David Bradby (27 February 1942 – 17 January 2011) was a British drama and theatre academic with particular research interests in French theatre,
Modernist /
Postmodernist theatre, the role of the director and the
Theatre of the Absurd. He wrote extensively on the theatre of
Samuel Beckett
Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish novelist, dramatist, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator. His literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal and tragicomic expe ...
,
Roger Planchon,
Jacques Lecoq,
Arthur Adamov
Arthur Adamov (23 August 1908 – 15 March 1970) was a playwright, one of the foremost exponents of the Theatre of the Absurd.
Early life
Adamov (originally Adamian) was born in Kislovodsk in the Terek Oblast of the Russian Empire to a wealthy A ...
among many others. He also translated several works, principally by
Michel Vinaver
Michel Vinaver (born Michel Grinberg; 13 January 1927 – 1 May 2022) was a French writer and dramatist. He was born in Paris to parents who had emigrated from Russia. He was the manager of Gillette. He is the father of actress Anouk Grinberg
...
,
Jacques Lecoq and
Bernard-Marie Koltès.
Life
Born in
Kollupitiya in
Colombo, Sri Lanka, where his father was principal of a teacher-training college,
[Dan Rebellato]
"David Bradby obituary"
'' The Guardian'', 2 March 2011. Bradby was educated at
Rugby School in
Rugby
Rugby may refer to:
Sport
* Rugby football in many forms:
** Rugby league: 13 players per side
*** Masters Rugby League
*** Mod league
*** Rugby league nines
*** Rugby league sevens
*** Touch (sport)
*** Wheelchair rugby league
** Rugby union: 1 ...
, England, where "he developed a passion for directing plays, taking over the production of light comedy from his English master". He originally studied Modern Languages at
Trinity College, Oxford, but started to develop an interest in the theatre. During his time as a language assistant in
Lyon, Bradby became a bit-part actor in Roger Planchon's theatre company.
Bradby's subsequent education saw him taking a postgraduate teaching course at the
University of Bristol, and then a PhD on the playwright
Arthur Adamov
Arthur Adamov (23 August 1908 – 15 March 1970) was a playwright, one of the foremost exponents of the Theatre of the Absurd.
Early life
Adamov (originally Adamian) was born in Kislovodsk in the Terek Oblast of the Russian Empire to a wealthy A ...
at the
University of Glasgow.
His academic career included the founding of the Department of Drama at the
University of Kent in 1970, as well as work with the
British Council in Nigeria. He developed the first colloquium on popular film and theatre, featuring contributions from the British theatre director
Max Stafford-Clark. Bradby was appointed head of the Department of Drama at the
University of Caen, Normandy, before moving to
Royal Holloway, University of London
Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public research university and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It has six schools, 21 academic departm ...
, in 1988, where he also took the position of department head. He retired in Summer 2007.
Bradby edited the
Cambridge University Press "Studies in Modern Drama" series, as well as the journal ''
Contemporary Theatre Review
''Contemporary Theatre Review'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal published by Routledge and covering all aspects of theatre, live art, performance art, opera, dance, digital performance, activist and applied performance, theatre desi ...
''. His 1988 book ''Directors’ Theatre'', co-written with David Williams, had "a defining influence on younger British innovators such as
Katie Mitchell
Katrina Jane Mitchell (born 23 September 1964) is an English theatre director.
Life and career
Mitchell was born in Reading, Berkshire, raised in Hermitage, Berkshire, and educated at Oakham School. Upon leaving Oakham, she went up to Magda ...
and
Simon McBurney."
He was Professor Emeritus of Drama and Theatre at Royal Holloway. He gave many public lectures and broadcasts and was also a consultant and advisor to many productions of works by
Jean Genet
Jean Genet (; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels ''The Thief's ...
,
Molière,
Michel Vinaver
Michel Vinaver (born Michel Grinberg; 13 January 1927 – 1 May 2022) was a French writer and dramatist. He was born in Paris to parents who had emigrated from Russia. He was the manager of Gillette. He is the father of actress Anouk Grinberg
...
and
Bernard-Marie Koltès.
In 1997, Bradby was made a
Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French government in recognition of his contribution to the study of French culture.
Bradby had been married to the author
Rachel Anderson
Rachel Anderson (born 1943) is an English journalist and author best known for her children's books. Her work often features the positive portrayal of characters with learning disabilities, and themes of social injustice and alienation. She wa ...
since 1965. He died aged 68 on 17 January 2011.
A celebration of his life and work was held in and around the Department of Drama & Theatre at Royal Holloway on Sunday, 5 June 2011.
Awards named after Bradby are given out annually by the
Theatre and Performance Research Association and the Standing Conference of University Drama Departments.
"The David Bradby TaPRA Award"
TaPRa.
Bibliography
*''Samuel Beckett: Waiting for Godot'' (2001)
*''Mise en Scène: French Theatre Now'' (with Annie Sparks) (1997)
*''The Theater of Michel Vinaver'' (1993)
*''Modern French Drama 1940–1990'' (1991)
*''Le Théâtre Français Contemporain'' (1990)
*''Directors' Theatre'' (with David Williams) (1988)
*''The Theatre of Roger Planchon'' (1984)
*''Modern French Drama 1940–1980'' (1984)
*''Studying Drama'' (with K. Pickering and P. Thomas) (1984)
*''People's Theatre'' (with John McCormick) (1978)
*''Adamov'' (1975)
*''The Paris Jigsaw: Internationalism and the City's Stages'' (ed. with Maria M. Delgado) (2002)
*''Morality and Justice: The Challenge of European Theatre'' (2001)
*'' Renard the Fox'' (with Rachel Anderson) (1986)
*''Performance and Politics in Popular Drama'' (ed. with Louis James and Bernard Sharratt) (1982)
As editor
*Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt: ''Plays I'' (2002)
*''Frontline Drama 6: New French Plays'' (1998)
*Bernard-Marie Koltès: ''Plays I'' (1997)
*Michel Vinaver: ''Plays I; Plays II''. (1997).
*''Michel Vinaver: Théâtre de Chambre'' (1995)
*''Landmarks of French Classical Drama'' (1991)
*''New French Plays'' (with C. Schumacher) (1989)
*''Kean
Kean may refer to:
* Kean (name)
* Kean (play), ''Kean'' (play), 1838 play by Alexandre Dumas père based on the life of the actor Edmund Kean, and its adaptations:
** Kean (1921 film), ''Kean'' (1921 film), a German silent historical film
** Kean ...
'' (1973)
References
External links
* Dan Rebellato
"David Bradby"
from ''Contemporary Theatre Review'', Monday, 17 January 2011.
The David Bradby Memorial Fund
at Royal Holloway, University of London.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bradby, David
Academics of the University of Kent
Academics of Royal Holloway, University of London
Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford
1942 births
2011 deaths
Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
French–English translators
People educated at Rugby School
20th-century translators