Collection of material created by Peter Streuli during and after his period of employment at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre.
This collection is box listed only; access is by prior appointment.
GL8
1933-2000
open
collection
Donated to the Shakespeare Centre Library and Archives in 2007
An influential figure in British theatre, Peter Streuli worked as a stage manager, actor, lighting designer and director.
From 1952-1957 he was the stage director for Glen Byam Shaw at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon where he worked with such actors as Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh, John Gielgud, Emlyn Williams and Michael Redgrave.
Later he was appointed Director of Productions for the Pitlochry Festival Theatre and directed the first five of six productions in the repertoire.
He was also a notable tutor and worked at the Old Vic Theatre School with Michel Saint-Denis (1950-1952) and at the Central School of Speech and Drama (1960-1982) where he offered intensely practical guidance to aspiring actors and stage managers.
Stocky, bespectacled, with neatly trimmed beard and moustache, Streuli looked the archetypal academic, an appearance which was often misleading. He was enormously creative and possessed a wry sense of humour. His wisdom and long experience enabled students and professional colleagues alike to progress and refine their work.
Born in Ealing, West London, in 1915, Streuli was educated at Taunton School and Birkbeck College, where he was a member of the dramatic society. He was something of a bohemian figure in his youth, often seen wearing long hair and casual dress.
He decided on a professional career in the theatre and studied acting at the Webber Douglas Drama School, where his fellow students included Michael Denison and Dulcie Gray.
At the outbreak of war he became an active member of Entertainments National, Service Association (ENSA), touring the UK as a juvenile lead in various plays, and in 1944 joined Sir Barry Jackson's Birmingham Repertory Theatre as an actor and stage director.
Two years later he became a stage director at the Arts Theatre in London and went on to become a tour manager for H.M. Tennent, then London's most powerful theatrical management.
In 1947 he met and married Marion Menzies.
He worked in early experimental theatre as well as repertory but a turning point came in 1950 when he was appointed assistant director of the new acting course at the Old Vic Theatre School, working with fellow directors Michel Saint-Denis, George Devine and Glen Byam Shaw. Among his students were Prunella Scales and Patrick Wymark.
He was briefly at producer at the Edinburgh Festival but in 1952 Glen Byam Shaw invited him to become chief stage director and lighting designer for five seasons at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre. Streuli's theatrical knowledge and skills quickly won loyalty from those working with him at Stratford and his creative lighting design was remarkable. Among the outstanding productions that he worked on as stage director were Anthony and Cleopatra (1953) with Michael Redgrave and Peggy Ashcroft, Othello (1954) with Anthony Quayle, Twelfth Night (1955) with John Gielgud, Macbeth and Titus Andronicus (1955) both starring Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh, Peter Brook's production of The Tempest(1957) with John Gielgud and Julius Caesar(1957) with Alec Clunes.
Appointed Director of Productions for the Pitlochry Theatre in 1959, Streuli knew the importance of creating an ensemble from a group of individual actors. He was also aware of the meticulous planning needed to bring several plays to fruition simultaneously. By the time his five plays had opened he had won his actors' trust.
He inspired the same trust from actors when, from 1960-82, he was director of Technical Training at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. His range of interests was wide and he believed in introducing his students to horizons beyond theatre, including painting, sculpture, music and architecture. "Peter ensured that students learnt how to appreciate both the actors' and writers' craft, through play study and joint classes," said the National Theatre director Jason Barnes. "They learnt to speak, and move, sharing the actors' skills. Such disciplines for technicians are rare."
In retirement Streuli enjoyed entertaining friends at his home in Oxford and took great pride in his former students careers and their successes. He is survived by his two sons, Charles and Michael. Peter Streuli, director, teacher and actor, was born on November 19, 1915. He died on January 2, 2007, aged 91.
