Louise Durant Petherbridge (née Harris, born 1931), is a New Zealand actor, director, deviser, producer and lecturer. Louise Petherbridge

Early life

Born in Dunedin, New Zealand, Petherbridge attended St Hilda's Collegiate and the

University of Otago , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate ...

, graduating in 1953 with a BA in English. She was an active member of the Otago University Drama Society (OUDS), and also appeared in plays for the Dunedin Repertory Society, including Aldous Huxley's ''The Gioconda Smile'' (1949). In 1953, Petherbridge won a New Zealand Government Drama Bursary, which allowed her to study for two years at the Northern Theatre School in Bradford, under Esmé Church. A fellow student was

Edward Petherbridge Edward Petherbridge (born 3 August 1936) is an English actor, writer and artist. Among his many roles, he portrayed Lord Peter Wimsey in the 1987 BBC television adaptations of Dorothy L. Sayers' novels, and Guildenstern in Tom Stoppard's ''R ...

, and the two married in 1957.

Career

Petherbridge acted in weekly and fortnightly rep with companies including Lincoln Theatre Rep and Ipswich Rep (under director

Peter Coe Percy Newbold "Peter" Coe (27 September 1919 – 9 August 2008) was a British athletics coach, author, translator and coach of his son Sebastian Coe. Early life and education Coe was born Percy Newbold Coe in Stepney, the only child of carpente ...

), playing Alison in the first out-of-London production of John Osborne's ''

Look Back in Anger ''Look Back in Anger'' (1956) is a realist play written by John Osborne. It focuses on the life and marital struggles of an intelligent and educated but disaffected young man of working-class origin, Jimmy Porter, and his equally competent yet i ...

'' in August 1957. She also played the title role in

The Diary of Anne Frank ''The Diary of a Young Girl'', also known as ''The Diary of Anne Frank'', is a book of the writings from the Dutch-language diary kept by Anne Frank while she was in hiding for two years with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherl ...

at Ipswich Rep early in 1958, again directed by Coe, amongst other plays. In 1958, Petherbridge (with her husband) returned to New Zealand to spend eighteen months touring with the

New Zealand Players The New Zealand Players were one of New Zealand's first professional theatre companies, active between 1952 and 1960. The company's director was Richard Campion, who with his wife and co-founder Edith Campion were former members of the New Zeala ...

under Stafford Byrne. She played the lead, Clarissa Hailsham-Brown, in Agatha Christie's ''The Spider's Web'', and Gwendolen Fairfax in Oscar Wilde's ''The Importance of Being Earnest''. Edward Petherbridge played Algernon Moncrieff in this production, and Stafford Byrne's wife, English actor Barbara Leake, played Lady Bracknell. Both shows toured the country during 1958 - 59, following which the Petherbridges performed with the NZ Players Drama Quartet, giving 150 schools performances during 1959, one of which Edward recalls in his autobiography. The Petherbridges returned to England, where Louise later gave birth to their son David, and continued her career, including a brief period working for Noël Coward. She returned to New Zealand in the mid 1970s, after she and Edward separated, divorcing in 1980. She has had a long and outstanding career as an actor, producer, writer/deviser and director in New Zealand. Petherbridge's many theatre acting roles after her return to New Zealand include: Amanda in ''

The Glass Menagerie ''The Glass Menagerie'' is a memory play by Tennessee Williams that premiered in 1944 and catapulted Williams from obscurity to fame. The play has strong autobiographical elements, featuring characters based on its author, his Histrionic persona ...

'' by

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thr ...

, 1977,

Fortune Theatre, Dunedin New Zealand's Fortune Theatre laid claim to being the world's southernmost professional theatre company and sole year round professional theatre group in Dunedin, until its closure on 1 May 2018, citing financial difficulties. The company ran ...

, at the

Athenaeum Athenaeum may refer to: Books and periodicals * ''Athenaeum'' (German magazine), a journal of German Romanticism, established 1798 * ''Athenaeum'' (British magazine), a weekly London literary magazine 1828–1921 * ''The Athenaeum'' (Acadia U ...

, directed by Murray Hutchinson; Eleanor of Aquitaine in James Goldman's ''The'' '' Lion in Winter'' 1980, Fortune Theatre, director Alex Gilchrist; Nurse in '' Romeo and Juliet'', 1981, Fortune Theatre, directed by Anthony Richardson; Stephanie Abrahams in Tom Kempinski's ''Duet For One'', Fortune Theatre, director Anthony Richardson; Judith Bliss in Noël Coward's '' Hay Fever'', 1984, Centrepoint Theatre, Palmerston North, directed by Stuart Devenie; Madame de Rosemonde in Christopher Hampton's '' Les Liaisons Dangereueses,'' 1986, Fortune Theatre, director Lisa Warrington; Lila in Michelanne Forster's ''Songs My Mother Taught Me'', 1994, Court 2, Christchurch, director Brian Bell; multiple roles in Giles Havergal's adaptation of Graham Greene's ''

Travels With My Aunt ''Travels with My Aunt'' (1969) is a novel written by English author Graham Greene. The novel follows the travels of Henry Pulling, a retired bank manager, and his eccentric Aunt Augusta as they find their way across Europe, and eventually ev ...

