbour, former working port and now international passenger shipping port, public piazza and tourism precinct, heritage area, and transport node located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on the northern edge of the Syd ...

), which she renamed "Bryant's Playhouse". ''Fanny's First Play'' was the first production in the new venue. Without Beryl's guiding force, the company lost direction and ''She Stoops to Conquer'' was its last production. The theatre was then used by the Reiby Players, the Naval Dramatic Society, the Kuring-gai Theatre Guild, then the "Radio Players" (whose members included

Muriel Steinbeck Muriel Myee Steinbeck (21 July 1913 – 20 July 1982) was an Australian actress who worked extensively in radio, theatre, television and film. She is best known for her performance as the wife of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith in '' Smithy'' (1946) ...

Atholl Fleming Atholl Fleming MBE (6 December 1894 – 6 May 1972) was a British actor and an Australian radio personality. Early life He was the third of nine children of the Rev R. S. Fleming, a Scottish Baptist minister of Pitlochry and later Beckenham in ...

and

Leonard Thiele Leonard George Thiele Officer of the Order of Australia, AO (26 September 192214 May 1994), professionally Leonard Teale, was a well-known Australian actor of radio, television and film and radio announcer, presenter and narrator known for his ...

) until 1947, when it was acquired by

Peter Finch Frederick George Peter Ingle Finch (28 September 191614 January 1977) was an English-Australian actor of theatre, film and radio. Born in London, he emigrated to Australia as a teenager and was raised in Sydney, where he worked in vaudeville ...

's Mercury Theatre School. *10 Dec 1932 ''Sweet Lavender'' *''Sister Beatrice'' *4 Feb 1933 ''Why?'' *11 Mar 1933 ''The Cloud that Lifted'' *17 May 1933 '' The Enchanted Cottage'' *22 Jul 1933 ''Uncle Anyhow'' *14 Oct 1933 ''The Tears of the Virgin'' *11 Nov 1933 ''Carlyon's Secret'' (by

Gilbert Murray George Gilbert Aimé Murray (2 January 1866 – 20 May 1957) was an Australian-born British classical scholar and public intellectual, with connections in many spheres. He was an outstanding scholar of the language and culture of Ancient Greece ...

) *17 Feb 1934 ''

The Laughing Lady ''The Laughing Lady'' is a 1946 British Technicolor musical drama film directed by Paul L. Stein and starring Anne Ziegler, Webster Booth and Francis L. Sullivan. Based on a play by Ingram D'Abbes, its plot follows a young aristocrat who mak ...

'' *10 Apr 1934 ''

The Silver Box ''The Silver Box'' is a three-act comedy, the first play by the English writer John Galsworthy. It was originally produced in London in 1906, and attracted much attention. In New York it was first seen in 1907. In the play, the disappearance of ...

'' *26 May 1934 ''

The Balcony ''The Balcony'' (french: Le Balcon) is a play by the French dramatist Jean Genet. It is set in an unnamed city that is experiencing a revolutionary uprising in the streets; most of the action takes place in an upmarket brothel that functions as a ...

'' *14 Jul 1934 ''The Transit of Venus'' *12 Sep 1934 '' Maria Marten or Murder in the Red Barn'' *14 Nov 1934 ''Repressions'' *22 Jan 1935 ''Bread and Butter Women'' (world premiere of first play by

) :(White's mother Ruth became a friend of Beryl and supporter of her company. His sister Suzanne was a cast member.) *13 Mar 1935 ''Lady s'il vous plâit'' *1 May 1935 ''The Mocking Bird'' (by

Lionel Hale Lionel Ramsay Hale (26 October 1909 – 1 January 1977) was an English critic, broadcaster and playwright. Life Hale was born in Beckenham, Kent. In the 1940s, Hale presented the radio quiz ''Transatlantic Quiz'' and an early television q ...

) *12 Jun 1935 ''

Tartuffe ''Tartuffe, or The Impostor, or The Hypocrite'' (; french: Tartuffe, ou l'Imposteur, ), first performed in 1664, is a theatrical comedy by Molière. The characters of Tartuffe, Elmire, and Orgon are considered among the greatest classical thea ...

'' *21 Aug 1935 ''The Eldest Son'' *23 Oct 1935 ''A Stranger Walked In'' (by

John Cazabon John Forde Cazabon (3 August 1914 – 22 June 1983) was an English actor and stage writer whose career began in Sydney, Australia. History Cazabon was born in Hertford, Hertfordshire, to violinist and composer Albert Cazabon (1883–1970) and No ...

