Orson Welles theatre credits explained

This is a comprehensive listing of the theatre work of Orson Welles.

1918

Date	Title	Author	Role	Company	Theatre	Director	Notes	References
July 10	Madame Butterfly	Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, libretto Giacomo Puccini, score	Trouble	Chicago Opera	Ravinia Opera House	Cleofonte Campanini		^[1]
1918	Samson and Delilah	Ferdinand Lemaire, libretto Camille Saint-Saëns, score	walk-on	Chicago Opera

1925

Date	Title	Author	Role	Company	Theatre	Director	Notes	References
1925	Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde	Robert Louis Stevenson, novella) Orson Welles, adaptation	Dr. Henry Jekyll/Edward Hyde	Camp Indianola	Governor Nelson State Park	Orson Welles
1925	A Christmas Carol	Charles Dickens, novella Orson Welles, adaptation	Scrooge		Washington School, Madison, Wisconsin	Orson Welles		^[2]

1926

Date	Title	Author	Role	Company	Theatre	Director	Notes	References
1926	Nativity play		Mary	Todd Seminary for Boys	Todd Seminary for Boys	Roger Hill
1926	The Servant in the House		Jesus	Todd Seminary for Boys	Todd Seminary for Boys	Roger Hill		^[3]
1926	Dust of the Road		Judas Iscariot	Todd Seminary for Boys	Todd Seminary for Boys	Roger Hill

1931

Date	Title	Author	Role	Company	Theatre	Director	Notes	References
1931	Winter of Our Discontent	William Shakespeare, plays Orson Welles, adaptation	Richard III	Todd Troupers	Todd School for Boys	Orson Welles
October 13–31	Jew Süss	Lion Feuchtwanger, novel Ashley Dukes, adaptation	Duke Karl Alexander of Württemberg	Dublin Gate Theatre Company	Gate Theatre, Dublin	Hilton Edwards
November 3–14	The Dead Ride Fast	David Sears	Ralph Bentley	Dublin Gate Theatre Company	Gate Theatre, Dublin	Hilton Edwards
November 20– December 5	The Archdupe	Percy Robinson	Marshal François Bazaine Mexican Colonel	Dublin Gate Theatre Company	Gate Theatre, Dublin	Hilton Edwards		^[6]
December 6	The Circle		Lord Porteous		Abbey Theatre, Dublin
December 26– January 9, 1932	Mogu of the Desert	Padraic Colum	Chosroes, King of Persia	Dublin Gate Theatre Company	Gate Theatre, Dublin	Hilton Edwards
December 27	Alice in Wonderland USA	Lewis Carroll, novel William Sherwood, adaptation		Peacock Players	Peacock Theatre, Dublin			^[7]
1931	The Lady from the Sea	Henrik Ibsen			Dublin	Orson Welles
1931	Three Sisters	Anton Chekhov			Dublin
1931–32	Hay Fever				Dublin	Orson Welles
1931–32	Mr. Wu	Harry M. Vernon and Harold Owen	Mr. Wu		Dublin	Orson Welles
1931–32	The Only Way	Frederick Longbridge and Freeman Wills			Dublin	Orson Welles
1931–32	Peer Gynt	Henrik Ibsen	Peer Gynt		Dublin
1931–32	The Father		Acting role		Dublin
1931–32	The Rivals	Richard Brinsley Sheridan	Acting role		Dublin
1931–32	The Emperor Jones		Acting role		Dublin
1931–32	La locandiera	Carlo Goldoni	Acting role		Dublin
1931–32	The Play's the Thing	P. G. Wodehouse and Ferenc Molnár	Acting role		Dublin
1931–32	Man and Superman	George Bernard Shaw	Acting role		Dublin
1931–32	Grumpy	Horace Hodges and T. Wrigley Percival	Acting role		Dublin
1931–32	The Makropulos Affair		Acting role		Dublin
1931–32	The Dover Road	A. A. Milne	Acting role		Dublin
1931–32	Volpone	Ben Jonson	Acting role		Dublin
1931–32	Rope	Patrick Hamilton	Ronald Kentley		Dublin
1931–32	Richard III	William Shakespeare	Acting role		Dublin
1931–32	Macbeth	William Shakespeare	Acting role		Dublin
1931–32	Timon of Athens	William Shakespeare	Acting role		Dublin
1931–32	King John	William Shakespeare	Acting role		Dublin

