A. R. Whatmore
Encyclopedia
A. R. Whatmore was a British actor, playwright and producer of plays.
, Leicester, and worked for three years as a bank clerk after that.
His first appearance on stage was as Lord Monkhurst in Milestones (Bennett
/Knoblock
) at the Kennington Theatre, London in 1913. He played under Vedrenne
and Eadie management for two tours of Milestones and the first tour of The Man Who Stayed at Home. He also toured with Lewis Waller
in The Three Musketeers
, Monsieur Beaucaire
etc. During the War he served in France, 1915 - 1919.
Returning to London in July 1930 he produced The Macropulos Secret
at the Arts Theatre
. He was director of the Embassy Theatre
in Swiss Cottage, London, in partnership with Alec L Rea, from September 1930 to March 1932. At the Embassy he produced over thirty plays, including The Liar, The Witch
, Precious Bane
(the play), Daddy's Gone A-Hunting
(the play), Britannia of Billingsgate
(the play) and Romeo and Juliet
.
During the rest of the 1930s he directed or acted in numerous plays in the West End
, including a production of his own play Mother Knows Best (1039). He appeared in the film Eliza Comes to Stay (1936) and in the TV films
The White Chateau (1938),
Charley's Aunt (1938) and
Rake's Progress (1939).
in Aberdeen, where he directed "A. R. Whatmore's London Players" in a set of eight plays.
Then in 1942 he became director of the Dundee Repertory Theatre
.
After the war he wrote several more plays, namely She Wanted a Cream Front Door (1946), Rehearsal 1030 (1949), The Sun and I (1949) and Count Your Blessings (1950).
From 1951 to 1953 he was the director of the Ipswich Repertory Theatre.
In the 1950s, the name The Whatmore Players was revived, with Dennis Ramsden as producer. It ran successfully until the late 1960s, one of the said players being Mollie Sugden
.
He married Hilda Mary Loverock in 1918. They had one child, a son, born in 1929. Hilda died in 1945 and Arthur remarried, to Barbara Mary Fowle in 1951.
He died on 15 October 1960 at Bletchley.
Early life
Arthur Reginald Whatmore was born on 30 May 1889 at Much Marcle in Herefordshire, the son of Charles Arthur Whatmore and his wife Emma (née Stone). He received his education at Wyggeston SchoolWyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College
Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College, or "Q.E" is a sixth form college in Leicester, England.-Admissions:There are 1,865 full-time 16-18 year-old students and 140 teaching staff. More than 40 subjects are offered at A Level. Somewhat against the national trend Mathematics and Sciences account...
, Leicester, and worked for three years as a bank clerk after that.
His first appearance on stage was as Lord Monkhurst in Milestones (Bennett
Arnold Bennett
- Early life :Bennett was born in a modest house in Hanley in the Potteries district of Staffordshire. Hanley is one of a conurbation of six towns which joined together at the beginning of the twentieth century as Stoke-on-Trent. Enoch Bennett, his father, qualified as a solicitor in 1876, and the...
/Knoblock
Edward Knoblock
Edward Knoblock was an American-born British playwright and novelist most remembered for the often revived 1911 play, Kismet-Biography:...
) at the Kennington Theatre, London in 1913. He played under Vedrenne
John Eugene Vedrenne
John Eugene Verdenne , often known as J. E. Vedrenne, was a West End theatre producer who co-managed the Savoy Theatre with Harley Granville-Barker, and then the Royal Court Theatre...
and Eadie management for two tours of Milestones and the first tour of The Man Who Stayed at Home. He also toured with Lewis Waller
Lewis Waller
William Lewis Waller was an English actor and theatre manager. His father was a civil engineer.Born in Spain, he first appeared on the London stage in 1883, at Tooles, and for some years added to his reputation as a capable actor...
in The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, first serialized in March–July 1844. Set in the 17th century, it recounts the adventures of a young man named d'Artagnan after he leaves home to travel to Paris, to join the Musketeers of the Guard...
, Monsieur Beaucaire
Monsieur Beaucaire (operetta)
Monsieur Beaucaire is a romantic opera in three acts, composed by André Messager. The libretto, based on the 1900 novel by Booth Tarkington, is by Frederick Lonsdale, with lyrics by Adrian Ross...
etc. During the War he served in France, 1915 - 1919.
