Margaret Nancy Hewins (14 February 1902 – 17 January 1978) was a British theatre director and actress. She founded the first all-woman theatre troupe who toured the UK presenting Shakespeare particularly to schools.

Life

Hewins was born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

. Her parents were Margaret (born) and

William Hewins William Albert Samuel Hewins (11 May 1865 – 17 November 1931) was a British economist and Conservative politician. In 1895, he was appointed by Sidney Webb as the first Director of the London School of Economics, a post he held until 1903. Fa ...

. She had a brother and a sister. Her godmother was Beatrice Webb (her father had been appointed to be the director of the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is a public university, public research university located in London, England and a constituent college of the federal University of London. Founded in 1895 by Fabian Society members Sidn ...

in 1895 by Sidney Webb. She became interested in the theatre while she was at St Hugh's College in Oxford. In 1924 she graduated and set up an amateur theatre company called Isis. She founded the first British professional all-woman set of players named "Osiris" in 1927. She was helped by £40 which

Lord Rothermere Viscount Rothermere, of Hemsted in the county of Kent, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1919 for the press lord Harold Harmsworth, 1st Baron Harmsworth. He had already been created a baronet, of Horsey in th ...

gave her to help. Rothermere was a friend of her fathers. The troupe toured in two Rolls-Royces because Hewins said that they were big enough to take them and their props and they were reliable. The troupe toured the UK presenting Shakespeare particularly to schools. The troupe was never larger than seven women and they were the actors and the crew. The troupe would sleep on the floor of village halls as the budget never stretched to paying for board and lodging. She had a few actors who were the core of the troupe but most would be employed for a couple of years and then they would be replaced as they could not endure the conditions of the employment. The troupe never received grants but survived on its own fortunes. Hewins would occasionally take work as a lighting expert for other productions. She worked for pageants and for the director Edy Craig. Others found Craig abrupt, but Hewins welcomed her direct criticism.

Death and legacy

Hewins died in 1978 in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

and the players were disbanded by former Osiris member Wynne Griffiths. Her troupe had toured throughout England but they never appeared in the West End. In 2004

Imogen Stubbs Imogen Stubbs (born 20 February 1961) is an English actress and writer. Her first leading part was in '' Privileged'' (1982), followed by '' A Summer Story'' (1988). Her first play, '' We Happy Few'', was produced in 2004. In 2008 she joined ...

play "

We Happy Few ''We Happy Few'' is an action-adventure survival horror video game developed by Compulsion Games and published by Gearbox Publishing. In 2016, an early access version was released for Microsoft Windows, with the full game seeing wide release ...

" was performed at the London's

Gielgud Theatre The Gielgud Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, at the corner of Rupert Street, in the City of Westminster, London. The house currently has 986 seats on three levels. The theatre was designed by W. G. R. Sprague and ...

. The play was based on Hewins and her troupe's life during the second world war. A production of "Much Ado About Nothing" was inspired by Hewins. It was directed by Brigid Larmour at the

Watford Palace Theatre Watford Palace Theatre, opened in 1908, is an Edwardian Grade II listed building in Watford, Hertfordshire. The 600-seat theatre on Clarendon Road was refurbished in 2004. It houses its own rehearsal room, wardrobe, cafe and bar. History The ...

in 2018 and it was set during WWII and included an all-woman cast.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hewins, Nancy 1902 births 1978 deaths People from London British theatre directors