John Alden, born Gordon Henry Buchanan, (19 January 1908 – 10 November 1962) was an Australian radio and theatrical actor, manager and director noted for his interpretation of

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 ...

and as the founder of the John Alden Shakespeare Company.

Biography

Alden was born and grew up in

Taree, New South Wales Taree is a town on the Mid North Coast, New South Wales, Australia. Taree and nearby Cundletown were settled in 1831 by William Wynter. Since then Taree has grown to a population of 26,381, and is the centre of a significant agricultural distri ...

, the third son of George Nathaniel Buchanan and Elizabeth Malina Buchanan (née Lee) and was a great-nephew of drover and explorer Nathaniel "Nat" Buchanan and miner and grazier William Henry. He studied to be a teacher in

Sydney 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 Mountain ...

. In 1934 he joined

Doris Fitton 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. ...

's Independent Theatre, and in 1937 retired from teaching to concentrate on acting. He played with Independent in most of their productions at the Savoy Theatre or their own hall at 360 Miller Street, Sydney then as producer or assistant to Doris Fitton. He spent three years working in England, including some performances at the

Old Vic Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary * Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Ma ...

. From 1943 he directed Shakespeare productions at the Theatre Royal for J. C. Williamson's Austral-American Productions. He then took a group to Japan to entertain the

Occupation Forces Japan was occupied and administered by the victorious Allies of World War II from the 1945 surrender of the Empire of Japan at the end of the war until the Treaty of San Francisco took effect in 1952. The occupation, led by the United States wi ...

. On his return, he acted in or produced several plays at the Independent Theatre, including a 1959 production of ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

''. Berry Dunston, as Berenice Adams, was a member of the cast, playing "Moth" and was an understudy for the role of "Titania". He was a foundation member of the "Radio Players" whose first production ''The Vinegar Tree'' opened at

Bryant's Playhouse Beryl Annear Bryant (1893 – 31 May 1973) was an Australian stage actress and theatrical producer born in America who was active in the 1930s and 1940s. She was responsible for first bringing the plays of Patrick White to the stage. Her career ...

in 1946 to lukewarm reviews, but had a long season, and the second production,

Max Catto Maxwell Jeffrey Catto (29 July 1907 – 12 March 1992) was born Mark Finkell in Manchester, England and was an English playwright and novelist. Writing career Catto wrote adventure novels and dramas for more than four decades and also wrote under ...

's ''They Walk Alone'' with

Lyndall Barbour Lyndall Harvey Barbour (19 May 1916 – 10 October 1986) was an Australian actress, primarily of radio, although she also added stage and television work (both series and made-for-television movies) to her repertoire. Born in Egypt to Australian p ...

and Therese Desmond (wife of Edward Howell was a triumph. He then formed his own Shakespeare company which in 1951–52 embarked on a national tour, playing major parts as well as producing.Melbourne ''Argus'' 29 March 1952 critique of Melbourne season
/ref> He had a heart attack in 1955 and appeared in early Australian TV plays. In 1959 he was sponsored by J. C. Williamson in a national Shakespeare tour with Scottish actor

John Laurie John Paton Laurie (25 March 1897 – 23 June 1980) was a Scottish actor. In the course of his career, Laurie performed on the stage and in films as well as television. He is perhaps best remembered for his role in the sitcom ''Dad's Army'' (196 ...

playing

Lear Lear or Leir may refer to: Acronyms * Liga de Escritores y Artistas Revolucionarios, a Mexican association of revolutionary artists and writers * Low Energy Ion Ring, an ion pre-accelerator of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN ** Low Energy Antipr ...

and

Shylock Shylock is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's play ''The Merchant of Venice'' (c. 1600). A Venetian Jewish moneylender, Shylock is the play's principal antagonist. His defeat and conversion to Christianity form the climax of the ...

alternately with him. In 1961 he helped organise the Sydney Shakespeare Festival. He died in 1962, from a coronary occlusion.

Sources

Australian Dictionary of Biography, online

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alden, John 1908 births 1962 deaths Australian male stage actors Australian theatre directors Australian theatre managers and producers 20th-century Australian male actors Australian LGBT actors 20th-century Australian LGBT people