Norman Ayrton (25 September 1924 – 22 June 2017) was an

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

, and theatre instructor. As a young man, Ayrton's home was bombed during the

London Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

, forcing him to relocate to the countryside. He later described this experience as having given him the courage to pursue a career in theatre. He trained for the stage at the Old Vic School under the tutelage of

Michel Saint-Denis Michel Jacques Saint-Denis (13 September 1897 – 31 July 1971), ''dit'' Jacques Duchesne, was a French actor, theatre director, and drama theorist whose ideas on actor training have had a profound influence on the development of European th ...

before joining the company in 1948. After spending several years acting in repertory theatre in Farnham and

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 ...

, Ayrton returned to the

Old Vic Theatre The Old Vic is a 1,000-seat, not-for-profit producing theatre in Waterloo, London, England. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, and renamed in 1833 the Royal Victoria Theatre. In 1871 it was rebuilt and reopened as the Royal ...

in 1951 to teach movement. The following year he opened his own teaching studio in London, though he also taught at the

Royal Shakespeare Theatre The Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RST) (originally called the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre) is a grade II* listed 1,040+ seat thrust stage theatre owned by the Royal Shakespeare Company dedicated to the English playwright and poet William Shakespea ...

in Stratford. In 1954, Ayrton was appointed the Assistant Principal of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, a position he held until 1966, whenceforth he served as the Academy's Principal until 1972. Ayrton served as the CHQ Drama Adviser to the

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Movement from 1960 through 1975. In 1973, Ayrton served as a guest theatre consultant to the

Australian Council for the Arts The Australia Council for the Arts, commonly known as the Australia Council, is the country's official arts council, serving as an arts funding and advisory body for the Government of Australia. The council was announced in 1967 as the Austr ...

. In 1963, he directed his first London opera production with '' Artaxerxes'' at the Handel Society. He went on to direct his first production in the United States in 1967 with ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vi ...

'' in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. Ayrton joined the faculty at the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

in 1974. Two years later, he directed his first production at the Sydney Opera House with ''

Lakmé ''Lakmé'' is an opera in three acts by Léo Delibes to a French libretto by Edmond Gondinet and Philippe Gille. The score, written from 1881 to 1882, was first performed on 14 April 1883 by the Opéra-Comique at the (second) Salle Favart in ...

''. Ayrton has also directed operas at the Covent Garden. In his later years, Ayrton taught classes in the British American Drama Academy's Midsummer Conservatory Program, a summer Shakespearean acting workshop for students from the UK, US, and Mexico. He died at

Denville Hall Denville Hall is a historic building in Northwood, a town in the London Borough of Hillingdon, England, which is used as a retirement home for professional actors, actresses and members of other theatrical professions. The present building inc ...

on 22 June 2017 at the age of 92.Ayrton
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Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ayrton, Norman 1924 births 2017 deaths English theatre directors Instructors of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art Theatre people from London