After a successful career as an actress, Thelma Holt, in partnership with Charles Marowitz, founded the Open Space Theatre in Tottenham Court Road, which became the forerunner of the London fringe.
In 1977, she joined the Round House in Chalk Farm as Artistic and Executive Director. There she instigated a policy of bringing the best of regional theatre to London, introducing, amongst others, the work of:
Citizens Theatre, Glasgow
Royal Exchange Theatre Company, Manchester
Stephen Joseph Theatre Company, Scarborough.
She gave London the opportunity to see some of the successful productions initiated at the Edinburgh Festival. Other visiting companies included:
Josef Szanja (Poland)
The Pickle Family Circus (USA)
Circus Oz (Australia)
Antoine Vitez (France)
Rustaveli Theatre Company (Georgia, CIS)
In 1983 the Round House closed and Thelma Holt joined the Theatre of Comedy as Executive Producer where she produced LOOT by Joe Orton directed by Jonathan Lynn and starring Leonard Rossiter.
(For more information on Thelma Holt at both the Open Space and at the Round House, see VAULTING AMBITIONS by Jennie Schiele, to be published 2004)
In 1985 Thelma Holt joined the National Theatre as Head of Touring and Commercial Exploitation.
She was responsible for the following West End transfers:
A CHORUS OF DISAPPROVAL
THE PETITION
BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS
THREE MEN ON A HORSE
A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE
She was also responsible for major tours of National Theatre productions to:
Paris
Vienna
Zurich
North America
Moscow
Tbilisi
Tokyo
Epidaurus
Thelma Holt produced INTERNATIONAL 87, a series of four visits to the National Theatre by international theatre companies:
THE HAIRY APE by Eugene O'Neill directed by Peter Stein (production from the Schaubuhne, Berlin)
MISS JULIE by August Strindberg and HAMLET by William Shakespeare both directed by Ingmar Bergman (productions from the Royal Dramatic Theatre, Stockholm)
MACBETH by Shakespeare and MEDEA by Euripides both directed by Yukio Ninagawa (the Ninagawa Company from Tokyo)
TOMORROW WAS WAR by the Mayakovsky Theatre Company from Moscow
For this international season Thelma Holt received the Olivier/Observer Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Theatre and a special award from Drama Magazine.
In 1998 she co-produced THE FAIRY QUEEN by Purcell directed by Adrian Noble for the Aix-en-Provence Festival.
Thelma Holt produced INTERNATIONAL 89, a second series of four visits to the National Theatre by international theatre companies:
TANGO VARSOVIANO by Teatro del Sur (Buenos Aires)
THE GRAPES OF WRATH by the Steppenwolf Theatre Company (Chicago)
UNCLE Vanya by Anton Chekhov by the Moscow Art Theatre
SUICIDE FOR LOVE the return of the Ninagawa Theatre Company
For the newly-formed Peter Hall Company Thelma Holt was Executive Producer for:
ORPHEUS DESCENDING
by Tennessee Williams
cast included Vanessa Redgrave
presented at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket
THE MERCHANT OF VENICE
by William Shakespeare
cast included Dustin Hoffman
presented at the Phoenix Theatre and in New York
THE WILD DUCK
by Henrik Ibsen
cast included Alex Jennings, David Threlfall, Nichola McAuliffe
presented at the Phoenix Theatre
Thelma Holt was Executive Producer for Triumph Proscenium's production of Pirandello's HENRY IV starring Richard Harris, which was presented in 1990 at Wyndham's Theatre, London.
In 1990 she also presented two visiting productions at the National Theatre:
HAMLET
by William Shakespeare
The Bulandra Theatre Company from Bucharest
THE KINGDOM OF DESIRE
(based on Shakespeare's MACBETH)
The Contemporary Legend Theatre from Taiwan
After a successful career as an actress, Thelma Holt, in partnership with Charles Marowitz, founded the Open Space Theatre in Tottenham Court Road, which became the forerunner of the London fringe.
In 1977, she joined the Round House in Chalk Farm as Artistic and Executive Director. There she instigated a policy of bringing the best of regional theatre to London, introducing, amongst others, the work of:
Citizens Theatre, Glasgow
Royal Exchange Theatre Company, Manchester
Stephen Joseph Theatre Company, Scarborough.
She gave London the opportunity to see some of the successful productions initiated at the Edinburgh Festival. Other visiting companies included:
Josef Szanja (Poland)
The Pickle Family Circus (USA)
Circus Oz (Australia)
Antoine Vitez (France)
Rustaveli Theatre Company (Georgia, CIS)
In 1983 the Round House closed and Thelma Holt joined the Theatre of Comedy as Executive Producer where she produced LOOT by Joe Orton directed by Jonathan Lynn and starring Leonard Rossiter.
(For more information on Thelma Holt at both the Open Space and at the Round House, see VAULTING AMBITIONS by Jennie Schiele, to be published 2004)
In 1985 Thelma Holt joined the National Theatre as Head of Touring and Commercial Exploitation.
She was responsible for the following West End transfers:
A CHORUS OF DISAPPROVAL
THE PETITION
BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS
THREE MEN ON A HORSE
A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE
She was also responsible for major tours of National Theatre productions to:
Paris
Vienna
Zurich
North America
Moscow
Tbilisi
Tokyo
Epidaurus
Thelma Holt produced INTERNATIONAL 87, a series of four visits to the National Theatre by international theatre companies:
THE HAIRY APE by Eugene O'Neill directed by Peter Stein (production from the Schaubuhne, Berlin)
MISS JULIE by August Strindberg and HAMLET by William Shakespeare both directed by Ingmar Bergman (productions from the Royal Dramatic Theatre, Stockholm)
MACBETH by Shakespeare and MEDEA by Euripides both directed by Yukio Ninagawa (the Ninagawa Company from Tokyo)
TOMORROW WAS WAR by the Mayakovsky Theatre Company from Moscow
For this international season Thelma Holt received the Olivier/Observer Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Theatre and a special award from Drama Magazine.
In 1998 she co-produced THE FAIRY QUEEN by Purcell directed by Adrian Noble for the Aix-en-Provence Festival.
Thelma Holt produced INTERNATIONAL 89, a second series of four visits to the National Theatre by international theatre companies:
TANGO VARSOVIANO by Teatro del Sur (Buenos Aires)
THE GRAPES OF WRATH by the Steppenwolf Theatre Company (Chicago)
UNCLE Vanya by Anton Chekhov by the Moscow Art Theatre
SUICIDE FOR LOVE the return of the Ninagawa Theatre Company
For the newly-formed Peter Hall Company Thelma Holt was Executive Producer for:
ORPHEUS DESCENDING
by Tennessee Williams
Cast included Vanessa Redgrave
presented at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket
THE MERCHANT OF VENICE
by William Shakespeare
cast included Dustin Hoffman
presented at the Phoenix Theatre and in New York
THE WILD DUCK
by Henrik Ibsen
cast included Alex Jennings, David Threlfall, Nichola McAuliffe
presented at the Phoenix Theatre
Thelma Holt was Executive Producer for Triumph Proscenium's production of Pirandello's HENRY IV starring Richard Harris, which was presented in 1990 at Wyndham's Theatre, London.
In 1990 she also presented two visiting productions at the National Theatre:
HAMLET
by William Shakespeare
The Bulandra Theatre Company from Bucharest
THE KINGDOM OF DESIRE
(based on Shakespeare's MACBETH)
The Contemporary Legend Theatre from Taiwan
www.thelmaholt.co.uk