1932

Date	Title	Author	Role	Company	Theatre	Director	Notes	References
January 12–26	Death Takes a Holiday	Alberto Casella, play Walter Ferris, adaptation	Baron Lamberto	Dublin Gate Theatre Company	Gate Theatre, Dublin	Hilton Edwards
February 2–13	Hamlet	William Shakespeare	The Ghost Fortinbras	Dublin Gate Theatre Company	Gate Theatre, Dublin	Hilton Edwards
1932	Dr. Knock	Jules Romains		Peacock Players	Peacock Theatre, Dublin
1932	The Chinese Bungalow	Marion Osmond and James Corbet	acting role		Dublin	Orson Welles		^[8]
February 16 - 27	The All Alone	Henry B O'Hanlon		The Dublin Repertory Theatre	Peacock Theatre, Dublin	William Sherwood		^[9] ^[10] ^[11]

1933

Date	Title	Author	Role	Company	Theatre	Director	Notes	References
May	Twelfth Night	William Shakespeare		Todd Troupers	Todd School for Boys	Roger Hill and Orson Welles
July	Twelfth Night	William Shakespeare		Todd Troupers	Chicago Drama Festival, A Century of Progress Exposition, English Village	Roger Hill and Orson Welles		^[12]
November 29– June 20, 1934	Romeo and Juliet	William Shakespeare	Mercutio Chorus	Katharine Cornell repertory company	National tour beginning at the Erlanger Theatre in Buffalo, New York, Cornell's hometown	Guthrie McClintic
December 2– June 20, 1934	The Barretts of Wimpole Street	Rudolf Besier	Octavius Moulton-Barrett	Katharine Cornell repertory company	National tour beginning at the Erlanger Theatre in Buffalo, New York	Guthrie McClintic		^[13]
December– June 20, 1934	Candida	George Bernard Shaw	Eugene Marchbanks	Katharine Cornell repertory company	National tour	Guthrie McClintic

1934

Date	Title	Author	Role	Company	Theatre	Director	Notes	References
July 12–22	Trilby	George du Maurier	Svengali	Todd School for Boys	Woodstock Opera House	Orson Welles
July 26– August 5	Hamlet	William Shakespeare	Claudius Ghost of Hamlet's Father	Todd School for Boys	Woodstock Opera House	Hilton Edwards		^[14] ^[15]
August 9–19	Tsar Paul	Dmitry Merezhkovsky	Count Pahlen	Todd School for Boys	Woodstock Opera House	Hilton Edwards
August 22–25	The Drunkard	William H. Smith	Cameo appearance	Todd School for Boys	Woodstock Opera House	Charles O'Neal
December 3–9	Romeo and Juliet	William Shakespeare	Tybalt Chorus	Katharine Cornell repertory company	Cass Theatre, Detroit, Michigan	Guthrie McClintic		^[16]
December 10–11	Romeo and Juliet	William Shakespeare	Tybalt Chorus	Katharine Cornell repertory company	Hanna Theatre, Cleveland, Ohio	Guthrie McClintic		^[17] ^[18]
December 14–15	Romeo and Juliet	William Shakespeare	Tybalt Chorus	Katharine Cornell repertory company	Nixon Theatre, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	Guthrie McClintic		^[19] ^[20]
December 20– February 23, 1935	Romeo and Juliet	William Shakespeare	Tybalt Chorus	Katharine Cornell repertory company	Martin Beck Theatre, New York City	Guthrie McClintic		^[21] ^[22]

