John Drinkwater

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John Drinkwater, born in 1882 in Leytonstone, Essex, emerged as a significant figure in early 20th-century theater. He transitioned from a career in insurance to becoming an influential playwright and director, leaving a lasting impact on both British and American stages. His works, most notably 'Abraham Lincoln,' brought him international fame and cemented his place among the cultural elite of his time.

Early Life and Education

Drinkwater entered the world on June 1, 1882, in Leytonstone, Essex, England, to parents Albert Edwin and Annie Beck Brown Drinkwater. His father, who was the headmaster of Coburn Foundation School in East London, had a keen interest in amateur theater and pursued a professional career in the performing arts as an actor, playwright, and manager starting in 1886. This theatrical influence would prove pivotal in shaping young John’s future.

At the tender age of nine, Drinkwater moved to Oxford to live with his maternal grandfather due to his mother's terminal illness. Academically indifferent, he left formal education at Oxford High School in 1897 and relocated to Nottingham. There, he started working for the Northern Assurance Company and participated in amateur theatrical productions. His 1901 transfer to the Birmingham branch of the company marked a turning point in his life.

Career in Theater

In Birmingham, Drinkwater encountered Barry Jackson, a young theater aficionado who staged plays at his family estate. Drinkwater joined Jackson's group, the Pilgrim Players, which soon became a public company. By 1909, Drinkwater had resolved to leave his insurance job to fully dedicate himself to the Players.

He was appointed general manager by 1913, during which time the Pilgrim Players evolved into the Birmingham Repertory Theatre and gained their own theater. Over the years, Drinkwater directed more than sixty plays and acted in about forty roles, often under the stage name John Darnley. Among his works, he penned notable plays such as X = O and Abraham Lincoln. His wife, Kathleen Walpole, whom he married in 1906, acted alongside him in the company under the name Cathleen Orford.

Rise to Fame

The play Abraham Lincoln, debuted by Sir Nigel Playfair’s theater, the Lyric, in London suburbia on February 19, 1919, ran for an impressive four hundred performances. Its success extended across the Atlantic, drawing acclaim in New York and marking Drinkwater as a prominent cultural figure. The University of Birmingham awarded him an honorary M.A. in 1919, and he became a sought-after speaker for lectures across the United States.

Personal Life and Later Years

During a 1921 voyage back from a U.S. tour, Drinkwater met violinist Daisy Kennedy, sparking a romance that led to the end of his marriage to Kathleen Walpole and Kennedy's marriage to Russian pianist Benno Moiseiwitsch. In 1924, Drinkwater and Kennedy married, embarking on extensive tours across the United States, Continental Europe, and Britain, performing and lecturing. They became prominent socialites in London, interacting with the city's cultural and artistic elite.

Despite his demanding schedule, Drinkwater continued writing, producing plays, essays, poems, biographies, and critical studies. He ventured into film, contributing screenplays and lyrics, and authored two volumes of autobiography while editing literary anthologies. His passion for acting endured, and shortly before his death, he portrayed Prospero in a Regent’s Park production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest in London.

John Drinkwater passed away at his London home on March 25, 1937, leaving behind a rich legacy that bridged the worlds of theater, literature, and film, influencing both contemporaries and future generations.

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