Sir Donald Arthur Rolleston Albery was an English theatre impresario who did much to translate the adventurous spirit of London in the 1960s onto the stage.
Occupation
businessperson
Citizenship
United Kingdom, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Born
June 19, 1914
Died
September 14, 1988
Overview
Sir Donald Arthur Rolleston Albery (19 June 1914 – 14 September 1988) was an English theatre impresario who did much to translate the adventurous spirit of London in the 1960s onto the stage.
Biography
He was born into a theatrical family, with his father being the director Sir Bronson James Albery. His first job was to manage Sadler's Wells Ballet during the Blitz. When he launched his own Donmar company in 1953 he championed plays by Graham Greene, Tennessee Williams, Edward Albee, Jean Anouilh, and an adaptation by J. B. Priestley of an Iris Murdoch novel.
Though he was always commercially minded, his spirit of adventure endured with the first London production of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot and sponsorship of Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop. In 1961, Albery, in collaboration with William Donaldson, produced Beyond the Fringe in London and, in 1962, in New York.
From 1964 to 1968, Albery served as director and administrator of the London Festival Ballet.