1936

Date	Title	Author	Role	Company	Theatre	Director	Notes	References
April 12	Macbeth	William Shakespeare, play Orson Welles, adaptation		Federal Theatre Project	Lafayette Theatre, Harlem, New York City	Orson Welles
April 14 – June 20	Macbeth	William Shakespeare, play Orson Welles, adaptation		Federal Theatre Project	Lafayette Theatre, Harlem, New York City	Orson Welles
July 6–18	Macbeth	William Shakespeare, play Orson Welles, adaptation		Federal Theatre Project	Adelphi Theatre, New York City	Orson Welles		^[23]
July 21–25	Macbeth	William Shakespeare, play Orson Welles, adaptation		Federal Theatre Project	Park Theatre, Bridgeport, Connecticut^[24]	Orson Welles
July 28 – August 1	Macbeth	William Shakespeare, play Orson Welles, adaptation		Federal Theatre Project	Hartford, Connecticut	Orson Welles
August 6 – ?	Macbeth	William Shakespeare, play Orson Welles, adaptation		Federal Theatre Project	Exhibit Theatre, Dallas, Texas	Orson Welles		^[25]
August 13–23	Macbeth	William Shakespeare, play Orson Welles, adaptation		Federal Theatre Project	Amphitheater, Texas Centennial Exposition, Dallas, Texas	Orson Welles		^[26]
August 25–29	Macbeth	William Shakespeare, play Orson Welles, adaptation		Federal Theatre Project	Keith's Theatre, Indianapolis, Indiana	Orson Welles		^[27]
September 1–13	Macbeth	William Shakespeare, play Orson Welles, adaptation		Federal Theatre Project	Great Northern Theater, Chicago, Illinois	Orson Welles		^[28]
September 1936	Macbeth	William Shakespeare, play Orson Welles, adaptation		Federal Theatre Project	Detroit, Michigan	Orson Welles
September 1936	Macbeth	William Shakespeare, play Orson Welles, adaptation		Federal Theatre Project	Cleveland, Ohio	Orson Welles
September 23–25	Macbeth	William Shakespeare, play Orson Welles, adaptation		Federal Theatre Project	Civic University, Syracuse, New York	Orson Welles		^[29]
September 26 – December 5	Horse Eats Hat	Eugène Labiche and Marc-Michel, play Orson Welles and Edwin Denby, adaptation	Mugglethorp	Federal Theatre Project	Maxine Elliott's Theatre, New York City	Orson Welles
October 6–17	Macbeth	William Shakespeare, play Orson Welles, adaptation		Federal Theatre Project	Majestic Theatre, Brooklyn, New York	Orson Welles		^[30] ^[31]
October 23 – November 1	Ten Million Ghosts	Sidney Kingsley	André Pequot		St. James Theatre, New York City	Sidney Kingsley		^[32]

1937

Date	Title	Author	Role	Company	Theatre	Director	Notes	References
January 8 – May 29	The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus	Christopher Marlowe	Faustus	Federal Theatre Project	Maxine Elliott Theatre, New York City	Orson Welles		^[33]
April 21–23	The Second Hurricane	Edwin Denby, libretto Aaron Copland, score		Henry Street Settlement Music School	Henry Street Settlement Playhouse, New York City	Orson Welles
June 16 – July 1	The Cradle Will Rock	Marc Blitzstein		Federal Theatre Project	Venice Theatre, New York City	Orson Welles
Summer	The Cradle Will Rock	Marc Blitzstein		Federal Theatre Project	Tour of steel districts of Pennsylvania and Ohio	Orson Welles
November 11 – May 28, 1938	Caesar	William Shakespeare, play Orson Welles, adaptation		Mercury Theatre	Mercury Theatre, New York City	Orson Welles		^[34]
December 5–19	The Cradle Will Rock	Marc Blitzstein		Mercury Theatre	Mercury Theatre, New York City	Orson Welles		^[35]
December 25	The Shoemaker's Holiday	Thomas Dekker		Mercury Theatre	Mercury Theatre, New York City	Orson Welles		^[36]

