George R Foss

George Rose Foss was born in Kent in 1859. He was the youngest son of solicitor and biographer Edward Foss. Edward was 74 years old when his son George was born and it seems that in his dotage this respectable gentleman let his younger children lapse into disreputable pursuits such as acting. His older brother Charles was the first of the family to sink so low but had the decency to conceal his surname by acting under the stage name Charles Fulton. He (George) was Producer of The Old Vic from 1918 to 1919.

Harcourt Williams’ history of The Old Vic, “Old Vic Saga” (1949), says:
Foss had “…a reputation for a scholarly understanding of Shakespeare. He was well known for his work with the [Oxford Univeristy Dramatic Society] and his productions won high praise.”.
“G. R. Foss was, I suspect, the first to give the [Old Vic’s] work some definite shape and lead it towards a much higher standard”.
“Sybil Thorndike tells us that Foss had a great sense of the theatre and often introduced challenging new readings”
Lilian Balyis allegedly thought he was “potty” [ibid]

His son Alan Foss started with The Old Vic at age 15.

Past productions

Shakespeare Birthday Festival 1924 – 1925, The Old Vic, London.
/ Director, Measure for Measure 1918 – 1919, The Old Vic, London.
Director, The Taming of the Shrew 1918 – 1919, The Old Vic, London.
Director, The Winter’s Tale 1918 – 1919, The Old Vic, London.
Director, Hamlet 1918 – 1919, The Old Vic, London.
/ Director, Shakespeare Birthday Festival 1918 – 1919, The Old Vic, London.
Macbeth 1918 – 1919, The Old Vic, London.
/ Director, Much Ado About Nothing 1918 – 1919, The Old Vic, London.
The Loving Heart 12^th June – 6^th July 1918, New Theatre (now Noël Coward Theatre), London.
King Lear 1917 – 1918, The Old Vic, London.
Shakespeare Birthday Festival 1917 – 1918, The Old Vic, London.
/ Director, Sherlock Holmes 1917 – 1918, The Old Vic, London.
Wonderful James 1916 – 1917, Garrick Theatre, London.
The Swordsman’s Daughter 1895 – 1896, Adelphi Theatre, London.

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