Profile: Robert Collingridge
Loft credits (click a play title to view details)
- Director, Hamp (1974)
- Director, Scenes from an Improper Life (1972)
- Director, Between the Tides (1971)
- Director, The Homecoming (1970)
- Director, The Lion in Winter (1969)
- Director, Private Lives (1968)
- Director, Little Malcolm and his Struggle Against the Eunuchs (1967)
- Director, Trap for a Lonely Man (1967)
- Director, Gaslight (1965)
- Director, East Lynne (1965)
- Director, The Caretaker (1963)
- Director, Anne Boleyn (1962)
- Director, The Innocents (1961)
- Director, Mary Stuart (1961)
- Director, Lady Audley’s Secret (1961)
- Director, Any Other Business (1960)
- Director, Tea and Sympathy (1960)
- Earl Marshal Emery, New Clothes for the Emperor (1960)
- Alec Barnes, The Touch of Fear (1959)
- Director, An Ideal Husband (1959)
- Director, The Diary of Anne Frank (1959)
- Ambrose Kemper, The Matchmaker (1959)
- Mr Mayhew, Witness for the Prosecution (1958)
- Director, Spider’s Web (1958)
- Lugar, The Long Sunset (1958)
- Lion/Cheshire Cat, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass (1958)
- Director, Life With Father (1957)
- Senator Norval Hedges, Born Yesterday (1957)
- Chris Keller/Director, All My Sons (1957)
- The Costume Man, Stranger in Manhattan (1957)
- Gerard, Puss in Boots (1957)
- Director, Dial M for Murder (1956)
- Grant Brewer, Circle of Love (1956)
- Phillip, Escape (1956)
- Director, The Happy Marriage (1956)
- Piotr Petrovsky, Anastasia (1955)
- Chow, The Circle of Chalk (1955)
- Dr Zodiac, He Wanted Adventure (1955)
- Nicobar, The Apple Cart (1954)
- Director, Traveller’s Joy (1954)
- Pierre Chassaigne, The River Line (1954)
- Sigurd Jungquist, The Night of January 16th (1954)
- Bob, Daphne Laureola (1953)
- Selim, Hassan (1953)
- David Paterson, The Holly and the Ivy (1952)
- Valentine, Twelfth Night (1952)
- Fred Weston, The Man from the Ministry (1952)
- Howie Newsome, Our Town (1950)
- Man, You Can’t Take it With You (1950)
- War Reserve Policeman/Ernie Lawton, The Wheels Go Round (1949)
- Footman, The Importance of Being Earnest (1949)
- Joe, Fools Rush In (1949)
Notes
The following tribute was written by Denis Hunt.
The death of Bob Collingridge on March 8, 2004, marked the end of an association with the Loft Theatre Company going back 55 years.
At one time or another during those years, Bob was in charge of the Wardrobe, a member of the play selection committee and subsequently its chairman, a member of the Management Committee and a subsequent chairman of that Committee as well, and finally a vice-president of the theatre.
He filled all these positions with distinction; and it was under his direction that a decision was taken to embark on a more adventurous programme in an effort to attract a younger audience. We presented Pinter when he was an exciting adventure and not the commercial proposition that he is today. Two of David Turner’s plays, The Prodigal Daughter and Between the Tides, received their world premiere at the Loft and both were directed by Bob.
He was also responsible for establishing the connection with the production staff at the RSC. Pam Ingram from the scenic department designed An Ideal Husband, and Mary Varcoe from the wardrobe staff designed the costumes for a number of Collingridge productions. The introduction of such professional talent set standards which bear fruit in the productions of today.
Bob was not the best actor in the world, as he himself would be the first to admit, but he was a brilliant director and a more than capable administrator. And it is true to say that the Loft as we know it today has much to thank Bob for. After the second fire, which completely gutted the theatre, Bob introduced to the Management Committee a young architect friend, Stanley Sellers, who wanted to design a theatre. Negotiations took place and the commission was given to Stanley. The result is the theatre you see today – built at a most competitive price and with a saving of thousands of pounds.
Perhaps the theatre itself is the best memorial we could have of Bob, a tribute to the long and loyal service he so willingly and happily gave to the Loft.
- To make additions or corrections to Robert Collingridge’s profile, please contact the online archivist.