Evelyn Doreen Warburton OBE (22 March 1930 – 19 July 2017) was an Australian actress, director, and theatre co-founder.
Doreen Warburton | |
|---|---|
 Warburton in 1953 | |
| Born | 22 March 1930 London, England |
| Died | 19 July 2017 (aged 87) West Gosford, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1948-1989 |
| Employer | Q Theatre |
| Spouse | Ben Gabriel |
Biography
editEvelyn Doreen Warburton was born in London, England on 22 March 1930.[1] At 18 she began her theatre career with the Theatre Workshop, a company where all performers received equal pay and which toured, not just England but also to Scandinavia and Germany.[2]
In 1953 she migrated to Australia to join her family, who had arrived in 1949 and seeking radio work.[3] She made her Australian stage debut in The Shop at Sly Corner at the opening of the Apollo Theatre in Manly[4] and then toured New South Wales in Love From a Stranger.[5][6]
Warburton became a full-time actress in 1959 when she joined the Young Elizabethans and toured Australia for three years bringing Shakespeare's plays to school children.[3]
With actors Ben Gabriel, Edward Hepple, Robert McDarra, Terry McDermott and Walter Sullivan, she was co-founder of the Q Theatre in 1963. Initially giving lunchtime performances at Circular Quay, the company also visited building sites and factories across Australia to bring theatre to the workers.[3] In 1977 the company moved to a permanent venue in Penrith, opening with the musical Lock Up Your Daughters.[7]
As artistic director, Warburton oversaw 81 productions for Q Theatre from 1977 until her retirement in 1989.[3] In 1979 she was the first woman to direct a play at the Sydney Opera House.[8]
Warburton was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1979 Birthday Honours for service to theatre.[9]
Personal
editWarburton married fellow actor Ben Gabriel in 1969, who predeceased her in 2012.[10] She died at West Gosford on 19 July 2017.[1]
Selected filmography
edit- They're A Weird Mob, 1966
- Ned Kelly, 1970
- Nickel Queen, 1971
- Archer, 1985
- Wendy Cracked a Walnut, 1990
Television
edit- The Mike Walsh Show (1982) (TV series, 1 episode) Guest as herself.
References
edit- ^ a b "Warburton, Doreen". The Dictionary of Sydney. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ "No star system in unique stage group". The Sun. No. 13, 441. New South Wales, Australia. 9 March 1953. p. 14 (Late Final Extra). Retrieved 10 January 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ a b c d "Doreen Warburton, stalwart of Sydney theatre for more than three decades". The Sydney Morning Herald. 3 August 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ "Films and Theatres". The Daily Telegraph. Vol. XVIII, no. 15. New South Wales, Australia. 9 April 1953. p. 24. Retrieved 10 January 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Love From A Stranger". Lithgow Mercury. New South Wales, Australia. 30 June 1953. p. 4 (City Edition). Retrieved 10 January 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Thriller-Comedy on Monday Night". The Cessnock Eagle and South Maitland Recorder. Vol. 43, no. 4233. New South Wales, Australia. 10 July 1953. p. 5. Retrieved 10 January 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Q Theatre". The Dictionary of Sydney. Archived from the original on 6 October 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ Turner, Bunty (30 May 1979). "Doreen Warburton making history at the Opera House". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 46, no. 52. p. 12. Retrieved 10 January 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Mrs Evelyn Doreen Warburton". It's an Honour. 16 June 1979. Archived from the original on 3 December 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ Anderson, Doug (30 May 2012). "All-rounder was always on a role". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 23 October 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
