Robert Thaddeus Taylor (1925–2006) was an American producer,

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 founder of the Shakespeare Society of America.

Taylor

Robert Thaddeus Taylor was born August 29, 1925, in

Wendell, Idaho Wendell is a city in southern Gooding County, Idaho, United States. The population was 2,782 at the 2010 census. Geography Wendell is located at (42.775974, -114.702699). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total are ...

. Known as Thad Taylor, he was a founder of the Shakespeare Society of America in 1968, which built a mini replica of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

Globe Theatre The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, on land owned by Thomas Brend and inherited by his son, Nicholas Brend, and gra ...

West Hollywood, California West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most ...

. It was dedicated to the production of classical plays. Taylor's Globe staged all of the plays in Shakespeare's

first folio ''Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies'' is a collection of plays by William Shakespeare, commonly referred to by modern scholars as the First Folio, published in 1623, about seven years after Shakespeare's death. It is cons ...

at the playhouse as well as productions of Shakespeare Apocrypha like ''

The Birth of Merlin ''The Birth of Merlin, or, The Child Hath Found his Father'' is a Jacobean play, probably written in whole or part by William Rowley. It was first performed in 1622 at the Curtain Theatre in Shoreditch. It contains a comic depiction of the bir ...

,'' ''

The Puritan ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' and ''

Sir John Oldcastle ''Sir John Oldcastle'' is an Elizabethan play about John Oldcastle, a controversial 14th-/15th-century rebel and Lollard who was seen by some of Shakespeare's contemporaries as a proto-Protestant martyr. Publication The play was originally p ...

'', the latter production directed by Taylor himself in 1986, and non-Shakespearean classics like ''

The Alchemist An alchemist is a person who practices alchemy. Alchemist or Alchemyst may also refer to: Books and stories * ''The Alchemist'' (novel), the translated title of a 1988 allegorical novel by Paulo Coelho * ''The Alchemist'' (play), a play by Ben ...

''. Among the awards Taylor received were the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award (shared with

DeVeren Bookwalter DeVeren Bookwalter (September 8, 1939 – July 23, 1987) was an American actor and director. He primarily appeared in theater, though he did have several film roles. DeVeren was the first person to win three Los Angeles Drama Critics Circ ...

) for his production of ''

Cyrano de Bergerac Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac ( , ; 6 March 1619 – 28 July 1655) was a French novelist, playwright, epistolarian, and duelist. A bold and innovative author, his work was part of the libertine literature of the first half of the 17th cen ...

'' and the

Drama-Logue Award The Drama-Logue Award was an American theater award established in 1977, given by the publishers of Drama-Logue newspaper, a weekly west-coast theater trade publication. Winners were selected by the publication's theater critics, and would recei ...

for his direction of ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

.''

Production of The Alchemist at the Globe Playhouse

Taylor died on October 5, 2006, in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

Shakespeare Society of America

The artifacts, archives and memorabilia from Hollywood's Globe Theatre and the Shakespeare Society of America were moved to

Moss Landing, California Moss Landing, formerly Moss, is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Monterey County, California, United States. It is located north-northeast of Monterey, at an elevation of . It is on the shore of Monterey Bay, at the ...

in 2007. This collection includes the work, notes books, and photographs of Taylor. This collection is on public display at 7981 Moss Landing Road in Moss Landing. the president of the society was Terry Taylor, nephew of the founder.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, R. Thad 1925 births 2006 deaths American theatre directors American theatre managers and producers People from Wendell, Idaho