Carte, Bridget D'Oyly (1908–1985)
Carte, Bridget D'Oyly (1908–1985)
English theatrical manager and proprietor of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. Name variations: Dame Bridget D'Oyly Carte. Born in 1908; died in 1985; educated privately and at Darlington Hall; granddaughter of Richard D'Oyly Carte (1844–1901) who, with his father, built the Savoy Theatre in 1876 to present Gilbert and Sullivan operas.
From 1938 to 1947, Dame Bridget D'Oyly Carte worked in London in child welfare. In 1948, she became the manager of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, presenting operas in England, America, and Canada until the copyright expired in 1961, the year she endowed the D'Oyly Carte Opera Trust. She continued to offer operas until the Arts Council withdrew support in 1981. D'Oyly Carte was chair and managing director of Bridget D'Oyly Carte, Ltd., president of the Savoy Company, and director of the Savoy Theatre. She was named Dame of the British Empire (DBE) in 1975. With the support of a bequest from Dame Bridget's estate following her death in 1985, a new company was formed in 1988.