) *8 Apr 1936 ''The Two Virtues'' *3 Jun 1936 ''Wonderful Zoo'' *29 Jul 1936 '' The Stag'' *16 Sep 1936 ''That By Which Men Live'' (by

Dulcie Deamer Mary Elizabeth Kathleen Dulcie Deamer (13 December 1890 – 16 August 1972) was a New Zealand-born Australian novelist, poet, journalist and actor. She was a founder and committee member of the Fellowship of Australian Writers. Life Deamer was bo ...

) *10 Oct 1936 ''Heat Wave'' at Maccabean Hall, Darlinghurst *11 Nov 1936 ''Cherries Are Ripe'' *17 Feb 1937 ''Getting Married'' *16 Jun 1937 '' When the Crash Comes'' *28 Jul 1937 ''Three Cornered Moon'' *8 Sep 1937 Four one-act plays by Peggy McIntyre *22 Sep 1937 '' Androcles and the Lion'' *10 Nov 1937 ''The Lady from the Sea'' *27 Apr 1938 ''Lovely Sunde'' (by Robert McCaughren) *10 Sep 1938 ''The Seagull'' *24 Sep 1938 ''Victory'' (by Dulcie Deamer) *18 Mar 1939 ''Heroes Don't Care'' (by Margot Goyder and Mrs Neville Goyder) at

St James' Hall St. James's Hall was a concert hall in London that opened on 25 March 1858, designed by architect and artist Owen Jones (architect), Owen Jones, who had decorated the interior of the Crystal Palace. It was situated between the Quadrant in Regent ...

*26 Apr 1939 ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

'' *27 May 1939 ''The Touch of Silk'' (by Betty Roland) :Beginning Jun 1939, Bryant mounted a Shaw Festival, remarkable in its scope, and which became part of Sydney "little theatre" history. *15 Jun 1939 ''

Arms and the Man ''Arms and the Man'' is a comedy by George Bernard Shaw, whose title comes from the opening words of Virgil's ''Aeneid'', in Latin: ''Arma virumque cano'' ("Of arms and the man I sing"). The play was first produced on 21 April 1894 at the Aven ...

'' *3 Jul 1939 ''The Millionairess'' *12 Aug 1939 ''

Man and Superman ''Man and Superman'' is a four-act drama written by George Bernard Shaw in 1903. The series was written in response to a call for Shaw to write a play based on the Don Juan theme. ''Man and Superman'' opened at the Royal Court Theatre in London ...

'' complete and unabridged – the "Hell" scene alone occupied three hours! *2 Sep 1939 ''Geneva'' at Federation Hall, 166 Phillip Street *14 Oct 1939 '' The Doctor's Dilemma'' all five acts *2 Dec 1939 '' You Never Can Tell'' *19 Apr 1941 ''

Major Barbara ''Major Barbara'' is a three-act English play by George Bernard Shaw, written and premiered in 1905 and first published in 1907. The story concerns an idealistic young woman, Barbara Undershaft, who is engaged in helping the poor as a Major in ...

'' *11 Apr 1942 ''

Fanny's First Play ''Fanny's First Play'' is a 1911 play by George Bernard Shaw. It was first performed as an anonymous piece, the authorship of which was to be kept secret. However, critics soon recognised it as the work of Shaw. It opened at the Little Theatre in ...

'' at new theatre in Phillip Street *5 Sep 1942 ''

'' produced by Dorothy Hemingway *17 Feb 1943 ''The Millionairess'' revived by Dorothy Hemingway to "mixed reviews" *8 Sep 1944 Three short plays. But which? The Shaw season was not continuous – Beryl staged ''

Peer Gynt ''Peer Gynt'' (, ) is a five- act play in verse by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen published in 1876. Written in Norwegian, it is one of the most widely performed Norwegian plays. Ibsen believed ''Per Gynt'', the Norwegian fairy tale on wh ...

'' at the spacious grounds of her

Vaucluse Vaucluse (; oc, Vauclusa, label= Provençal or ) is a department in the southeastern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It had a population of 561,469 as of 2019.Man and Superman ''Man and Superman'' is a four-act drama written by George Bernard Shaw in 1903. The series was written in response to a call for Shaw to write a play based on the Don Juan theme. ''Man and Superman'' opened at the Royal Court Theatre in London ...

