George Peck (theatre)
Encyclopedia
Early life and education
Peck was born in NottinghamNottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
. He attended to Uppingham School
Uppingham School
Uppingham School is a co-educational independent school of the English public school tradition, situated in the small town of Uppingham in Rutland, England...
and studied English at St Catherine's College, Oxford
St Catherine's College, Oxford
St Catherine's College, often called Catz, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its motto is Nova et Vetera...
. He trained on the Regional Trainee Director's Scheme.
Career
Peck worked for The 1970 Nottingham Festival, organising the outdoor spectacular in Wollaton Park. Theatre credits as an actor include Twelfth Night directed by Yvonne Mitchell at The Open Space and seasons at the Royal Theatre, Northampton.He was Artistic Director of the Royal Touring Company for whom his productions included Sherlock's Last Case, Pericles, Prince of Tyre
Pericles, Prince of Tyre
Pericles, Prince of Tyre is a Jacobean play written at least in part by William Shakespeare and included in modern editions of his collected works despite questions over its authorship, as it was not included in the First Folio...
, The Duchess of Malfi
The Duchess of Malfi
The Duchess of Malfi is a macabre, tragic play written by the English dramatist John Webster in 1612–13. It was first performed privately at the Blackfriars Theatre, then before a more general audience at The Globe, in 1613-14...
.
In 1981 he established The Oxford Drama Programme which ran summer courses in acting for university students. In 1987 he created The Oxford School of Drama at Sansomes Farm Studios in Woodstock and became its Principal.
The School received accreditation from the National Council for Drama Training
National Council for Drama Training
The National Council for Drama Training is a partnership of employers in the theatre, broadcast and media industry, employee representatives and training providers....
in 1995, and was accepted as a member of the Conference of Drama Schools
Conference of Drama Schools
The Conference of Drama Schools comprises 22 accredited drama schools in Britain. Founded in 1969, the 22 member schools offer courses in Acting, Musical Theatre, Directing and Technical Theatre training.-Members:...
in the following year.
The School was picked as one of the top five drama schools in the UK by the BBC in 2004 and in 2006; it was the first drama school to receive "Beacon Status" from the Minister for Higher and Further Education.
Notable graduates of the School include: Catherine McCormack
Catherine McCormack
Catherine McCormack is an English actress, known for her stage acting as well as her screen performances in films such as Braveheart, Spy Game and Dangerous Beauty.- Early life :...
, Charity Wakefield
Charity Wakefield
-Background:Wakefield was born in Sussex, England in September 1980. At a couple of months old she moved with her mother, Caroline, to L'Ampolla in Catalonia, Spain. They returned to England when Wakefield was four. She has a half-sister, Olivia...
, Annabel Scholey
Annabel Scholey
Annabel Scholey is an English actress. She is known for portraying Lauren in the supernatural drama Being Human.-Background:Scholey was born in Wakefield, West Yorkshire...
, Claire Foy
Claire Foy
Claire Foy is an English actress, best known for playing the title role in the BBC One production of Little Dorrit and Anna in the 2011 film, Season of the Witch.-Personal life:...
.
Peck was instrumental in running the Cameron Mackintosh
Cameron Mackintosh
Sir Cameron Anthony Mackintosh is a British theatrical producer notable for his association with many commercially successful musicals. At the height of his success in 1990, he was described as being "the most successful, influential and powerful theatrical producer in the world" by the New York...
Professor of Contemporary Theatre at Oxford University from 1990–2003. Professors included Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
, Sir Ian McKellen
Ian McKellen
Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CH, CBE is an English actor. He has received a Tony Award, two Academy Award nominations, and five Emmy Award nominations. His work has spanned genres from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction...
, Thelma Holt
Thelma Holt
Thelma Holt, is a British theatre producer and former actress.After a successful career as an actress, in partnership with Charles Marowitz, Thelma founded the Open Space Theatre in Tottenham Court Road, London, which became the forerunner of the London fringe. In 1977, joined The Round House in...
DBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller
Arthur Asher Miller was an American playwright and essayist. He was a prominent figure in American theatre, writing dramas that include plays such as All My Sons , Death of a Salesman , The Crucible , and A View from the Bridge .Miller was often in the public eye,...
, Michael Codron
Michael Codron
Michael Victor Codron is a British film and theatre producer, known for his productions of the early work of Harold Pinter, Christopher Hampton, David Hare, Simon Gray and Tom Stoppard...
CBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
and Sir Richard Eyre.