,'' 2000, Fortune Theatre, director Hilary Norris; Auntie in Morris Panych's ''Auntie and Me'', 2005, Fortune Theatre, director

Lisa Warrington Lisa Jadwiga Valentina Warrington (born 1952) is a New Zealand theatre studies academic, director, actor and author. She has directed more than 130 productions, and established the Theatre Aotearoa database. In 2014 she was awarded a Lifetime A ...

Plays and productions (selected list)

1974: Played

Katherine Mansfield Kathleen Mansfield Murry (née Beauchamp; 14 October 1888 – 9 January 1923) was a New Zealand writer, essayist and journalist, widely considered one of the most influential and important authors of the modernist movement. Her works are celebra ...

Brian McNeill Brian McNeill (born 6 April 1950, Falkirk, Scotland) is a Scottish folk multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer and musical director. He was a founding member of Battlefield Band which combined traditional Celtic melodies and new m ...

's ''The Two Tigers'' (

Fortune Theatre The Fortune Theatre is a 432-seat West End theatre on Russell Street, near Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster. Since 1989 the theatre has hosted the long running play ''The Woman in Black''. History The site was acquired by author, playw ...

at the

, director Murray Hutchinson). "Louise Petherbridge gave quite a superb performance as Katherine. So fluid in speech and movement, she was delicate or brave as required..." 1976: Director/co-adaptor (with Rowena Cullen), '' The Tempest,'' a

Bunraku (also known as ) is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theatre, founded in Osaka in the beginning of the 17th century, which is still performed in the modern day. Three kinds of performers take part in a performance: the or (puppeteers ...

puppet-style adaptation of Shakespeare's play, initially at the

Globe Theatre, Dunedin Globe Theatre is a theatre located in Dunedin, New Zealand, and the amateur theatre company that runs it. The theatre was built in 1961 by Patric and Rosalie Carey as an extension of their house. The building to which it is attached, at 104 Lond ...

, and in 1978 at the Court Theatre, Christchurch. 1978: Director/artistic director, ''

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

'', an adaptation of Virginia Woolf's novel ( John Drummond composer, Shona Dunlop choreographer) for Dunedin Dance Theatre as a contemporary masque, encompassing music, dance and drama. At Playhouse Theatre, Dunedin. "We do not presume to interpret Virginia Woolf's brilliant novel entire. This is simply a montage inspired by it." 1981: Director/co-creator ''While Grandmother Played Bridge'' for Dunedin Dance Theatre, at Dunedin Teachers College Auditorium, choreographer Shona Dunlop. Inspired by a short story by the Austrian emigre Dr Nicholas Zisserman, it sought to recreate the mood in Austria prior to and during the Nazi takeover as perceived by the young Nicholas. Performers included Petherbridge's son David as Young Nicholas,

Honor McKellar Winifred Honor McKellar (born 10 November 1920) is a New Zealand former mezzo-soprano opera singer and singing teacher, and was the first full-time lecturer in singing at the University of Otago in Dunedin. Her students have included Jonathan ...

, Jan Bolwell, Terry MacTavish, Carol Brown and others. 1981: Actor (Lady Bracknell), Oscar Wilde's ''

The Importance of Being Earnest ''The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious ...

'', Fortune Theatre, Dunedin, director Rawiri Paratene. 1982: Actor/script commissioner, ''The Perfumed Business Woman'' by Brian McNeill (playwright) and John Drummond (composer),

, Dunedin, director Anthony Richardson. A solo play about

Mata Hari Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod (née Zelle; 7 August 187615 October 1917), better known by the stage name Mata Hari (), was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for Germany during World War I. She was executed ...

. 1991: Director/deviser, with Edwin Carr (music), ''Coup De Folie'', a piece about NZ writer and teacher Sylvia Ashton-Warner (played by Terry MacTavish). Manhattan Theatre, Dunedin. Choreography by Shona Dunlop. 2007: Actor (Miss Helen), Athol Fugard's '' The Road To Mecca'', at the

, directed by

Film and television

Petherbridge has made some film and television appearances. Short films include ''Cake Tin (2006),'' directed by Rosemary Riddell and ''Dream-Makers'' (1992), written and directed by

Robert Sarkies Robert Sarkies (born 6 March 1967) is a New Zealand film director and screenwriter. Sarkies grew up in the South Island city of Dunedin. He attended Kaikorai Valley College. His three feature films to date have been set in Dunedin, or in the lowe ...

. She appeared in two episodes of ''Beyond the Law'' for TVNZ, in one of which she played con-artist

Amy Bock Amy Maud Bock (18 May 1859 – 29 August 1943) was a Tasmanian-born New Zealand female confidence trickster. Her usual pattern involved making emotional claims to her employer or other acquaintances in order to obtain money or property, or comm ...

, aka 'Percy Redwood'.

Awards and honours

In 2000, Petherbridge was awarded the QSO for community service in the Queen's Birthday Honours List. In 2012, she was given a Lifetime Achievement award at the Dunedin Theatre Awards. In 2014, she was awarded a New Zealand Theatre Services honour medal.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Petherbridge, Louise New Zealand theatre directors New Zealand women theatre directors 1931 births Companions of the Queen's Service Order University of Otago alumni Actors from Dunedin Living people