Baron Casper Gustaf Kenneth Wrede af Elimä, known as Caspar Wrede (8 February 1929 in Viipuri, Finland – 25 September 1998 in Helsinki, Finland), was a Finnish theatre and

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

. He was long active in the English theatre, co-founding the Royal Exchange theatre company in Manchester.Peacock, Trevor
Obituary: Caspar Wrede.
'' The Independent'', 30 September 1998.

Early life

Casper Wrede came from a noble Finnish family of Livonian origin, which owned large estates mainly in eastern Finland between the 17th and 19th centuries, and had been created barons in 1652 by Queen Christina.

Career

In 1951, he left Finland and enrolled at the Old Vic Theatre School in London run by the French director Michel Saint-Denis. He was much influenced by Saint-Denis and his ideas had a great effect on the theatre companies that Wrede helped establish. In 1956, he was involved with the setting up of the Piccolo Theatre company in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester (which only survived for a year) and in 1959 he founded the 59 Theatre Company, based at the Lyric Theatre (Hammersmith). Michael Elliott was appointed assistant artistic director and, although short-lived, the company achieved considerable success with productions of '' Brand'', '' Little Eyolf'' and '' Danton's Death''. During this time, Wrede also directed both the stage debut of Alun Owen's play ''The Rough and Ready Lot'' and its 1959 television adaptation. Wrede and Elliott ran a season of plays at the Old Vic in 1961. At the same time as his theatre work in the fifties, he directed plays for television including episodes of '' ITV Television Playhouse'' and '' ITV Play of the Week''. He also started to direct films which he continued to do through the sixties, including '' One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich'' (1970), a feature film adaptation of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's novel with

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in the lead. In 1967, Wrede and Michael Elliott agreed to direct productions for Braham Murray’s Century Theatre at Manchester University and in1968 the three men set up the 69 Theatre Company also at the University where they produced plays until 1972. The group started to look for a permanent theatre in Manchester. They were joined by Richard Negri, a colleague and friend of Wrede's since the Old Vic School who was to design the new theatre, and the actor James Maxwell and in 1973 a temporary theatre, The Tent, was installed in the former Royal Exchange in Manchester. The success of The Tent led to the decision being taken to build the new theatre inside the Royal Exchange. Wrede directed one of the two opening productions in September 1976, '' The Prince of Homburg''. He directed over 20 productions during the next 15 years, resigning from the company in 1990 and eventually returned to Finland with his second wife, Karen Bang, a friend since childhood. Murray, Braham (2007). ''The Worst It Can Be Is a Disaster''. London: Methuen Drama. .

Theatre productions

His productions include:The Royal Exchange Theatre Company Words & Pictures 1976–1998

The Royal Exchange

* '' The Prince of Homburg'' by Heinrich von Kleist with

, James Maxwell and Christopher Gable (1976) * '' A Family'' by

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. World premiere with Paul Scofield (1978) * ''The Deep Man'' by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. British premiere with James Maxwell,

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and

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(1979) * '' The Cherry Orchard'' by

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with Peter Vaughan,

, James Maxwell, Gabrielle Drake and Robert Lindsay (1980) * '' Rosmersholm'' by

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

with Christopher Gable and Espen Skjønberg (1981) * '' The Misanthrope'' by Molière with

Amanda Boxer Amanda Boxer (born 1948) is an English theatre, television, and film actress. She is perhaps best known for her role in the film ''Saving Private Ryan'' (1998). Early life Boxer was born in London, the daughter of English scholar C.R. Boxer an ...

, Christopher Gable and Tim McInnerny (1981) * '' The Round Dance'' by Arthur Schnitzler. British premiere with

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and Gabrielle Drake (1982) * ''Hope Against Hope'', adapted and directed by Casper Wrede with Avril Elgar,

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and

(1983) * '' The Wild Duck'' by

with Ian McDiarmid and

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(1983) * '' Three Sisters'' by

with Cheryl Prime, Emma Piper, Janet McTeer and Niamh Cusack (1985) * ''The Act'' by

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with

, Jonathon Hackett and Rory Edwards (1986) * ''

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'' by Sophocles with David Threlfall, Eleanor Bron and

(1987) * ''American Bagpipes'' by Iain Heggie. World premiere with Tom Mannion and Eliza Langland (1988) * ''

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 ...

'' by George Bernard Shaw with Catherine Russell (1989) * ''Donny Boy'' by Robert Glendinning (

TMA Award The UK Theatre Awards, established in 1991 and known before 2011 as the TMA Awards, are presented annually by UK Theatre (formerly the Theatrical Management Association) in recognition of creative excellence and outstanding work in regional theat ...

for best new play). World premiere with Stella McCusker and Patrick O’Kane (1990)

Other Theatre

* '' Danton's Death'' by Georg Büchner for the 59 Theatre Company (1959) * ''

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'' by August Strindberg for the 59 Theatre Company with Lyndon Brook,

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and

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(1959) * ''The Rough and Ready Lot'' by Alun Owen for the 59 Theatre Company with

, June Brown,

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, Patrick Allen, and Alan Dobie (1959) * '' Little Eyolf'' by

for the 59 Theatre Company with James Maxwell and

(1960) * ''

Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cypru ...

'' at the Old Vic Theatre with Leo McKern, Errol John and Adrienne Corri (1963) * ''

The Father Father is the male parent of a child. Father may also refer to: Name * Daniel Fathers (born 1966), a British actor * Father Yod (1922–1975), an American owner of one of the country's first health food restaurants Cinema * ''Father'' (1966 f ...

'' by August Strindberg at the Piccadilly Theatre with Trevor Howard (1964) * '' Hamlet'' for the 69 Theatre Company with

and Anna Calder-Marshall (1968)

Filmography

*'' Twelfth Night'' (1957 TV film) *''

Private Potter ''Private Potter'' is a 1962 British drama film directed by Caspar Wrede and starring Tom Courtenay, Mogens Wieth, Ronald Fraser and James Maxwell. Plot During the Cyprus Emergency (1955-1959), the eponymous Private Potter is a soldier who cl ...

'' (1962) *'' The Barber of Stamford Hill'' (1962) *'' One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich'' (1970) *''

Ransom Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or the sum of money involved in such a practice. When ransom means "payment", the word comes via Old French ''rançon'' from Latin ''red ...

'' (1974 film featuring

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)

Bibliography

* *

References

External links

*
Caspar Wrede at the British Film Institute (BFI)

Wrede, Casper
at ''Uppslagsverket Finland'' (in Swedish) {{DEFAULTSORT:Wrede, Caspar 1929 births 1998 deaths Mass media people from Vyborg Finnish film directors Finnish theatre directors Artistic directors 20th-century Finnish nobility