Jacob Thomas "Jack" Grein (generally referred to as J. T. Grein; 11 October 1862 – 22 June 1935) was a British

impresario An impresario (from the Italian ''impresa'', "an enterprise or undertaking") is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays, or operas, performing a role in stage arts that is similar to that of a film or television producer. His ...

and drama critic of Dutch origin who helped establish the modern theatre in London.Wearing, J. P
"Grein, Jacob Thomas (1862–1935)"
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edition, January 2008, accessed 12 March 2013

Biography

Grein was born and raised in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

, Grein moved to London in 1885 and worked for the

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...

was

naturalised Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the i ...

as a British subject in 1895. His greatest achievement was founding the Independent Theatre Society in 1891, based on the concept of Andre Antoine 's Naturalistic Theatre Libre in Paris. Their first production was '' Ghosts'' by Henrik Ibsen in 1891. Their performances were held as "private" subscription performances, which allowed them to present plays that were not officially licensed by the

Lord Chamberlain's Office The Lord Chamberlain's Office is a department within the British Royal Household. It is concerned with matters such as protocol, state visits, investitures, garden parties, royal weddings and funerals. For example, in April 2005 it organised th ...

. In 1892, the Society produced ''

Widowers' Houses ''Widowers' Houses'' (1892) was the first play by George Bernard Shaw to be staged. It premièred on 9 December 1892 at the Royalty Theatre, under the auspices of the Independent Theatre Society — a subscription club, formed to escape th ...

'', the first play by

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...

. Grein married the actress Alice Augusta Greeven in 1904; she later wrote and edited a biography of him under the pen name Michael Orme. She also wrote a number of plays as Michael Orme and as Alix Greeven. The Greins worked continually to introduce European drama to London. They founded the German Theatre in London Programme in 1900, hosting German actors and directors such as Max Behrend and Hans Andresen in productions of German drama (performed in German). This programme lasted, in various forms, until 1908."Mr. J. T. Grein", ''The Times'', 24 June 1935, p. 9 The influences were not all one way: in April 1907, Grein organised a visit by

Herbert Beerbohm Tree Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree (17 December 1852 – 2 July 1917) was an English actor and theatre manager. Tree began performing in the 1870s. By 1887, he was managing the Haymarket Theatre in the West End, winning praise for adventurous progr ...

's company – based at His Majesty's Theatre – to

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and Berlin. The visit was made at the personal invitation of the

German Emperor The German Emperor (german: Deutscher Kaiser, ) was the official title of the head of state and hereditary ruler of the German Empire. A specifically chosen term, it was introduced with the 1 January 1871 constitution and lasted until the offi ...

; the imperial railway train transported them from the

Hook of Holland Hook of Holland ( nl, Hoek van Holland, ) is a town in the southwestern corner of Holland, hence the name; ''hoek'' means "corner" and was the word in use before the word ''kaap'' – "cape", from Portuguese ''cabo'' – became Dutch. The English t ...

. Grein and Tree were awarded the

Order of the Red Eagle The Order of the Red Eagle (german: Roter Adlerorden) was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful se ...

for their successful tour.Dekker, Nicholas ''The Modern Catalyst:German Influences on the British Stage'' pp.23–4 (Ohio State University, 2007) In 1930, he founded 'The People's National Theatre', with

Nancy Price Nancy Price, CBE (3 February 1880 – 31 March 1970), was an English actress on stage and screen, author and theatre director. Her acting career began in a repertory theatre company before progressing to the London stage, silent films, talkies a ...

. Grein died of a heart attack at his London home in 1935, aged 72.

Notes

References

* Carlson, Marvin. ''The Théâtre-Libre, The Freie Bühne, The Independent Theatre: A Comparative Study.'' Diss. Cornell University, 1961. * Schoonderwoerd, N. H. G. ''J. T. Grein: Ambassador of the Theatre, 1862–1935. A Study in Anglo-Continental Theatrical Relations''. Assen: Van Gorcum, 1963. * Orme, Michael lice Grein ''J. T. Grein: The Story of a Pioneer''. London: John Murray, 1936.
''Encyclopædia Britannica''
1862 births 1935 deaths British theatre managers and producers British theatre critics Businesspeople from Amsterdam Dutch emigrants to England Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom Presidents of the Critics' Circle {{netherlands-bio-stub