Church, Esmé (1893–1972)
Church, Esmé (1893–1972)
English actress, theatrical manager, and director. Name variations: Esme Church. Born Feb 10, 1893, in England; died May 31, 1972, in Quenington, England.
Made stage debut in London as the Maid in Playgoers (1913); with Lena Ashwell Players, appeared in some 150 roles (some of them leads), directed, and toured for the troops during WWI (1916–28); joined Old Vic (1928), appearing in such roles as Rosalind in As You Like It, Viola in Twelfth Night, Katharine in Henry VIII, and Lady Macbeth; appeared with Great London Players (1929–31); joined staff of Old Vic as head of the school of acting (1936) and with Lewis Casson was joint-director for Old Vic Mediterranean tour; was director for H.M. Tennant, the Old Vic and CEMA tours and inaugurated the Children's Theater on tour as The Young Vic; appointed director of Bradford's Civic Playhouse (1944), turning it into a renowned non-professional company; as actress, other plays include The Blue Coast, Rutherford and Son, Dangerous Corner, The Lake, Nurse Cavell, No Way Back and Rosmersholm.