Joan White

Joan White was born in Alexandria, Egypt and grew up in Portugal where her father was chief engineer of The East Telegraph Company. She attended St. Helen’s School in Northwood, MX and then the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She joined Tyrone Guthrie’s Cambridge Festival Players in 1930 and from there during the 1930s played many roles in London, including Connie Windlestraw in ‘The Black Eye,“ Button Faringdon in ”Housemaster,“ Tonie in ”Children to Bless You,“ Judy in ” Little Ladyship“ and during WW2 was Judy Graves in ”Junior Miss.“ in the 1940’s she was Doto in ”A Phoenix Too Frequent“ and in ”The Cure for Love“ with Robert Donat. Following successful Repertory seasons in Birmingham, Salisbury, Bristol, Dundee and Manchester, both acting and directing, in 1956 she emigrated to North America; first to Canada where she acted and directed at the Grand Theatre in London Ontario. She married for the third time, an American, Robert Grose and moved to the U.S. immediately playing Mrs Higgins in the National Tour of ”My Fair Lady."
Broadway and Regional theatre appearances followed, plus five years teaching at the University of Washington in Seattle where she formed the Joan White English Theatre School in 1970 which for the next twenty years took American students to the UK. In 1983 she returned to England continued her school and started The Next Stage a company for young actors to show off their talents to producers and agents.
This entry was written by her daughter Judy White Staber who has completed a biography of Joan White and hopes to have it published. April 3, 2021

