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Brian Crossley

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Brian Crossley
Born
Brian Stow Crossley

(1926-10-05)5 October 1926
Shipley, West Yorkshire, England
Died8 September 2012(2012-09-08) (aged 85)
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
NationalityEnglish-Australian
EducationBirmingham School of Speech and Drama
Occupations
  • Actor
  • director
  • drama tutor
Years active1945-?
Known forDirector of the National Theatre, Adventure Island, The Box as producer/director
Notable workGilbert and Sullivan

Brian Stow Crossley (5 October 1926 – 8 September 2012) was an English-born actor, director and drama tutor, who after starting his career in his native country, emigrated to Australia. He appeared in and directed numerous roles in theatre and on television over a career spanning more than 50 years, including directing straight theatre, musicals, opera and operetta.

Biography

He was born in Shipley in West Yorkshire, England to engineering draughtsman Harry Crossley and Minnie Stow. He attended Birmingham College of Speech and Drama and performed as part of Birmingham Repertory Theatre, he appeared in a production of Gilbert and Sullivan's Patience and in 1950 was invited to join the chorus for the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, playing a variety of small roles. In 1952 he played in Gay's the Word on the West End, he emigrated to Australia in 1954, where he moved to Melbourne to join the Union Theatre Repertory Company. He toured Australia and New Zealand in 1956 with the J.C. Williamson Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company, but with the arrival of television he turned his attention to the screen.[1]

He appeared in a variety of television programs, including Homicide, Division 4 and Consider Your Verdict, as well as directing for serial The Box. His most successful role was on children's series Adventure Island, where he played Mrs Flower Potts from 1967 to 1972.

During this period he also directed for the stage; his first directing project was Christoph Willibald Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice for the Victorian State Opera; he subsequently directed Benjamin Britten's The Rape of Lucretia, Domenico Cimarosa's The Secret Marriage and Franz Joseph Haydn's L'infedeltà delusa and collaborated extensively with Dennis Olsen. He directed a wide variety of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas and in 1973 was appointed a director of the National Theatre's Opera School. He moved to the Darling Downs Institute of Advanced Education in Queensland around 1982.[1]

Crossley died in Melbourne on 8 September 2012, aged 85.[1]

Television

Actor

Year Production Role Type
1969 Sounds Like Us TV series
1970 Homicide Richards TV series
1969–70 Division 4 Trixie – Interior Decorator TV series
1966–72 Adventure Island Mrs. Flower Potts / Gracie Galah TV series

Director

Year Production Role Type
1974–76 The Box Director TV series, 24 episodes
1980 The Ioslanthe Director TV movie

Producer

Year Production Role Type
1974 The Box Producer TV series, 10 episodes

Theatre (selected)

Actor

Year Production Role Venue / Company
1948 Let the People Live Actor Birmingham Repertory Theatre[2]
1948 Peer Gynt Actor Birmingham Repertory Theatre[2]
1950–51 Patience Mr. Bunthorne's Solicitor / Major Murgatroyd D’Oyly Carte Opera Company, Malvern, Worcestershire[3]
1950–51 The Yeomen of the Guard First Citizen D’Oyly Carte Opera Company, Malvern, Worcestershire[3]
1952 Gay's the Word West End, London
1954 Tram Stop 10! Actor University of Melbourne
1955 Under the Sycamore Tree Actor University of Melbourne
1955 Twelfth Night Actor University of Melbourne & VIC/SA regional tour
1955 The Dark is Light Enough Actor University of Melbourne
1955 The Time of Your Life Actor University of Melbourne
1955 You Never Can Tell Actor University of Melbourne
1955 The Barretts of Wimpole Street Actor University of Melbourne
1955 The Man Actor University of Melbourne
1955 Return Fare Actor University of Melbourne
1956 The Gondoliers The Duke VIC regional tour
1956 Arms and the Man Actor VIC regional tour
1956 Trial by Jury Associate Theatre Royal, Adelaide
1956 The Yeomen of the Guard Actor / Singer Theatre Royal, Adelaide
1958 Cox and Box / H.M.S. Pinafore Actor Theatre Royal, Adelaide
1958 Hotel Paradiso Actor University of Melbourne
1958 The Knight of the Burning Pestle Actor University of Melbourne
1961; 1964 Alice in Wonderland White Rabbit Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Tivoli Theatre, Melbourne
1962; 1963 Noddy in Toyland Mr Pink-Whistle Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Theatre Royal, Sydney
1963 Where Do We Go From Here? Actor St Martins Theatre, Melbourne
1968 A Thousand and One Stars Actor Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne
1974 Death of a Salesman Actor SGIO Theatre with Queensland Theatre
1975 The Wedding of Count Potocki South Australia
1978 The White Horse Inn Grinkle Canberra Theatre
1980 Jack and the Beanstalk Actor VIC regional tour
1980 Goldilocks Actor VIC regional tour
1980 Red Riding Hood Actor VIC regional tour
1980 Alice in Wonderland Actor VIC regional tour
1980 The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe Actor VIC regional tour
1980 Cinderella Actor Northland Shopping Centre Theatre, Melbourne & VIC regional tour

