The Noël Coward Society is an international society founded with the agreement of Coward's literary agent and estate to celebrate the life and work of Sir

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...

. The Noël Coward Society was founded in 1999 to study, promote, and enjoy the many aspects of Coward's achievements. It owns an extensive archive of recordings and written works and is attempting to become the official online archive of all things "Coward". The society is managed by Noël Coward Ltd., a charitable company. It is currently administered from

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

, Norfolk, UK, and has a membership of just over 700 people worldwide. The day-to-day running of the society is managed by an organising committee. The society has representatives in France, Australia, and the USA. Each year, it celebrates the birth of Noël Coward at the

Noël Coward Theatre The Noël Coward Theatre, formerly known as the Albery Theatre, is a West End theatre in St. Martin's Lane in the City of Westminster, London. It opened on 12 March 1903 as the New Theatre and was built by Sir Charles Wyndham behind Wyndham's ...

and the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dr ...

on the nearest Friday to his birthdate. The celebration consists of the AGM of the society at the Noël Coward Theatre followed by a celebrity from the theatre world laying flowers on the statue of Sir Noël Coward in the foyer of the Theatre Royal. The Annual Lunch follows in the Grand Saloon at the theatre, followed by a cabaret. In 2002, Ken Starrett was appointed the North American director of the Noël Coward Society and in 2003, Starrett organized an annual birthday celebration that took place in December in the United States. The event included the flower-laying ceremony at the

Gershwin Theatre The Gershwin Theatre (originally the Uris Theatre) is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 222 West 51st Street (Manhattan), 51st Street, on the second floor of the Paramount Plaza office building, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New ...

in Manhattan and a special lunch. Among the celebrities who have placed flowers in front of Coward's statue are

Tammy Grimes Tammy Lee Grimes (January 30, 1934 – October 30, 2016) was an American film and stage actress. Grimes won two Tony Awards in her career, the first for originating the role of Molly Tobin in the musical '' The Unsinkable Molly Brown'' and the ...

Keir Dullea Keir Atwood Dullea (; born May 30, 1936) is an American actor. He played astronaut David Bowman in the 1968 film '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'' and its 1984 sequel, '' 2010: The Year We Make Contact''. His other film roles include '' David and Lisa ...

, Tony Walton, Kitty Carlisle Hart,

Hayley Mills Hayley Catherine Rose Vivien Mills (born 18 April 1946) is an English actress. The daughter of Sir John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell, and younger sister of actress Juliet Mills, she began her acting career as a child and was hailed as a promising ...

Marian Seldes Marian Hall Seldes (August 23, 1928 – October 6, 2014) was an American actress. A five-time Tony Award nominee, she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for '' A Delicate Balance'' in 1967, and received subsequent nominations ...

Jim Dale Jim Dale (born James Smith; 15 August 1935) is an English actor, composer, director, narrator, singer and songwriter. In the United Kingdom he is known as a pop singer of the 1950s who became a leading actor at the National Theatre. In Britis ...

Victor Garber Victor Joseph Garber (born March 16, 1949) is a Canadian-American actor and singer. Known for his work in film, television, and theatre, he has been nominated for three Gemini Awards, four Tony Awards, and six Primetime Emmy Awards. He has also ...

Christine Ebersole Christine Ebersole (born February 21, 1953) is an American actress and singer. She has appeared in film, television, and on stage. She starred in the Broadway musicals '' 42nd Street'' and ''Grey Gardens'', winning two Tony Awards. She has co-s ...

Dick Cavett Richard Alva Cavett (; born November 19, 1936) is an American television personality and former talk show host. He appeared regularly on nationally broadcast television in the United States for five decades, from the 1960s through the 2000s. In ...

Stephen Fry Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director and writer. He first came to prominence in the 1980s as one half of the comic double act Fry and Laurie, alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring ...

Joan Copeland Joan Maxine Kupchik ( Miller; June 1, 1922 – January 4, 2022), known professionally as Joan Copeland, was an American actress. She was the younger sister of playwright Arthur Miller. She began her career during the mid-1940s, appearing in thea ...

Jamie Ross Jamie Ross (born 4 May 1939 in Markinch) is a Scottish-American actor, best known for his work on Broadway. Career Ross made his Broadway debut in 1971 as Major Caldwell in Leon Uris's short lived musical ''Ari''. His first major success w ...

Penny Fuller A penny is a coin ( pennies) or a unit of currency (pl. pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. Presently, it is th ...

, and

Dana Ivey Dana Robins Ivey (born August 12, 1941) is an American actress. She is a five-time Tony Award nominee for her work on Broadway, and won the 1997 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play for her work in both ''Sex and Longing' ...

. Also, a similar ceremony is held at

Firefly Estate Firefly Estate, located east of Oracabessa, Jamaica, is the burial place of Sir Noël Coward and his former holiday home. It is now listed as a National Heritage Site by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust. Although the setting is Edenic, the ho ...

(Coward's home)http://www.jnht.com/heritage_site.php?id=257 Reference to Coward's home in Jamaica in Jamaica. On December 31, 2016, Ken Starrett officially stepped down after serving as North American director for 14 years. In March 2017, for his services and contributions to the Noël Coward Society as well as being instrumental in introducing Noël Coward's music and songs to many cabaret performers, Ken Starrett was awarded the Board of Directors Award at the 31st annual

MAC Awards The MAC Awards, established in 1986, are presented annually to honor achievements in cabaret, comedy and jazz. They are administered by the non-profit Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs (MAC), founded in 1983, and voted on by the MAC member ...

. In 2018, Ken Starrett's position as US director of the Noël Coward Society was taken over by Jeffrey Hardy.

External links

The Noël Coward Society
* *

References

Music fan clubs Literary societies Noël Coward Organizations established in 1999 1999 establishments in England {{int-org-stub