Frederick Whelen (16 October 1867 – 1955) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

theatre director. Born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, Whelen was educated there, and in Germany. In 1900, he married the actor Elaine Sandham. Whelen joined the

Fabian Society The Fabian Society is a British socialist organisation whose purpose is to advance the principles of social democracy and democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist effort in democracies, rather than by revolutionary overthrow. The Fa ...

in 1892, and served on its executive for several years between 1896 and 1903. He was also on the executive of the London Reform Union, and was active in local politics in

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. In addition, he served as a governor of the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 millio ...

, and wrote the book ''London Government''. In 1899, Whelen founded the

Stage Society The Incorporated Stage Society, commonly known as the Stage Society, was an English theatre society with limited membership which mounted private Sunday performances of new and experimental plays, mainly at the Royal Court Theatre (whose Vedrenne- ...

, and soon became the secretary to

Herbert Beerbohm Tree Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree (17 December 1852 – 2 July 1917) was an English actor and theatre manager. Tree began performing in the 1870s. By 1887, he was managing the Haymarket Theatre in the West End, winning praise for adventurous progra ...

, manager of His Majesty's Theatre. With

Henry Dana Henry Edmund Pulteney Dana (1820–1852) established the Native Police Corps in the Port Phillip District (later Victoria) in 1842, he was responsible for two massacres of Aboriginal people one at Barmah Lake in 1843 and the other at Snowy River i ...

, he later founded the "Afternoon Theatre", and was director of many of its plays.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whelen, Frederick 1867 births 1955 deaths English theatre directors Members of the Fabian Society Theatre people from London