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 Christina of Sweden, 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 (director), Michael Elliott was appointed assistant artistic director and, although short-lived, the company achieved considerable success with productions of ''Brand (play), 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 (film), One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich'' (1970), a feature film adaptation of One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's novel with Tom Courtenay 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 (actor), James Maxwell and in 1973 a temporary theatre, The Tent, was installed in the former Royal Exchange, Manchester, 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 (play), 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.Braham Murray, 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 1976–1998The Royal Exchange
* ''The Prince of Homburg (play), The Prince of Homburg'' by Heinrich von Kleist with Tom Courtenay, James Maxwell (actor), James Maxwell and Christopher Gable (1976) * ''A Family (play), A Family'' by Ronald Harwood. World premiere with Paul Scofield (1978) * ''The Deep Man'' by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. British premiere with James Maxwell (actor), James Maxwell, Dilys Hamlett, Tessa Dahl and Claire Higgins (1979) * ''The Cherry Orchard'' by Anton Chekhov with Peter Vaughan, Dilys Hamlett, James Maxwell (actor), James Maxwell, Gabrielle Drake and Robert Lindsay (actor), Robert Lindsay (1980) * ''Rosmersholm'' by Henrik Ibsen with Christopher Gable and Espen Skjønberg (1981) * ''The Misanthrope'' by Molière with Tom Courtenay, Amanda Boxer, Christopher Gable and Tim McInnerny (1981) * ''La Ronde (play), The Round Dance'' by Arthur Schnitzler. British premiere with William Hope (actor), William Hope, Cindy O'Callaghan and Gabrielle Drake (1982) * ''Hope Against Hope'', adapted and directed by Casper Wrede with Avril Elgar, David Horovitch and Dilys Hamlett (1983) * ''The Wild Duck'' by Henrik Ibsen with Ian McDiarmid and Espen Skjønberg (1983) * ''Three Sisters (play), Three Sisters'' by Anton Chekhov with Cheryl Prime, Emma Piper, Janet McTeer and Niamh Cusack (1985) * ''The Act'' by Richard Langridge with David Horovitch, Jonathon Hackett and Rory Edwards (1986) * ''Oedipus'' by Sophocles with David Threlfall, Eleanor Bron and Espen Skjønberg (1987) * ''American Bagpipes'' by Iain Heggie. World premiere with Tom Mannion and Eliza Langland (1988) * ''Arms and the Man'' by George Bernard Shaw with Catherine Russell (British actress), Catherine Russell (1989) * ''Donny Boy'' by Robert Glendinning (TMA Awards, TMA Award 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) * ''The Creditors'' by August Strindberg for the 59 Theatre Company with Lyndon Brook, Michael Gough and Mai Zetterling (1959) * ''The Rough and Ready Lot'' by Alun Owen for the 59 Theatre Company with Ronald Harwood, June Brown, Jack MacGowran, Patrick Allen, and Alan Dobie (1959) * ''Little Eyolf'' by Henrik Ibsen for the 59 Theatre Company with James Maxwell (actor), James Maxwell and Dilys Hamlett (1960) * ''Othello'' at the Old Vic Theatre with Leo McKern, Errol John and Adrienne Corri (1963) * ''The Father (Strindberg), The Father'' by August Strindberg at the Piccadilly Theatre with Trevor Howard (1964) * ''Hamlet'' for the 69 Theatre Company with Tom Courtenay, Dilys Hamlett and Anna Calder-Marshall (1968)Filmography
*''Twelfth Night (1957 film), Twelfth Night'' (1957 TV film) *''Private Potter'' (1962) *''The Barber of Stamford Hill'' (1962) *''One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (film), One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich'' (1970) *''Ransom (1974 film), Ransom'' (1974 film featuring Sean Connery)Bibliography
* *References
External links
*