Craig Noel (August 25, 1915 – April 3, 2010) was an American

theatre producer A theatrical producer is a person who oversees all aspects of mounting a theatre production. The producer is responsible for the overall financial and managerial functions of a production or venue, raises or provides financial backing, and hires ...

. He was the founding director of the

Old Globe Theatre The Old Globe is a professional theatre company located in Balboa Park in San Diego, California. It produces about 15 plays and musicals annually in summer and winter seasons. Plays are performed in three separate theatres in the complex, which i ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and led it for more than 60 years. He "helped transform it from an insular community group into an influential powerhouse among regional theaters." The Old Globe began as an attraction at Balboa Park's 1935 California Pacific International Exposition with the presentation of 50-minute versions of Shakespeare plays. After the exposition was over, the group reorganized as a community theatre. Noel, who had moved with his family to San Diego in 1918San Diego Union-Tribune, April 11, 2010
/ref> and graduated from

San Diego High School San Diego High School (SDHS) is an urban public high school located on the southern edge of Balboa Park, in San Diego, California, United States. It is the oldest high school in the San Diego Unified School District, one of the oldest public sch ...

, acted in the initial production in 1937 at the age of 22. He soon began directing, and he was named the Globe's general director in 1939. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

service and a stint in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

, he returned to The Globe in 1947 as resident director. He never left, personally directing more than 200 productions, producing 270 more, and building the Globe into a theatrical powerhouse which won the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

for best regional theater in 1984.San Diego News Network, April 4, 2010
Shows which originated at the Old Globe have gone on to

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

to win nine Tony Awards and nearly 60 nominations. In 1981 Noel hired Jack O'Brien to replace him as artistic director, but he remained active in the leadership of the Old Globe right up until his death. He created the San Diego National Shakespeare Festival in 1949, making the Globe the first professional

Actors Equity The Actors' Equity Association (AEA), commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American trade union, labor union representing those who work in live theater, live theatrical performance. Performers appearing in live stage ...

theater on the West Coast. Under his leadership the Globe added a second theatre, the in-the-round Cassius Carter Theatre, in 1968, and a third, the outdoor Festival Stage, in 1978. He led rebuilding efforts after the original Globe and later the Festival Stage were destroyed by arson. He was instrumental in creating the Master of Fine Arts in Acting program at the

University of San Diego The University of San Diego (USD) is a private Roman Catholic research university in San Diego, California. Chartered in July 1949 as the independent San Diego College for Women and San Diego University (comprising the College for Men and Schoo ...

in 1987. In 1983, he established Teatro Meta, a bilingual playwriting program involving thousands of San Diego young people. He fostered the careers of numerous actors and directors who later achieved fame, including Jack O'Brien,

Marion Ross Marion Ross (born Marian Ellen Ross; October 25, 1928) is a American former actress. Her best-known role is that of Marion Cunningham on the ABC television sitcom ''Happy Days'', on which she starred from 1974 to 1984 and for which she receive ...

David Ogden Stiers David Allen Ogden Stiers ( ; October 31, 1942 – March 3, 2018) was an American actor and conductor. He appeared in numerous productions on Broadway, and originated the role of Feldman in ''The Magic Show'', in which he appeared for four ...

Kelsey Grammer Allen Kelsey Grammer (born February 21, 1955) is an American actor and producer. He gained notoriety and acclaim for his role as psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the NBC sitcom '' Cheers'' (1984-1993) and its spin-off ''Frasier'' (1993-2004), ...

, Kandis Chappell and Jonathan McMurtry. In 2005 Craig Noel celebrated his 90th birthday coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the Old Globe Theatre. In 2007, he was awarded the

National Medal of Arts The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and Patronage, patrons of the arts. A prestigious American honor, it is the highest honor given to artists and ar ...

for his ”decades of leadership as a pillar of the American theater.” He died April 3, 2010 at the age of 94 at his home in San Diego.San Diego Union Tribune, April 5, 2010
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Noel, Craig 1915 births 2010 deaths American theatre managers and producers Businesspeople from San Diego United States National Medal of Arts recipients Balboa Park (San Diego) People from Deming, New Mexico 20th-century American businesspeople