Director/crew

Year Production Role Venue / Company
1955 You Never Can Tell Assistant Stage Manager University of Melbourne
1955 Design for Living Assistant Stage Manager University of Melbourne
1955 The Barretts of Wimpole Street Assistant Stage Manager University of Melbourne
1955 The Man Stage Manager University of Melbourne
1960 Nothing Sacred Producer Star Theatre, Melbourne
1961 The Importance of Being Earnest Director University of Melbourne
1965 Alice in Wonderland Director Her Majesty’s Theatre, Adelaide
1968; 1969 It Happened In Tanjablanca Director Viaduct Theatre Club, Melbourne
1969 The Rape of Lucretia Director St Martins Theatre, Melbourne
1969 L'Orfeo Director St Martins Theatre, Melbourne with Victorian Opera
1970 Count Ory Director Camberwell Civic Centre with Victorian Opera
1971 The Deluded Infidel (aka L’infedeltà delusa or Deceit Outwitted) Producer Camberwell Civic Centre with Victorian Opera
1971 The Secret of Susannah / Help! Help! The Globollinks Director Princess Theatre, Melbourne
1974 The Gondoliers Producer Festival Theatre, Adelaide
1975; 1977; 1978 The Gondoliers Director Sydney Opera House, Princess Theatre, Melbourne
1975; 1978 The Mikado Producer Festival Theatre, Adelaide,
1975 Albert Herring Director National Theatre, Melbourne
1976 Iolanthe Director Sydney Opera House, Festival Theatre, Adelaide
1977 The Mikado Director Sydney Opera House
1978; 1980 The Masters Writer / Director Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Seymour Centre, Sydney, Playhouse, Adelaide, Civic Theatre, Burnie, Princess Theatre, Launceston, Theatre Royal, Hobart, Canberra Theatre
1978 The Yeomen of the Guard Director Festival Theatre, Adelaide, Princess Theatre, Melbourne, Regent Theatre, Sydney
1979 Cox and Box / H.M.S. Pinafore Director Princess Theatre, Melbourne
1979 H.M.S. Pinafore Director Canberra Theatre, Polly Woodside, Melbourne
1980 The Pirates of Penzance Director National Theatre, Melbourne, Canberra Theatre
1980 Lock Up Your Daughters Director National Theatre, Melbourne, Monash University
1981 The Medium Producer National Theatre, Melbourne
1985 The Little Sweep Director Melbourne Concert Hall
1987 Princess Ida or, Castle Adamant Director Canberra Theatre
The Secret Marriage Director
My Fair Lady Director

[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c Sinclair, Marion (20 October 2012). "Brian Crossley, 1926–2012". The Age.
  2. ^ a b https://theatricalia.com/person/1ce8/brian-crossley
  3. ^ a b https://gsarchive.net/whowaswho/C/CrossleyBrian.htm
  4. ^ https://ausstage.edu.au/pages/contributor/241067
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