Past productions

One of 'The Couple', Bed, National Theatre 4^th March – ? 1989, National Theatre – Cottesloe Theatre (now National Theatre – Dorfman), National Theatre, London.
Polena Andryeevna, The Seagull, Nottingham Playhouse Company 27^th – 30^th November 1968, Nottingham Playhouse.
Queen Elinor, King John, Nottingham Playhouse 25^th September – 23^rd November 1968, Nottingham Playhouse.
Mrs Turton, A Passage to India 31^st January – 5^th May 1962, Ambassador Theatre, New York.
Director, The Bespoke Overcoat, Salisbury Arts Theatre Ltd 21^st – 26^th November 1955, Salisbury Playhouse.
Produced by, The Respectable Prostitute, Salisbury Arts Theatre Ltd 21^st – 26^th November 1955, Salisbury Playhouse.
Produced by, Saloon Bar, Salisbury Arts Theatre Ltd 17^th – 22^nd October 1955, Salisbury Playhouse.
Produced by, The Miser, Salisbury Arts Theatre Ltd 10^th – 15^th October 1955, Salisbury Playhouse.
Produced by, Present Laughter, Salisbury Arts Theatre Ltd 19^th – 24^th September 1955, Salisbury Playhouse.
Produced by, Spring at Marino, Salisbury Arts Theatre Ltd 8^th – 13^th August 1955, Salisbury Playhouse.
Produced by, The First Year, Salisbury Arts Theatre Ltd 1^st – 6^th August 1955, Salisbury Playhouse.
Bertha Hayhoe, As Black As She’s Painted, Repertory Players 5^th June 1955, Globe (Shaftesbury Ave), London (now Gielgud Theatre, London).
Denise Darvel, a novelist, Dear Charles, Salisbury Arts Theatre Ltd 6^th – 11^th December 1954, Salisbury Playhouse.
Produced by, For Better, For Worse, Salisbury Arts Theatre Ltd 13^th – 18^th September 1954, Salisbury Playhouse.
Yvonne, Intimate Relations, (In association with the Arts Council of Great Britain) and Salisbury Arts Theatre Ltd 16^th – 21^st August 1954, Salisbury Playhouse.
Beatrice Titheradge, Birthday Honours, Salisbury Arts Theatre Ltd 9^th – 14^th August 1954, Salisbury Playhouse.
Produced by, Dial ‘M’ for Murder, Salisbury Arts Theatre Ltd 2^nd – 7^th August 1954, Salisbury Playhouse.
Mary Varwell, Yellow Sands, (In association with the Arts Council of Great Britain) and Salisbury Arts Theatre Ltd 19^th – 24^th July 1954, Salisbury Playhouse.
Miss Marcy, I Capture the Castle, Murray Macdonald and John Stevens Ltd 19^th January – 24^th April 1954, Aldwych Theatre, London, Grand Theatre, Blackpool, and other locations.
Maud Neville, a Dancer / Rosie, a Maidservant, A London Actress 16^th December 1953 – 10^th January 1954, Arts Theatre, London.
Emmie Cartwright, The Sun and I, Windsor Repertory Company 23^rd – 28^th November 1953, Theatre Royal, Windsor.
A Wardress, Young Madame Conti, Dundee Repertory Company 22^nd September – 5^th October 1952, Dundee Repertory Theatre, Foresters Hall.
Director, The Queen’s Husband, Dundee Repertory Company 8^th – 21^st September 1952, Dundee Repertory Theatre, Foresters Hall.
Assistant Director / The Infanta of Navarre, The Hollow Crown, Dundee Repertory Company 25^th August – 7^th September 1952, Dundee Repertory Theatre, Foresters Hall.
Mrs Wolff, The Beaver Coat, Dundee Repertory Company 11^th – 24^th August 1952, Dundee Repertory Theatre, Foresters Hall.
Directed by, Petticoat Influence, Dundee Repertory Company 28^th July – 10^th August 1952, Dundee Repertory Theatre, Foresters Hall.
Gloria Cavendish, Storks Don’t Talk ? – 14^th July 1951, Theatre Royal, Bath, Comedy Theatre, London (now Harold Pinter Theatre, London), and other locations.
Doctor’s Joy 1950 – 1951, Theatre Royal, Bath.
The Merry Wives of Windsor 1950 – 1951, Bristol Old Vic – Theatre Royal.
The Magistrate 1950 – 1951, Bristol Old Vic – Theatre Royal.
Puss in Boots 1950 – 1951, Bristol Old Vic – Theatre Royal.
The Cocktail Party 1950 – 1951, Bristol Old Vic – Theatre Royal.
The School for Scandal 1950 – 1951, Bristol Old Vic – Theatre Royal.
The Good Natured Man 1950 – 1951, Bristol Old Vic – Theatre Royal.
Mary Quirke, Blind Man’s Buff, Bristol Old Vic Company started November 1950, Bristol Old Vic – Theatre Royal.
Margaret Devize, Nicholas's mother, The Lady’s Not for Burning 4^th – 23^rd September 1950, Bristol Old Vic – Theatre Royal.
Fairy Rosebud, Aladdin, Arts Council of Great Britain and Salisbury Arts Theatre Company 22^nd December 1949 – 28^th January 1950, Arts Theatre, Salisbury and UK Tour.
Mrs. Goldfinch, A Pair of Spectacles, Arts Council of Great Britain and Salisbury Arts Theatre Company 29^th November – 17^th December 1949, Arts Theatre, Salisbury and UK Tour.
Mrs. Malaprop, The Rivals, Arts Council of Great Britain and Salisbury Arts Theatre Company 7^th – 26^th November 1949, Arts Theatre, Salisbury and UK Tour.
Penelope Toop, See How They Run, Arts Council of Great Britain and Salisbury Arts Theatre Company 18^th October – 5^th November 1949, Arts Theatre, Salisbury and UK Tour.
Doto, A Phoenix Too Frequent, Arts Council of Great Britain and Salisbury Arts Theatre Company 26^th September – 15^th October 1949, Arts Theatre, Salisbury and UK Tour.
Natalya Stepanovna, The Proposal, Arts Council of Great Britain and Salisbury Arts Theatre Company 26^th September – 15^th October 1949, Arts Theatre, Salisbury and UK Tour.
Lady Catherine Champion-Cheney, The Circle, Arts Council of Great Britain and Salisbury Arts Theatre Company 5^th – 24^th September 1949, Arts Theatre, Salisbury and UK Tour.
The Diary of a Scoundrel 5^th – 30^th July 1949, Birmingham Repertory Theatre (1971 onwards).
Marvellous History of St. Bernard 31^st May – 2^nd July 1949, Birmingham Repertory Theatre (1971 onwards).
The Romantic Young Lady 3^rd – 28^th May 1949, Birmingham Repertory Theatre (1971 onwards).
Duchess of York, mother to Duke of Gloucester, Richard III 5^th – 30^th April 1949, Birmingham Repertory Theatre (1971 onwards).
Cassilis Engagement 8^th March – 2^nd April 1949, Birmingham Repertory Theatre (1971 onwards).
Modern Everyman 15^th February – 5^th March 1949, Birmingham Repertory Theatre (1971 onwards).
Junior Miss started 24^th March 1943, Saville Theatre, London.

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Joan White

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