Annie Horniman: A Pioneer in the Theatre (Plays and Playwrights) Book

Described by some as "cantankerous" and "eccentric to the point of silliness" and by others as "overgenerous" and the "real sage-femme of the Abbey Theatre", Annie Horniman was a formidable campaigner for the arts and founder of the British repertory movement. Born in 1860, Annie Horniman was the daughter of Frederick John Horniman, the wealthy innovator of packaged teas and founder of the Horniman Museum. She became member number 77 of the mystical Order of the Golden Dawn, a Victorian secret cult, W.B.Yeats was number 78. They became friends and in 1894 she was secret backer of Shaw's "Arms and the Man" and Yeats' "The Land of Heart's Desire". Ten years later she founded the Abbey Theatre in Dublin as a showcase for plays that could not find a commercial theatre in London. After a public squabble, she bought the Gaiety Theatre, Manchester, with Ben Iden Payne as her manager and worked with the best actors of her day, among them Lewis Casson and Sybil Thorndike. Her company won international reputation for excellence and greatly influenced Lilian Baylis. Sheila Gooddie was co-author with Brian Redhead of "The Summers of Shotton".Read More