Patrick Garland

For the British barrister and judge, see Patrick Garland (judge).

Patrick Garland
Patrick Garland by Allan Warren
Born
Patrick Ewart Garland

10 April 1935
England
Died19 April 2013 (aged 78)
Worthing, West Sussex, England
Resting placeSaint Mary's churchyard, Sullington, West Sussex, England
Occupation(s)Actor, director and writer
Years active1963–2013
Spouse
​
(m. 1980)​
Parent(s)Ewart James Garland[1]
Rosalind Beatrice Fell[2]

Patrick Ewart Garland (10 April 1935 – 19 April 2013)[3] was a British director, writer and actor.[4]

Career

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Garland was educated at St Mary's College, Southampton, and St Edmund Hall, Oxford where he studied English and was Literary Editor of Isis, President of the Oxford University Poetry Society and President of the Oxford University Dramatic Society.[5][6][7] and in 1958 played Henry V directed by Peter Dews in Magdalen College deer park. Garland's poetry had appeared in John Lehmann's The London Magazine and the annual PEN anthology during his teens.[8] He was photographed in Oxford at 23 by Lord Snowdon and later.[9] His maternal grandfather was an artist and editor of Connoisseur Magazine, Herbert Granville Fell.[10]

His appearances as an actor included An Age of Kings, where he played Prince John in Henry IV, Part 2 and Clarence in Richard III, among others.[5]

Garland started Poetry International in 1967 with Ted Hughes and Charles Osborne.[5] He was a director and producer for the BBC's Music and Arts Department (1962–1974), and worked on its Monitor series. In 1964, he directed the Monitor film, "Down Cemetery Road", about Philip Larkin, in which John Betjeman also appeared.[11] His work with the BBC arts department included interviews with Noël Coward (1969), Stevie Smith, and Marcel Marceau.[12] His television film of The Snow Goose (1971) won a Golden Globe for "Best Movie made for TV", and was nominated for both a BAFTA and an Emmy.

Meanwhile, his career in the theatre had begun to develop. In 1967 he created a one-man show based on John Aubrey's Brief Lives with Roy Dotrice (and Michael Williams in a later revival) and the following year directed the original production of Alan Bennett's Forty Years On with John Gielgud as the headmaster of a decaying public school called Albion House.[5] In the mid-1970s, the musical Billy, based on Billy Liar, with Michael Crawford in the lead was performed at Drury Lane, He served as the Artistic Director for the Chichester Festival Theatre twice, 1981–1985 and 1990–1994, where he directed over 20 productions. He also raised money to build and open the theatre's second auditorium, the Minerva Theatre, Chichester.[12] He was the only director to have had four plays running in the West End of London at the same time.[citation needed]

In 1978 Garland directed Under the Greenwood Tree at Salisbury Playhouse.[citation needed] This production transferred to the Vaudeville Theatre in the Strand London West End in the spring of 1979. In 1980, Garland was responsible for the York Mystery Plays. He directed the revival of My Fair Lady on Broadway in the early 1980s with Rex Harrison (about whom he wrote The Incomparable Rex) and Don Giovanni and in Japan, Handel's opera Ottone. He also directed Eileen Atkins in his own adaptation of Virginia Woolf's book A Room of One's Own.

In 2000, he directed Simon Callow in The Mystery of Charles Dickens by Peter Ackroyd,[13] followed by a tour that culminated in Australia and Broadway (the 2012 revival did not directly involve Garland),[14] and Joan Collins in Full Circle by Alan Melville. He also worked with Alan Bennett again, directing Patricia Routledge in the second Talking Heads and Bennett himself in Telling Tales.

