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 Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountains ...

. The Independent staged a diverse range of local and international dramas, many for the first time in Australia, in total during its tenure playing host to more than 400 productions including

Gwen Meredith Gwenyth Valmai Meredith OBE (18 November 1907 – 3 October 2006), also known by her married name Gwen Harrison, was an Australian writer, dramatist and playwright, and radio writer. She is best known for her radio serials ''The Lawsons'' (194 ...

's, Shout at the Thunder,

Sumner Locke Elliott Sumner Locke Elliott (17 October 191724 June 1991) was an Australian (later American) novelist and playwright. Biography Elliott was born in Sydney to the writer Sumner Locke and the journalist Henry Logan Elliott. His mother died of eclamps ...

's wartime comedy, ''

Rusty Bugles ''Rusty Bugles'' was a controversial Australian play written by Sumner Locke Elliott in 1948. It toured extensively throughout Australia between 1948–1949 and was threatened with closure by the New South Wales Chief Secretary's Office for obscen ...

'' and

Max Afford Malcolm R. Afford (8 April 1906 – 2 November 1954) known as Max Afford, was an Australian playwright and novelist. Biography Early years Afford was born in Adelaide, South Australia, the youngest son of Robert D. Afford of "Glenleigh", Sta ...

's thriller ''

Lady in Danger ''Lady in Danger'' is a 1934 British comedy thriller film directed by Tom Walls and starring Walls, Yvonne Arnaud and Anne Grey. The screenplay was by Ben Travers. Plot In the mythical European country of Ardenberg, General Dittling (Leon M. L ...

Biography

Early life

Fitton was born in Santa Ana,

Manila, Philippines Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...

, to English-born broker Walter Albert and Janet Frazer (née Cameron) Fitton. Her father died when she was young and in 1902, aged five, she relocated to Australia settling in Victoria with her mother and elder sister, Ethel. She was educated at Loreto Convent,

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resid ...

and took acting classes with

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 ...

. Fitton had her first acting role in Melbourne with J. C. Williamson in 1915. In 1922 Fitton married law clerk Norbert Keck "Tug" Mason in Sydney, where they lived in

Chatswood, New South Wales Chatswood is a major business and residential district in the Lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, 10 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district. It is the administrative centre of the loca ...

and

Potts Point, New South Wales Potts Point is a small and densely populated suburb in inner-city Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Potts Point is located east of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney. Potts Po ...

before moving to Berry Street, North Sydney in 1953. Doris Fitton 1930

Theatre career

Fitton joined the Turret Theatre where she was secretary as well as performer. She helped found The Independent Theatre (known then simply as Independent Theatre) in

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 ...

in 1930, taking its name from the

Independent Theatre Society The Independent Theatre Society was a by-subscription-only organisation in London from 1891 to 1897, founded by Dutch drama critic Jacob Grein to give "special performances of plays which have a literary and artistic rather than a commercial value ...

founded in London by

J. T. Grein Jacob Thomas "Jack" Grein (generally referred to as J. T. Grein; 11 October 1862 – 22 June 1935) was a British impresario and drama critic of Dutch origin who helped establish the modern theatre in London.Wearing, J. P"Grein, Jacob Thomas (1862 ...

. As the company developed, they progressively moved to better premises until in 1938 they took over the old Coliseum in Miller Street, North Sydney. All told, The Independent Theatre staged more than 400 productions, including Sumner Locke Elliott's controversial ''Rusty Bugles'', Max Afford's ''Lady in Danger'' and Gwen Meredith's ''Shout at the Thunder''. Doris Fitton was usually producer and director, and frequently acted in productions as a

leading lady A leading actor, leading actress, or simply lead (), plays the role of the protagonist of a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person who typica ...

, and in each of these roles she won praise from the critics. With Doris's failing health, the Independent closed in May 1977. It was reopened in 1998, continuing its tradition as a training ground for young actors and playwrights.

Notable students and associates

John Appleton John Appleton (February 11, 1815 – August 22, 1864) was an American lawyer, politician and diplomat who served as the United States' first '' chargé d'affaires'' to Bolivia, and later as special envoy to Great Britain and Russia. Born i ...

, stage and radio producer *

, stage producer and writer *

John Alden John Alden (c. 1598 - September 12, 1687) was a crew member on the historic 1620 voyage of the ''Mayflower'' which brought the English settlers commonly known as Pilgrims to Plymouth Colony in present-day Massachusetts, US. He was hired in Sou ...

, theatre entrepreneur *

Ruth Cracknell Ruth Winifred Cracknell AM (6 July 1925 – 13 May 2002) was an Australian character and comic actress, comedienne and author, her career encompassing all genres including radio, theatre, television and film. She appeared in many dramatic as we ...

, Australian actress *

Reg Livermore Reginald Dawson Livermore (born 11 December 1938) is an Australian actor, singer, theatrical performer and former television presenter. Childhood From a young age, Livermore demonstrated an interest in the performing arts. Regular outings to ...

, actor of stage and screen *

Bud Tingwell Charles William Tingwell AM (3 January 1923 – 15 May 2009), known professionally as Bud Tingwell or Charles 'Bud' Tingwell, was an Australian film, television, theatre and radio actor. One of the veterans of Australian film, he acted in his ...

, actor *

Googie Withers Georgette Lizette Withers, CBE, AO (12 March 191715 July 2011), known professionally as Googie Withers, was an English entertainer who was a dancer and actress with a lengthy career spanning some nine decades in theatre, film, and television. ...

, British entertainer

Honours

She gained public recognition for her commitment to theatre in Australia with her appointments as Officer of

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(OBE) in 1955, as Commander (CBE) in 1975, and as Dame Commander (DBE) in 1982.

Personal life

Doris and "Tug" Mason had two sons, Ewen Richard Cameron Mason (born 19 February 1925) and Malcolm John (born 26 July 1933). In 1952 they were living at a three-storey flat in Pott's Point before moving to North Sydney in 1953. They then lived in a house in Berry St, North Sydney. This house was later demolished to make way for the Northern Expressway. They then moved to Ridge Street, North Sydney, around the corner from The Independent Theatre.

Death and legacy

Doris Fitton published her autobiography, ''Not Without Heat and Dust'', in 1981. She died in North Sydney, on 2 April 1985, aged 87. A

commemorative plaque A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, or in other places referred to as a historical marker, historic marker, or historic plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other ...

was unveiled on 17 December 1986 on the footpath in front of the Independent Theatre in her honour, with the famous stanza from

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has b ...

'': "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances..." Doris Fitton Park at 1 Little Walker Street, North Sydney, is named after her.

Sources

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References

External links

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CC-By-SA A Creative Commons (CC) license is one of several public copyright license A public license or public copyright licenses is a license by which a copyright holder as licensor can grant additional copyright permissions to any and all pers ...

] {{DEFAULTSORT:Fitton, Doris 1897 births 1985 deaths Australian film actresses Australian stage actresses Australian theatre directors Australian Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Actresses awarded damehoods Actresses from Sydney Australian people of English descent People from Santa Ana, Manila 19th-century Australian women 20th-century Australian women People educated at Loreto College, Victoria Filipino emigrants to Australia