1938

Date	Title	Author	Role	Company	Theatre	Director	Notes	References
January 1 – April 28	The Shoemaker's Holiday	Thomas Dekker		Mercury Theatre	Mercury Theatre, New York City	Orson Welles
January 3 – April 2	The Cradle Will Rock	Marc Blitzstein		Mercury Theatre	Windsor Theatre and Mercury Theatre, New York City	Orson Welles
April 29 – June 11	Heartbreak House	George Bernard Shaw	Captain Shotover	Mercury Theatre	Mercury Theatre, New York City	Orson Welles
August 16–29	Too Much Johnson	William Gillette, play Orson Welles, adaptation		Mercury Theatre	Stony Creek Theatre, Stony Creek, Connecticut	Orson Welles
November 2–19	Danton's Death	Georg Büchner	Louis Antoine de Saint-Just	Mercury Theatre	Mercury Theatre, New York City	Orson Welles		^[37]

1939

Date	Title	Author	Role	Company	Theatre	Director	Notes	References
February 27 – March	Five Kings (Part One)	William Shakespeare, dialogue Orson Welles, adaptation	Sir John Falstaff	Mercury Theatre	Colonial Theatre, Boston	Orson Welles
March 13 – ?	Five Kings (Part One)	William Shakespeare, dialogue Orson Welles, adaptation	Sir John Falstaff	Mercury Theatre	National Theatre, Washington, D.C.	Orson Welles
March 20–25	Five Kings (Part One)	William Shakespeare, dialogue Orson Welles, adaptation	Sir John Falstaff	Mercury Theatre	Chestnut Street Opera House, Philadelphia	Orson Welles
July–August	The Green Goddess	William Archer	Rajah	Mercury Theatre	RKO Vaudeville Theatre circuit (tour)	Orson Welles

1943

Date	Title	Author	Role	Company	Theatre	Director	Notes	References
August 3 – September 9	The Mercury Wonder Show	Orson Welles and others	"Orson the Magnificent"	Mercury Theatre	Cahuenga Tent, Cahuenga Boulevard, Hollywood	Orson Welles
September 1943 – 1944	The Mercury Wonder Show	Orson Welles and others	"Orson the Magnificent"	Mercury Theatre	Nationwide tour of army bases	Orson Welles

1946

Date	Title	Author	Role	Company	Theatre	Director	Notes	References
April 1–2	The Airborne Symphony	Marc Blitzstein	Speaker	New York City Symphony Orchestra	New York City Center, New York	Leonard Bernstein		^[40]
April 28–May 4	Around the World	Jules Verne, novel Orson Welles, adaptation Cole Porter, music	Inspector Dick Fix Japanese magician	Mercury Theatre	Boston Opera House, Boston	Orson Welles
May 7–11	Around the World	Jules Verne, novel Orson Welles, adaptation Cole Porter, music	Inspector Dick Fix Japanese magician	Mercury Theatre	Shubert Theatre, New Haven	Orson Welles
May 31 – August 1	Around the World	Jules Verne, novel Orson Welles, adaptation Cole Porter, music	Inspector Dick Fix Japanese magician	Mercury Theatre	Adelphi Theatre, New York City	Orson Welles		^[41]

1950

Date	Title	Author	Role	Company	Theatre	Director	Notes	References
June 15 – July	The Blessed and the Damned	Orson Welles	Various (Lobster) Faustus (Time Runs…)		Théâtre Édouard VII, Paris	Orson Welles
August 7 – August	An Evening With Orson Welles	Orson Welles Oscar Wilde	Faustus (Time Runs…) Algernon (Earnest)		Altjakobstheater am Zoo, Frankfurt	Hilton Edwards
August 15 – August	An Evening With Orson Welles	Orson Welles Oscar Wilde	Faustus (Time Runs…) Algernon (Earnest)		Hamburg	Hilton Edwards
August 21 – August	An Evening With Orson Welles	Orson Welles Oscar Wilde	Faustus (Time Runs…) Algernon (Earnest)		Munich	Hilton Edwards