'' (unabridged) in her Vaucluse garden, refreshments provided. *27 Apr 1940 '' High Tor'' at the Conservatorium *''We Are the People'' by Harley Mathews *''Mothers Day'' by Leslie Rees *''

Mourning Becomes Electra ''Mourning Becomes Electra'' is a play cycle written by American playwright Eugene O'Neill. The play premiered on Broadway at the Guild Theatre on 26 October 1931 where it ran for 150 performances before closing in March 1932, starring Lee Baker ...

'', *''Caroline Chisholm'' by G. Landen Dann *22 Feb 1941 ''

Brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

'' at her Vaucluse home *21 Jun 1941 ''

Salome Salome (; he, שְלוֹמִית, Shlomit, related to , "peace"; el, Σαλώμη), also known as Salome III, was a Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II, son of Herod the Great, and princess Herodias, granddaughter of Herod the Great, an ...

'' *15 Nov 1941 ''Escape Me Never'' (season ended with last production at Forbes Street on 10 January 1942) :at new location 5 Phillip Street (near Circular Quay) *15 Aug 1942 ''

Hedda Gabler ''Hedda Gabler'' () is a play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The world premiere was staged on 31 January 1891 at the Residenztheater in Munich. Ibsen himself was in attendance, although he remained back-stage. The play has been can ...

'' *12 Sep 1942 ''Arms and the Man'' *18 Oct 1942 ''Liliom'' *24 Oct 1942 ''The Harvesters'' *2 Jan 1943 ''Sister Beatrice'' prod. Dorothy Atkinson *17 Feb 1943 ''The Millionairess'' prod. Dorothy Hemingway :J M Barrie season: **26 June 1943 ''The Admirable Crichton'' prod. Dorothy Hemingway and Dorothy Atkinson **14 Aug 1943 ''Quality Street'' prod. Dorothy Hemingway **2 Oct 1943 ''Mary Rose'' prod. Dorothy Hemingway **22 Jan 1944 ''Alice Sit by the Fire'' *11 Mar 1944 ''High Tor'' *27 May 1944 ''Terese Raquin'' *25 May 1945 ''She Stoops To Conquer'' Bryant was a member of

Moral Rearmament Moral Re-Armament (MRA) was an international moral and spiritual movement that, in 1938, developed from American minister Frank Buchman's Oxford Group. Buchman headed MRA for 23 years until his death in 1961. In 2001, the movement was renamed Ini ...

from 1935, which may have influenced her choice of plays. She also produced plays for charity, often by the Doone Dramatic Society ("Doone" was a ladies' finishing school at Edgecliff), all at the Savoy Theatre. ''Quinneys'', ''Nine Till Six'', ''Trelawney of the Wells'' were three such. After her retirement to Melbourne, she produced ''The Forgotten Factor'' from 20 June 1949 at the Union Playhouse for Moral Rearmament.

Alumni

Among Bryant Playhouse members who went on to greater things were: *

Patricia Firman Patricia Firman (1922 – June 1980) was an Australian model, actress and TV personality. She began her career aged 14 when discovered by Cinesound Productions. She was a contender for the female lead in ''Forty Thousand Horsemen'' but lost t ...

*Carlotta Kalmar *Jane Holland

Personal

Bryant married Albert Edward Mayor, a businessman prominent in the Commercial Travellers' Association, at her parents' home in South Yarra on 22 April 1921. The couple moved to Sydney and in 1923 she had her first son. She had another son and a daughter Elizabeth"Sydney Girl to Meet Queen" ''(Melbourne) Argus'' 13 July 1953
/ref> (not to be confused with Elizabeth "Betty" Bryant, later Bryant-Silverstein, who starred in ''

Forty Thousand Horsemen ''Forty Thousand Horsemen'' (aka ''40,000 Horsemen'') is a 1940 Australian war film directed by Charles Chauvel. The film tells the story of the Australian Light Horse (mounted rifleman as distinct from cavalry) which operated in the desert at t ...

''). Her husband died in 1941 and she moved to Melbourne shortly after (almost certainly to be with her father).

References

External links

Beryl Bryant's Australian theatre credits
at

AusStage AusStage: The Australian Live Performance Database is an online database which records information about live performances in Australia, providing records of productions from the first recorded performance in Australia (1789, by convicts) up unt ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bryant, Beryl 1893 births 1973 deaths Australian stage actresses Australian theatre directors American people of Australian descent American people of English descent American emigrants to Australia People educated at Melbourne Girls Grammar 19th-century Australian women 20th-century Australian women Actresses from Melbourne