Hamlet

September 8th, 1936 — September 26th, 1936


Venue

Princess Theatre, Woolloongabba

Producer

Brisbane Repertory Theatre Society

Director

Barbara Sisley

Playwright

William Shakespeare

Composer

Conductor & Music Director: Erich John

Cast

Leo Guyatt
G.A. Cooper
Ludovick Gordon
John McCallum
Jim Mant
Eric Louttit
Ralph Bick
Graham Macdonald
L.B. Swan
Ernest Busch
Nancy Fowles
Jum Pendleton
W. Binning Wilson
Ralph Taylor
Nigel Jackson
Robert Telford
Norma Cullen
Vera Tighe
Moya Connolly
Iva Yuille
Isobel Hood
Marjorie Cullen
Iris Abraham


'Hamlet' was Repertory's first Shakespearean production. Leo Guyatt, who was pre-war Queensland's finest Shakespearean actor, played Hamlet. A young 18 year old named John McCallum played Horatio.

McCallum was born into a theatre family: his father John Neil McCallum Sr. built and ran the original 2,000 seat Cremorne Theatre on the banks of the river in Stanley Street, Brisbane and his mother was an accomplished amatuer actress. After initial theatrical training with Barbara Sisley, his acting career took off in the UK where he met his wife to be, the actress Googie Withers.

From the late 1950 the pair settled in Australia where he became J.C.Williamson's joint managing director alongside Sir Frank Tait. For his services to Australian Performing Arts, John McCallum was awarded an Order of the British Empire in 1971 and an Order of Australia in 1992. He died at the age of 91 in 2010.

Writer: Christine Comans


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Hi there, I have a play book signed by Leo Guyatt. I'm hoping to find out some more information about it. Thank you.

Shelly Clifton