BIRTHDAYS
It has been ten years since the influential theatre director William Gaskill, who, with Sir Laurence Olivier, was a founding director of the National Theatre, directed a play. He had been artistic director of the Royal Court for seven years until 1972 where he had directed premieres of writers such as Hare, Arden, Bond and Wesker. He has chosen to come out of retirement next month to direct his own adaptation of five Robert Carver stories at the Arcola Theatre, North London. The poet and short-story writer Carver died in 1988 and some have described him as the “American Chekhov”. Carver will run from July 8 to August 6. There is a cast of ten actors, including Kathryn Pogson, Bruce Alexander and Jack Klaff. Rehearsals are under way, as William Gaskill celebrates his 75th birthday today.
RGT