Muriel Romanes

Last updated

Muriel Romanes
MBE
Born
Muriel Rose Romanes

(1946-03-18) 18 March 1946 (age 78)
Cambridge, England
Occupation(s)actress; stage director
Years active1980–2015

Muriel Rose Romanes MBE (born 18 March 1946) [1] is a Scottish former theatre, television and film actress and award-winning stage director. She is best known as a cast regular in the Scottish Television drama Take the High Road ; and as the artistic director of the Stellar Quines Theatre Company in Edinburgh.

Contents

Career

Born in Cambridge, Romanes began her acting career as a student at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. [2] Having worked in Scottish theatre for many years, she played the part of schoolteacher Miss Welch in Gregory's Girl (1981). [3] In 1980, she joined the cast of Take the High Road and, until 1989, played the part of Alice Taylor (née McEwan), one of the programme's longest-running characters. [2] Other television credits include An Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman (BBC), Schools (BBC) and Wallace Warbler (STV). [4]

After leaving Take the High Road, Romanes returned to theatre where she had many successes. [5] She became an associate director at the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh where she directed several acclaimed productions, including The Deep Blue Sea, A Listening Heaven, Lavender Blue, A Streetcar Named Desire , The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie , and Anna Karenina . [6] In 1993, she was a founder member of the Stellar Quines Theatre Company in Edinburgh and, in 1996, became its first artistic director. [6] [7] Romanes held this post until she retired in 2015. [8] Romanes was a frequent visiting lecturer and director at the Drama School of Edinburgh’s Queen Margaret University where she directed a number of productions.

Theatre

YearTitleRoleCompanyTheatreDirectorNotes
1989 & 1990 The Guid Sisters Pierette GuerinThe Tron Theatre Company Tron Theatre, Glasgow Michael Boyd play by Michel Tremblay, translated into Scots by Bill Findlay and Martin Bowman
1989 Woman in Mind SusanLyceum Theatre Company Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh Hugh Hogartplay by Alan Ayckbourn [9]
1991The Bruce Isabel, Countess of Buchan Brunton Theatre Company Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh Charles Nowosielski Edinburgh International Festival production of the play by Robert S. Silver
1992The JesuitLady Spottiswoode Fifth Estate Netherbow Theatre, Edinburgh Allan Sharpe play by Donald Campbell

Other theatre work includes touring with Jimmy Logan in For Love or Money: An Ideal Husband (Perth Rep), Schellenbreck (Netherbow), Deacon Brodie, Othersise Engaged, Dr. Angelus, The Tempest , Blythe Spirit , A View from the Bridge and The Marriage of Figaro (Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh), We, Charles II and The Archive of Countess D. (Fifth Estate). In 1992, she assisted Allan Sharpe with his production of Trevor Royle's Buchan of Tweedsmuir and directed Lambrusco Nights for Fifth Estate. [10] [4] [11]

Honours

On 12 June 2016, following her retirement, the Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland (CATS) presented Romanes with the prestigious "CATS Whiskers" award for outstanding achievement "in supporting and strengthening women’s role in Scottish theatre", most notably as the first artistic director of Stellar Quines. [12] She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to drama. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muriel Spark</span> Scottish author (1918–2006)

Dame Muriel Sarah Spark was a Scottish novelist, short story writer, poet and essayist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dundee Repertory Theatre</span>

Dundee Repertory Theatre, better known simply as the Dundee Rep, is a theatre and arts company in Dundee, Scotland. It operates as both a producing house with some shows co-produced by other theatres and a receiving house – hosting work from visiting companies throughout Scotland and the United Kingdom including drama, musicals, contemporary & classical dance, children's theatre, comedy, jazz and opera. It is home to Scotland's principal contemporary dance company, Scottish Dance Theatre. 'The Rep' building is located in Tay Square at the centre of the city’s "cultural quarter" in the West End.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forbes Masson</span> Scottish actor and writer (born 1963)

Forbes (Robertson) Masson is a Scottish actor and writer. He is an Associate Artist with the Royal Shakespeare Company. He is best known for his roles in classical theatre, musicals, comedies, and appearances in London's West End. He is also known for his comedy partnership with Alan Cumming. Masson and Cumming wrote The High Life, a Scottish situation comedy in which they play the lead characters, Steve McCracken and Sebastian Flight. Characters McCracken and Flight were heavily based on Victor and Barry, famous Scottish comedy alter-egos of Masson and Cumming. Masson also stars in the 2021 film The Road Dance, set on the Isle of Lewis as the Reverend MacIver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edith MacArthur</span> Scottish actress (1926–2018)

Edith MacArthur was a Scottish actress noted for her elegant screen presence.

The Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland (CATS) are an annual event awarding performances "substantially produced in Scotland, or developed, rehearsed and premiered in Scotland".

David Greig is a Scottish playwright and theatre director. His work has been performed at many of the major theatres in Britain, including the Traverse Theatre, Royal Court Theatre, Royal National Theatre, Royal Lyceum Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, and been produced around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Torben Betts</span> English playwright, screenwriter and actor

Torben Betts is an English playwright, screenwriter and actor.