1951

Date	Title	Author	Role	Company	Theatre	Director	Notes	References
October 1–7	Othello	William Shakespeare	Othello		Theatre Royal, Newcastle	Orson Welles
October 18 – December 15	Othello	William Shakespeare	Othello		St James's Theatre, London	Orson Welles
November	Midnight Matinee	Orson Welles	Himself		Coliseum Theatre, London	Orson Welles

1953

Date	Title	Author	Role	Company	Theatre	Director	Notes	References
September 7 – October	The Lady in the Ice	Orson Welles, libretto Jean-Michel Damase, score		Ballet de Paris	Stoll Theatre, London	Orson Welles
October	Une femme dans la glace	Orson Welles, libretto Jean-Michel Damase, score		Ballet de Paris	Paris	Orson Welles

1956

Date	Title	Author	Role	Company	Theatre	Director	Notes	References
January 12–29	King Lear	William Shakespeare	King Lear	New York City Center Theater Company	Lincoln Center Theater, New York City	Orson Welles
February 22 – March 13	Variety act	Orson Welles	Himself		Riviera Hotel, Las Vegas	Orson Welles		^[42]

1960

Date	Title	Author	Role	Company	Theatre	Director	Notes	References
February 13–18	Chimes at Midnight	William Shakespeare, dialogue Orson Welles, adaptation	Sir John Falstaff	Gate Theatre Company	Grand Opera House, Belfast	Hilton Edwards
March 1 – March	Chimes at Midnight	William Shakespeare, dialogue Orson Welles, adaptation	Sir John Falstaff	Gate Theatre Company	Gaiety Theatre, Dublin	Hilton Edwards
April 28 – June 7	Rhinoceros	Eugène Ionesco		English Stage Company	Royal Court Theatre, London	Orson Welles
June 8 – July 30	Rhinoceros	Eugène Ionesco		English Stage Company	Strand Theatre, London	Orson Welles