He directed the film of Ibsen's A Doll's House (1973) with Claire Bloom, Anthony Hopkins and Ralph Richardson, and his 1971 television film of The Snow Goose won Golden Globe: "Best Movie made for TV" and was nominated for both a BAFTA award and an Emmy. He directed Fanfare for Elizabeth at Covent Garden on Queen Elizabeth II's 60th Birthday, and in 1986 at Westminster Abbey Celebration of a Broadcaster.[15] of the late Richard Dimbleby. 1989 he directed the Thanksgiving Service in Westminster Abbey for Lord Olivier. In 1998 Garland devised 'A Christmas Glory' for the 300th anniversary of St Paul's Cathedral. He also devised and presented several performances for the Charleston Festival.

Personal life

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Garland was married to the actress Alexandra Bastedo from 1980; the wedding took place at Chichester Cathedral.[4] He was awarded Honorary D Litt at the University of Southampton 1994 and an Honorary Fellow of St Edmund Hall, Oxford in 1997.

Memoirs and book on Corsica

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Garland had been working on his memoirs, as well as a book about Corsica, that both remained unfinished at the time of his death. It was announced that his memoirs would be completed by Simon Callow.[16]

Archive

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After Garland's death the British Library acquired his archive [17] including diaries and journals, personal and professional correspondencve (including extensive correspondence with Alan Bennett and Ted Hughes), production files, prompt books and directors’ annotated scripts and material relating to Poetry International which Garland founded with Ted Hughes and the inaugural festival at London’s Southbank Centre in 1967.

Works

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Books

  • Brief Lives (1967)
  • A Man Whose Disapproval One Would Least Like to Have. A personal memoir of Lord David Cecil, the Goldsmith Professor of English Literature, printed privately 31pp. c.1988
  • The Wings of The Morning (1989)
  • Oswald The Owl (1990)
  • Angels in The Sussex Air (1995), an anthology of Sussex poets
  • The Incomparable Rex (1998),[18] a memoir of Rex Harrison. Republished with an introduction by Simon Callow (2019)
  • Abstract & Brief Chronicles (2007), a series of essays read by Garland

Poetry

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published in:

  • The London Magazine (1954)
  • New Poems (1954)
  • Oxford Poetry, edited by Peter Ferguson and Dennis Keene, Fantasy Press (1957)
  • Encounter (February 1986)
  • Encounter (September/October 1987)
  • Sussex Seams (1996)
  • Poetry West

Short stories

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published in:

  • Gemini
  • Light Blue, Dark Blue, published by MacDonald, (1960)
  • Englanderzählt, edited by Hilde Speil, published by Fischer, Frankfurt (1960)
  • Transatlantic Review "A Lull", (1970), (1971), (1976)

Introductions and articles

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  • John Clare by Patrick Garland, The London Magazine, Volume 1 No.7. August 1954
  • 15 Poems for William Shakespeare, with an introduction by Patrick Garland, John Lehmann, & William Plomer; Eric Walter White, (editor), published by Stratford-upon-Avon: The Trustees & Guardians of Shakespeare's Birthplace (1964)
  • 'Poets on Poetry' interviews with W.H. Auden, Seamus Heaney, Douglas Dunn, Patricia Beer and Marvin Cohen, The Listener, 8 November 1973[19]
  • Ninette de Valois reminisces to Patrick Garland, The Listener, 20 June 1974
  • Alan Bennett talks to Patrick Garland, Vogue, July 1986
  • 'An Arundel Tomb' on Philip Larkin's poem, includes: "An Enormous Yes: a Memoir of the Poet" by Patrick Garland, 1987
  • These Things also are Spring's, poems by Edward Thomas, selected and with an introduction by Patrick Garland, Folio Society, 1988
  • David Cecil: A Portrait by His Friends, edited by Hannah Cranborne, The Dovecote Press, 1990
  • Sussex Seams: A Collection of Travel Writing by Paul Foster, foreword by Garland, Sutton Publishing Ltd, 1996
  • Chichester and the Arts 1944-2004 – A Celebration edited by Paul Foster, introduction by Garland, University College Chichester, 2004 ISBN 094876581X
  • 'Laborious Lobster Nights, Farewell', Charleston Magazine, Issue 22, Autumn/Winter 2000, published by the Charleston Trust
  • 'The Habit of Art' by Alan Bennett, theatre programme article: "The Poet Auden" by Garland, Royal National Theatre, 2009
  • articles for The Oldie.

