Diana Devlin Explained

Diana Devlin (1 April 1941 - 27 September 2020) was a London based teacher, author and theatre academic who helped to create the Shakespeare's Globe theatre with her associate Sam Wanamaker.[1] [2] [3] [4]

Life

Devlin was born in Porthmadog, Wales on 1 April 1941.[1] She studied at Beaufort House primary school in Fulham, and then at Carlyle grammar school in Chelsea, where she was head girl at the school.[1] In 1960, she attended Cambridge University and obtained a second-class degree in English Literature.[1] [2] During her time at Cambridge she became close friends with the actress Miriam Margolyes.[2] [5] She married the actor Will Graham in 1968 but they divorced a few years later.[1] After attending Cambridge, she was awarded a Fulbright scholarship and subsequently gained a doctorate in theatre arts from the University of Minnesota.[1] [2] After graduation, Devlin became a lecturer in drama at Goldsmiths, University of London.[1] [2]

Devlin was a key figure in the development of the Shakespeare's Globe theatre.[1] [2] This began with her running the theatre's first summer school, which took place in 1972.[3] In 1985, she became the administrator of the theatre.[1] In 1997, Devlin was appointed as a trustee of the theatre and would later act as the deputy chair of the council from 2013.[1] [3]

In 1989, she married David Ogden but the marriage also ended in divorce.[1]

Between 1993 and 2013 she was the head of theatre studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.[1]

Devlin died on 27 September 2020.[1] The cause of death was pneumonia.[2]

Awards

In June 2019, she received the Sam Wanamaker Award in recognition of her pioneering support of the Globe for 47 years.[1] [6]

Publications

References

  1. Web site: Diana Devlin obituary . The Guardian . 30 November 2022.
  2. Web site: Diana Devlin obituary . The Times . 30 November 2022.
  3. Web site: Remembering Diana Devlin . Shakespeare's Globe . 30 November 2022.
  4. Web site: Obituary: Diana Devlin (1941-2020) . Guildhall School of Music and Drama . 30 November 2022.
  5. Book: Margolyes, Miriam . 2021 . This Much is True . John Murray . 978-1529379884.
  6. Web site: Shakespeare’s Globe celebrates founder Sam Wanamaker’s centenary with 2019 Sam Wanamaker Award . Theatre News . 30 November 2022.
  7. Web site: Sam Wanamaker by Diana Devlin . . 30 November 2022.