Hull and London
After leaving the army he spent some time in producing for Amateur Operatic Societies. Then in 1923 he founded the Hull Repertory Theatre, where he produced eighty-one plays between then and June 1930. During that time the theatre was entirely rebuilt under his supervision.Returning to London in July 1930 he produced The Macropulos Secret
The Makropulos Affair
The Makropulos Affair The Makropulos Affair The Makropulos Affair (or The Makropoulos Case, or The Makropulos Secret or, literally, The Makropulos Thing; (Czech Věc Makropulos) is a three-act opera by Czech composer Leoš Janáček...
at the Arts Theatre
Arts Theatre
The Arts Theatre is a theatre in Great Newport Street, in Westminster, Central London. It now operates as the West End's smallest commercial receiving house.-History:...
. He was director of the Embassy Theatre
Embassy Theatre (London)
The Embassy Theatre is a theatre at 64, Eton Avenue, Swiss Cottage, London.- Early years :The Embassy Theatre was opened as a repertory company in September 1928 on the initiative of Sybil Arundale and Herbert Jay., when the premises of Hampstead Conservatoire of Music were adapted by architect...
in Swiss Cottage, London, in partnership with Alec L Rea, from September 1930 to March 1932. At the Embassy he produced over thirty plays, including The Liar, The Witch
Anne Pedersdotter (play)
Anne Pedersdotter is a play written in 1908 by Norwegian playwright Hans Wiers-Jenssen...
, Precious Bane
Precious Bane
Precious Bane is a novel by Mary Webb, first published in 1924. It won the Prix Femina Vie Heureuse Prize.In 1957 it was made into a six part BBC television drama series starring Patrick Troughton and Daphne Slater...
(the play), Daddy's Gone A-Hunting
Daddy's Gone A-Hunting
Daddy's Gone A-Hunting is a 1925 drama film directed by Frank Borzage based upon a play by Zoe Akins, with adaptation by Kenneth B. Clarke. The film brought together Vitagraph leading lady Alice Joyce and English actor Percy Marmont after his success with If Winter Comes. This is the only film...
(the play), Britannia of Billingsgate
Britannia of Billingsgate
Britannia of Billingsgate is a 1933 British musical comedy film directed by Sinclair Hill and starring Violet Loraine, Gordon Harker, Kay Hammond and John Mills. A family who work in the fish trade at Billingsgate Market encounter a film crew who are shooting there...
(the play) and Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
.
During the rest of the 1930s he directed or acted in numerous plays in the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
, including a production of his own play Mother Knows Best (1039). He appeared in the film Eliza Comes to Stay (1936) and in the TV films
The White Chateau (1938),
Charley's Aunt (1938) and
Rake's Progress (1939).
Scotland and after
In 1940 Whatmore did a season at His Majesty's TheatreHis Majesty's Theatre
His Majesty's Theatre in Aberdeen is the largest theatre in north-east Scotland, seating more than 1400. The theatre is sited on Rosemount Viaduct, opposite the city's Union Terrace Gardens. It was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1906...
in Aberdeen, where he directed "A. R. Whatmore's London Players" in a set of eight plays.
Then in 1942 he became director of the Dundee Repertory Theatre
Dundee Repertory Theatre
Dundee Repertory Theatre or Dundee Rep is a theatre and arts company in the city of Dundee, Scotland. It operates as both a producing house - staging at least six of its own productions each year, and a receiving house - hosting work from visiting companies throughout Scotland and the United...
.
After the war he wrote several more plays, namely She Wanted a Cream Front Door (1946), Rehearsal 1030 (1949), The Sun and I (1949) and Count Your Blessings (1950).
From 1951 to 1953 he was the director of the Ipswich Repertory Theatre.
In the 1950s, the name The Whatmore Players was revived, with Dennis Ramsden as producer. It ran successfully until the late 1960s, one of the said players being Mollie Sugden
Mollie Sugden
Isobel Mary 'Mollie' Sugden was an English comedy actress best known for portraying the saleswoman Mrs. Slocombe in the British sitcom Are You Being Served? from 1972 to 1985. She later reprised this role in Grace & Favour, which ran from 1992 to 1993...
.
He married Hilda Mary Loverock in 1918. They had one child, a son, born in 1929. Hilda died in 1945 and Arthur remarried, to Barbara Mary Fowle in 1951.
He died on 15 October 1960 at Bletchley.