Eileen McCallum, MBE is a Scottish actress who is best known for playing the part of shopkeeper Isabel Blair through the complete run of soap opera Take the High Road from 1980 to 2003, and as Liz Hamilton from 2005 to 2018 in the BBC Scotland soap River City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Lyceum Theatre</span> Theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland

The Royal Lyceum Theatre is a 658-seat theatre in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, named after the Theatre Royal Lyceum and English Opera House, the residence at the time of legendary Shakespearean actor Henry Irving. It was built in 1883 by architect C. J. Phipps at a cost of £17,000 on behalf of James B. Howard and Fred. W. P. Wyndham, two theatrical managers and performers whose partnership became the renowned Howard & Wyndham Ltd created in 1895 by Michael Simons of Glasgow.

Joanna M Tope is an English actress. She has appeared in many TV programmes including Emmerdale Farm as Dr. Clare Scott between 1973 and 1977, The Omega Factor as Julia Crane in 1979 and The Tomorrow People as Mrs Boswell.

<i>The Girls of Slender Means</i> Book by Muriel Spark

The Girls of Slender Means is a novella written in 1963 by British author Muriel Spark. It was included in Anthony Burgess's 1984 book Ninety-Nine Novels: The Best in English since 1939 — A Personal Choice. In 2022, it was included on the "Big Jubilee Read" list of 70 books by Commonwealth authors, selected to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II.

Jimmy Chisholm is a Scottish actor in film, theatre and television. He trained as an actor at Queen Margaret University’s School of Drama in Edinburgh. He currently plays the part of Sonny Caplan in the BBC Scotland production, River City. He played Jimmy Blair from 1980 to 1986 in Scottish Television's long-running soap opera Take the High Road. In film, his credits include Braveheart (1995), as Faudron, and Mrs Brown (1997), as Mr Grant. On the stage, Chisholm is mostly associated with the Royal Lyceum Theatre which he calls his "acting home".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maureen Beattie</span> Scottish actress (born 1953)

Maureen Jane Beattie is an Irish-born, Scottish actress of both stage and screen.

Stellar Quines is a women's Scottish theatre company and charity based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Established in 1993, the company has worked predominantly within Scotland but has also toured shows nationally and internationally. Stellar Quines was under the artistic direction of Muriel Romanes from 1996–2016, when Jemima Levick took over.

Zinnie Harris FRSE is a British playwright, screenwriter and director currently living in Edinburgh. She has been commissioned and produced by the Royal Court Theatre, Royal National Theatre, the National Theatre of Scotland and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Her plays have been translated and performed in many countries across Europe and the globe.

Rachel O'Riordan is an Irish theatre director. She is the artistic director at the Lyric Hammersmith, London.

Laurie Sansom is a British theatre director. He is currently the Artistic Director of Halifax-based theatre company Northern Broadsides.

<i>Dark Road</i> (play)

Dark Road is a 2013 play written by Ian Rankin and Mark Thomson. It made its world premiere at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh in September 2013, and is expected to embark on a UK tour in 2014.

<i>Local Hero</i> (musical) 2019 musical by Mark Knopfler

Local Hero is a musical with music and lyrics by Mark Knopfler, and a book by Bill Forsyth and David Greig. The musical is based on the 1983 film of the same name, written by Bill Forsyth. It tells the story of an American oil company representative who is sent to the fictional village of Furness on the west coast of Scotland to purchase the town and surrounding property for his company. The musical made its world premiere at the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh in March 2019.

Jemima Levick is a British theatre director. From 2016 to 2021 she was artistic director of Edinburgh-based Stellar Quines Theatre Company, from 2021 - 2024 she was the Artistic Director of A Play, A Pie and A Pint at Òran Mór. In April 2024 she became the Artistic Director of the Tron Theatre in Glasgow.

References

  1. ↑ "Muriel Romanes". London: British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  2. 1 2 Elder 1990, p. 73.
  3. ↑ "Gregory's Girl". London: British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 6 January 2017. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  4. 1 2 The Bruce theatre programme, Edinburgh Festival Society, August 1991
  5. ↑ Elder 1990, p. 75.
  6. 1 2 "Scottish Arts Council – Profile On: Muriel Romanes". Archived from the original on 3 December 2007.
  7. ↑ "60, sexy and successful". Glasgow: Herald & Times Group. 24 August 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  8. ↑ Dibdin, Thom (2 October 2015). "Muriel Romanes steps down as artistic director of Stellar Quines Theatre Company". The Stage. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  9. ↑ review of Woman in Mind by Mark Fisher, The List, Issue 96, 16 - 29 June 1989, p. 31
  10. ↑ The Guid Sisters theatre programme, The Tron Theatre, Glasgow (1989)
  11. ↑ The Jesuit theatre programme, Fifth Estate, Edinburgh (1992)
  12. ↑ "2016 Winners – The CATS Whiskers". Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland. 12 June 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  13. ↑ "No. 61608". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 June 2016. p. B23.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.