Chichester Festival Theatre productions

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Minerva Theatre productions at Chichester Festival Theatre
  • 1992
  • 1993
  • 1996
    • Beatrix adapted from the writings of Beatrix Potter by Garland and Judy Taylor – directed by Garland (opened at Minerva, then toured to Malvern, Plymouth, Guildford, Richmond, Bath and Windsor); Beatrix was broadcast by BBC Radio 4 on 21 February 1998

Selected other productions

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Charleston Festival Galas

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Selected television and film

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Television (as writer)

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  • 1960 – "The Hard Case" with John Hurt
  • 1961 – "The Younger Generation"
  • 1961 – "Flow Gently Sweet Afton" with John Thaw
  • 1968 - "The Highland Jaunt", journey to the Western Islands and Highlands of Scotland in 1773 by Dr. Johnson and Mr. James Boswell , adapted and directed by Patrick Garland, BBC Two
  • 1972 – I Spy a Stranger by Jean Rhys, dramatised by Garland
  • 1980 – "Every Night Something Awful""
  • 1980 – "Chaos Supersedes E.N.S.A."

Radio

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  • Broadcasts of poetry read by Garland included Ted Hughes's "The Storm", sub-titled 'from Homer, Odyssey, Book V', commissioned by Anthony Thwaite, broadcast on BBC Radio 3, 1960 [8]
  • "The War Between Men and Women", compiled by Garland, readers Judi Dench and Michael Williams, 1973
  • Quote, Unquote, Garland appeared (as himself) in two episodes in 1979 and in two episodes in 1992, BBC Radio 4

References

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  1. ^ IWM papers of Captain Ewart Garland
  2. ^ Geni
  3. ^ See "Patrick Garland, Alexandra Bastedo Champions Animal Sanctuary, but other sources date his death from the next day. For example: "Theatre director Patrick Garland dies", telegraph.co.uk, 20 April 2013
  4. ^ a b "Patrick Garland, theatre producer and director, dies aged 78". BBC News. 20 April 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  5. ^ a b c d Coveney, Michael (22 April 2013). "Obituary: Patrick Garland". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  6. ^ . St Edmund Hall notable alumni Archived 23 April 2013 at the Wayback Machine.Retrieved 8 January 2014
  7. ^ The Times Obituary Patrick Garland. Retrieved 22 April 2013
  8. ^ a b "Anthony Thwaite on Patrick Garland, 'an excellent reader of poetry'". The Guardian. 23 April 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  9. ^ National Portrait Gallery photograph by Lord Snowdon
  10. ^ The Independent
  11. ^ Garland, Patrick. "Filming with Philip Larkin", The Listener, 12 December 1985
  12. ^ a b Obituary: Patrick Garland, telegraph.co.uk, 21 April 2013
  13. ^ Darren Dalglish "The Mystery of Charles Dickens", London Theatre Archive, 6 September 2000
  14. ^ Henry Hitchings "The Mystery of Charles Dickens, Playhouse Theatre", Evening Standard, 18 September 2012
  15. ^ [1] BBC ref: 1986
  16. ^ "Patrick Garland to be remembered at Chichester Cathedral". Chichester Observer. 9 September 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  17. ^ Patrick Garland, British Library
  18. ^ Patrick Garland (1998). The Incomparable Rex: A Memoir of Rex Harrison in the 1980s: the Last of the High Comedians. Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-333-71796-7.
  19. ^ "Poets on Poetry: Seamus Heaney interviewed by Garland (video clip)". BBC. 18 September 2013. Retrieved 16 December 2020.

Further reading

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  • Chichester Festival Theatre at Fifty by Kate Mosse, 2012
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