Notes and References

1. Book: Welles . Orson . Orson Welles . Bogdanovich . Peter . Peter Bogdanovich . Rosenbaum . Jonathan . Jonathan Rosenbaum . This is Orson Welles . HarperCollins Publishers . New York . 1992 . 0-06-016616-9. This is Orson Welles .
2. Web site: Washington School . . 2014-07-28.
3. Book: Brady, Frank . Frank Brady (writer) . Citizen Welles: A Biography of Orson Welles . . New York . 1989 . 0-385-26759-2 .
4. Display advertisement, Freeport Journal-Standard, May 2, 1928, page 5.
5. Web site: Page the Prince (1930) . Port Hope, Ontario … A Living Past . 2014-09-14. By September 1929, Finesse the Queen was retitled Page the Prince and performed by high school and civic groups throughout the U.S. and in Canada. Performances were directed by the John B. Rogers Producing Company of Fostoria, Ohio, which supplied client towns with scripts, costumes, sets and lights for amateur theatre productions. The Rogers Company Collection is archived at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.
6. [Simon Callow|Callow, Simon]
7. [Bret Wood|Wood, Bret]
8. Book: Higham, Charles . Charles Higham (biographer) . Orson Welles: The Rise and Fall of an American Genius . registration . St. Martin's Press. New York . 1985 . 0-312-31280-6.
9. Class: BT26. Ancestry.com, UK Outward Passenger Lists, 1890–1960 [database online]. Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.
10. Year: 1932; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897–1957; Microfilm Roll: Roll 5124; Line: 12; Page Number: 152. Ancestry.com, New York Passenger Lists, 1820–1957 [database online]. Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
11. Web site: The All-Alone 1932 (Peacock) Abbey Archives Abbey Theatre - Amharclann na Mainistreach. 2021-10-07. Abbey Theatre. en.
12. Web site: Roger Hill's daughter recalls Orson Welles at the Todd School for Boys in Woodstock, Illinois . Wellesnet, February 8, 2013 . 2014-09-11.
13. Erlanger Theatre, Katharine Cornell, November 29–30, December 1–2, 1933. Buffalo, New York: Erlanger Buffalo Theatre Corporation (playbill), Vol. X, No. 4, 1933.
14. Leaming, Barbara, Orson Welles, A Biography. New York: Viking, 1985
15. "Freeporters Thrilled by Performance of Hamlet at Woodstock". Freeport Journal-Standard, July 27, 1934, page 6.
16. Romeo and Juliet, Cass Theater, December 3–9, 1934. The Playgoer (playbill), Vol. 9 No. 7, December 3, 1934.
17. Web site: Romeo and Juliet (1934) . Cleveland Centennial (blog) . October 20, 2010 . 2014-10-02 .
18. Sandusky Register, December 13, 1934, page 4.
19. Monessen Daily Independent, December 15, 1934, page 2.
20. Steubenville Herald Star, December 17, 1934, page 12.
21. "News of the Stage". The New York Times, February 25, 1935, page 14.
22. Romeo and Juliet . Playbill . 2014-10-02.
23. News: . News of the Stage . The New York Times . July 16, 1936.
24. Web site: Playbill from Bridgeport production of Macbeth . Library of Congress American Memory Collection . 2015-02-15.
25. Web site: Playbill from Dallas production of Macbeth . Library of Congress American Memory Collection . 2015-02-15.
26. News: . All-Negro Cast to Produce Macbeth . The Olney Enterprise . August 14, 1936.
27. Web site: Poster from Indianapolis production of Macbeth . Library of Congress American Memory Collection . 2015-02-15.
28. News: Collins . Charles . August 30, 1936 . 'Macbeth' as Negro Play Comes to Great Northern Theater . Chicago Tribune . 2015-02-15 .
29. News: . No title . Syracuse Herald . 12 . August 27, 1936. "Syracuse will be the last stop for the touring 'Macbeth' production … closing a 4,000 mile jaunt with a three-day run at the Civic University, opening Sept. 23."
30. Book: Flanagan, Hallie . Hallie Flanagan . 1965 . Arena: The History of the Federal Theatre . New York . Benjamin Blom, reprint edition [1940] . 855945294.
31. Web site: Poster from Brooklyn production of Macbeth . Library of Congress American Memory Collection . 2015-02-15.
32. Web site: Ten Million Ghosts . Playbill, October 23, 1936 . 2014-09-15.
33. News: May 24, 1937 . News of the Stage . The New York Times . 2023-03-08 . Somewhat off Broadway Saturday night will be ... Dr. Faustus suspending for a while at Maxine Elliott's. .
34. News: May 28, 1938 . News of the Stage; 'Julius Caesar' Closes Tonight . The New York Times . 2015-09-07 . The Mercury Theatre's production of 'Julius Caesar' will depart from the National tonight, the only Broadway closing of the evening. At the National, and earlier at its home grounds, it will have amassed a total of 157 performances. .
35. News: December 14, 1937 . News of the Stage . The New York Times . 2015-08-26 .
36. Book: Lloyd, Norman . Norman Lloyd . 1993 . 1990 . Stages of Life in Theatre, Film and Television . New York . Limelight Editions . 9780879101664 .
37. News: News of the Stage . The New York Times . November 18, 1938 . 2015-09-04 .
38. Web site: Native Son . Playbill, April 13, 1941 . 2014-09-15.
39. Web site: Native Son . Playbill, October 25, 1942 . 2014-09-15.
40. News: Premiere for Symphony; Bernstein to Present 'Airborne' by Blitzstein, on April 1 . The New York Times . March 22, 1946.
41. Web site: Around the World . Playbill, May 31, 1946 . 2014-09-15.
42. Web site: Orson Welles in Wonderland . 24 May 2013 . Kirkham Magic (blog), May 24, 2014 . 2014-12-18.