Guthrie, Sir Tyrone, 1900–1971, English stage director, playwright, and writer. Guthrie directed the Scottish National Players (1926–28), the Festival Theatre, Cambridge (1929–30), and the Old Vic–Sadler's Wells Company. From 1953 to 1957, he was artistic director of the Shakespearean Festival in Stratford, Ontario, which he helped found. There he developed the thrust or open stage. Knighted in 1961, Guthrie was noted for his innovative and energetic approach to the classical theater. He was among the first to write plays for radio.

Bibliography

See his A Life in the Theatre (1959), In Various Directions (1965), and Tyrone Guthrie on Acting (1971); biography by J. Forsyth (1976); study by A. Rossi (1977).

Guthrie, Sir (William) Tyrone

(born July 2, 1900, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, Eng.—died May 15, 1971, Newbliss, County Monaghan, Ire.) British theatre director and producer. After his first London production in 1931, he became director of the Shakespeare Repertory Company (1933–34, 1936–45), which performed at the Old Vic and Sadler's Wells theatres. His original approach to Shakespearean drama greatly influenced the 20th-century revival of interest in traditional theatre. He also directed operas such as Peter Grimes (1946) and Carmen (1949) and his own play, Top of the Ladder (1950). He helped found and direct the Stratford Festival in Canada (1953–57), influencing the development of Canadian theatre. He also founded and directed (1963–66) the Tyrone Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis.