Kester Berwick (1903–1992) was born in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

and died an expatriate on

Corfu Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...

in the Greek islands. Born Frank Perkins, he took the name Kester Baruch because a friend told him that would sound "less plebeian", then changed it again at the beginning of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

when he was living in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. An Australian actor and writer, Berwick, who was gay, spent the final 23 years of his life in

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

. His life is the subject of one of the storylines in

Robert Dessaix Robert Dessaix (born 17 February 1944) is an Australian novelist, essayist and journalist. Biography Robert Dessaix was born in Sydney and adopted at an early age by Tom and Jean Jones, after which he was known as Robert Jones. Tom Jones, a ...

's novel ''Corfu''.

Biography

Born Frank Perkins in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

, he changed his name to Kester Baruch after a friend told him that would sound "less plebeian", than changed it again to Kester Berwick at the beginning of

, when he was living in

. He founded the experimental Ab-Intra Studio Theatre in

with Alan Harkness in 1931. In 1935, the two men closed Ab-Intra and went to Europe. Berwick studied at Dartington Hall,

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, with

Michael Chekhov Mikhail Aleksandrovich Chekhov (russian: Михаил Александрович Чехов; 29 August 1891 – 30 September 1955), known as Michael Chekhov, was an American actor, director, author and theatre practitioner. He was a nephew o ...

a former student of

Stanislavski Konstantin Sergeyevich Stanislavski ( Alekseyev; russian: Константин Сергеевич Станиславский, p=kənstɐnʲˈtʲin sʲɪrˈgʲejɪvʲɪtɕ stənʲɪˈslafskʲɪj; 7 August 1938) was a seminal Soviet Russian th ...

, for four years from 1936 to 1937. After

broke out he returned to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

to spend this time teaching. In the 'forties he was involved in directing plays at The Hut, now part of the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

Theatre Guild. He then taught for five years 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 ...

from 1955. Berwick settled in

Mithymna Mithymna () ( el, Μήθυμνα, also sometimes spelled ''Methymna'') is a town and former municipality on the island of Lesbos, North Aegean, Greece. Since the 2019 local government reform it is part of the municipality of West Lesbos, of whic ...

(Molyvos), on the island of

Lesbos Lesbos or Lesvos ( el, Λέσβος, Lésvos ) is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It has an area of with approximately of coastline, making it the third largest island in Greece. It is separated from Anatolia, Asia Minor ...

in 1960, later moving to Gastouri, Corfu in 1969 where he lived until his death at the age of 89 in 1992.

Plays and publications

* 1932: directed with Alan Harkness, ''The Demon's Mask'', at Ab-Intra * 1932: directed with Alan Harkness, ''The Robe of Yama'' with Thelma Thomas, at Ab-Intra * 1934: produced with Alan Harkness,

Jacques Copeau Jacques Copeau (; 4 February 1879 – 20 October 1949) was a French theatre director, producer, actor, and dramatist. Before he founded the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier in Paris, he wrote theatre reviews for several Parisian journals, work ...

's ''The House Into Which We Are Born'' and

Jean-Jacques Bernard Jean-Jacques Bernard (30 July 1888 – 14 September 1972) was a French playwright and the chief representative of what became known as ''l’école du silence'' or, as some critics called it, the ''art of the unexpressed'', in which the dialogue doe ...

's ''Martine'', at Ab-Intra * 1944: directed with

Brian Elliott Brian Elliott (born April 9, 1985) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the ninth round, 291st overall, of the 2003 NHL Entry ...

, ''Evening for Young Folk'', a play at The Hut, Adelaide. * 1945: director, ''The Stronger'', by

August Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (, ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than sixty p ...

. * 1946: director, ''Swirling'', by Denys Amiel and

André Obey André Obey (; 8 May 1892 at Douai, France – 11 April 1975 at Montsoreau, near the river Loire) was a prominent French playwright during the inter-war years, and into the 1950s. He began as a novelist and produced an autobiographical novel abou ...

. * 1948: director, ''The Rape of Lucrece'', by André Obey. His novel, ''Head of Orpheus Singing'', was published in 1973.

References

Kester Berwick, ''Head of Orpheus Singing,'' Angus & Robertson, London, 1973.

, ''Corfu,'' Picador (Pan MacMillan), Australia, 2001.

Thelma Afford Thelma May Afford (née Thomas) (1 December 1907 – 21 August 1996) was an Australian costume designer, theatre performer, and fashion journalist who worked in Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney. Biography Early years Afford was born Thelm ...

, "Ab-Intra Studio Theatre in Adelaide 1931-35", ''Australasian Drama Studies'' n. 12-13, pp. 167–180. Bundoora, Vic. : Theatre and Drama Program,

La Trobe University La Trobe University is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora. The university was established in 1964, becoming the third university in the state of Victoria an ...

, "The Most Experimental Little Theatre", ''Dreamers and Visionaries: Adelaide's Little Theatres from the 1920s to the early 1940s'' pp. 45–72.

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 ...

: Currency Press.

External links

* http://www.adelaide.edu.au/theatreguild/past/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Berwick, Kester 1903 births 1992 deaths Australian male stage actors Australian gay actors Australian gay writers Australian LGBT dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Australian male actors Australian male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Australian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Australian male writers 20th-century Australian LGBT people Australian expatriates in Greece