Powys Thomas (25 December 1925 – 22 June 1977) was a British-born actor who played an important role in the development of theatre in Canada.

History

He was born in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

in December 1925. His early education was at Rendcomb College, Cirencester, Gloucestershire. He was known there as Willie. He was a leading light in the school's many theatrical ventures. He left Rendcomb in 1944 with a history scholarship to

Queens' College, Cambridge Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the oldest colleges of the university, founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. The college spans the River Cam, colloquially referred to as the "light s ...

. Soon thereafter he was called up as a Bevin Boy (coal miner apprentice) to serve as a coal miner in Wales for the duration of World War II. He studied at the

Bristol Old Vic Theatre School The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School is a drama school in Bristol, England. The institution provides training in acting and production for careers in film, television and theatre. BOVTS is an affiliate of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama. I ...

. He was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company at

Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon (), commonly known as just Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-we ...

from 1951 to 1956. Thomas came to Canada in 1956 and worked for the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

. He was one of the first actors at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

and was the first director for the actors' workshops there. With

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 the ...

, he founded the

National Theatre School of Canada The National Theatre School of Canada (NTS, french: École nationale de théâtre du Canada) is a private institution of professional theatre studies in Montreal, Quebec. Established in 1960, the NTS receives its principal funding from grants ...

in 1960 and was artistic director for the English section until 1965. Thomas also founded the Vancouver Playhouse school. He gave memorable performances in ''

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane an ...

'' in Vancouver, ''The Three Musketeers'', '' Waiting for Godot'' and ''

Lorenzaccio ''Lorenzaccio'' is a French play of the Romantic period written by Alfred de Musset in 1834, set in 16th-century Florence, and depicting Lorenzino de' Medici, who killed Florence's tyrant, Alessandro de' Medici, his cousin. Having engaged in de ...

'' at Stratford (Ontario) and in '' Three Sisters'' in Winnipeg. Thomas can be seen as Hudson in "

The Last Voyage of Henry Hudson ''The Last Voyage of Henry Hudson'' is an oil-on-canvas painting by English artist John Collier, created in 1881. It is part of the Tate Britain collections since 1881. History and description The painting depicts the historical event that happ ...

" a role to which he gives Shakespearean dimensions, black and white (Educational Film Board of Canada) on YouTube.

Death

Thomas died suddenly during a holiday in Wales on 22 June 1977, at the age of 51.

References

External links

* 1925 births 1977 deaths 20th-century Welsh male actors Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge British emigrants to Canada National Theatre School of Canada faculty Welsh male stage actors Bevin Boys Welsh miners {{Wales-actor-stub