John Alden 1908-1962

In 1959, to mark the tercentenary of Shakespeare’s birth, J.C. Williamson’s organised a touring Shakespeare company, with Alden as artistic director. With a repertoire consisting of King Lear, The Merchant of Venice, The Winter’s Tale and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the tour opened at the Comedy in Melbourne on 12 June. Alden, Peter O’Shaughnessy and the Scottish actor John Laurie headed the 26-member company, which included Leonard Bullen, Jessica Noad, Anthony Bazell, John Unicomb, Edward Brayshaw, Terry McDermott and John Frawley. The productions were generally well-received, but the tour was a financial disappointment. Hopes that it would lead to a permanent national drama company evaporated.

In May 1961 Alden appeared at the Palace Theatre, Sydney, as Shylock in The Merchant of Venice, directed by May Hollinworth for the Elizabethan Theatre Trust. Its success prompted the Trust to sponsor the First Sydney Shakespeare Festival, with Alden as artistic director. The Merchant of Venice was dusted off yet again, and supplemented by Othello and Macbeth. Staged at the Conservatorium, the Elizabethan at Newtown and the Orpheum at Cremorne, the enterprise was an artistic and financial disaster.

Ironically, Alden’s last work was for television – the ABC’s historical drama series The Patriots. His heart problems recurred and he was forced to leave the show after only two episodes. He died in Sydney on 10 November 1962. He was 54.

There is no doubt that at his best Alden was a superb interpreter of Shakespeare, more secure in the dramas and tragedies than he was in the comedies. His standing was such that he drew audiences in spite of competition from starry imports such as Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh with the Old Vic (1948), Anthony Quayle and the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company (1949 and 1953) and Katharine Hepburn and Robert Helpmann with the Old Vic (1955).

As a director and teacher he influenced, encouraged and inspired a generation of Australian actors. Though by the end of his career his classical technique was regarded as dated, Alden had brought Shakespeare to audiences that had seen little since the days of Allan Wilkie. He would not be replaced until 1990 when John Bell formed his own company.

Frank Van Straten, 2007