Annie Castledine

Ann "Annie" Castledine (26 February 1939 – 4 June 2016), was a British theatre director, teacher and dramaturg.

Described in The Guardian as "one of the arts world's best-known secrets" who "shaped some of the most influential players in British theatre" and had a "genius for doing work that is unfashionable". Peter Brook described her as an "outstanding director of European classical and contemporary plays".

She was regarded as an expert on the dramas of Bertolt Brecht, William Shakespeare, Anton Chekhov and Henrik Ibsen, as well as being noted for her championing of new talent in British theatre and the arts, including work with new playwrights and the training of new directors.

She was the eldest child of three born to Ida Castledine (née Armstrong) and Walter Cecil Castledine, who worked as an electrical engineer employed by the National Coal Board at coal mines including Kiveton Park Colliery. Her mother worked to run the household and bring up three children, while also donating time to the NSPCC. Ida and Cecil were keen on plays and theatre A bright student, she considered her early career prospects to be firmly established by her gender and class – in press interviews she recalled making the choice to work as a teacher, having been presented with a choice between becoming a teacher or becoming a nurse.

Theatres and theatrical companies Much of Castledine's theatrical work was carried out on a freelance basis and involved productions for a great number of British theatres and companies, including the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre.

Her career also included periods as the artistic director for Derby Playhouse (1987–90). Prior to which she was Associate Artistic Director at Theatr Clwyd (1985–87).

Collaborators Repeat collaborators included Stephen Daldry, Iona McLeish, Kathryn Hunter, Maureen Lawrence, Bryony Lavery, Corin Redgrave, Kika Markham, Jane Birkin, Mark Wheatley Polly Irvin, Roger Allam, Colin Ellwood and Catherine Bailey.

Theatre productions Selected productions include: In 1990, Annie Castledine directed a production of The Caretaker by Harold Pinter at the Sherman Theatre in Cardiff. It was noted as the first-ever production to have the title part played by a woman, Miriam Karlin. In 1992–93, she directed Marching for Fausa by Biyi Bandele, the first African play to be staged at the Royal Court in London since 1966. In 1993, she directed From The Mississippi Delta by Endesha Ida Mae Holland at the Cochrane Theatre. Winner of the Bass Charrington London Fringe Award for Best Ensemble and Best Director. It has been performed across the UK and Europe.

Radio productions By Annie Castledine and Pier Productions: Book at Bedtime: Three stories written by Stefan Zweig. Originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2005. Sister Under the Skin written by Corin Redgrave, starring Corin Redgrave and Kika Markham. Originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2005

Directed by Castledine and produced by Catherine Bailey Productions: Gaslight written by Patrick Hamilton, starring Juliet Stevenson, Roger Allam and Corin Redgrave. Originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Lady Audley's Secret written by Mary Bradden, adapted by Bryony Lavery, starring Francesca Annis. Originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2000. Oh Sorry, Were You Asleep? written by Jane Birkin, starring Jane Birkin and Corin Redgrave. Originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Hymn to Love – Homage to Piaf. Originally broadcast on BBC Radio 3. One Small Step written by Mark Wheatley. Originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4. The Lovers of Viorne written by Marguerite Duras, adapted by Bryony Lavery. Originally broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in October 2004. Boniface and Me written by Gillian Plowman. Originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2007. Gracey and Me written by Gillian Plowman. Originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2010. Gilead adapted by Mike Kenny from the novel by Marilynne Robinson. Originally broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in November 2010.

Directed by Annie Castledine: The Colour of Light written by Sheila Yeger, starring Kim Hicks, Barbara Marten and Rob Pickavance. Originally broadcast on BBC 2 on 24 July 1997.

Teaching Bulmershe College University of Manchester/Rose Bruford College: creation (2009–10) of a distance learning course with Polly Irvin, 'Four Contemporary Directors and the Stories They Tell'. University of Cambridge, Cambridge Greek plays.

Books Plays by Women, Volume 9, first published by Methuen Drama for Bloomsbury Publishing in 1992, edited and introduced by Annie Castledine. Plays by Women, Volume 10, first published by Methuen Drama for Bloomsbury Publishing in 1994, edited and introduced by Annie Castledine. Interviewed in On Directing: Interviews with Directors, edited by Gabriella Giannachi and Mary Buckhurst, published by Faber & Faber 1999.

Death She died in June 2016, aged 77, in hospital in Eastbourne.

Family Castledine was survived by her sister, brother, five nieces and a nephew. "I hadn't realised regional rep was about money. I thought it was about encouraging the young and being radical." "The curse of our theatre is the linear, suburban imagination which has to be literal about time and place." "In doing it for us, the characters allow us to also experience the scream. Hugely cathartic, hugely important. Classless, timeless, placeless." "Theatre is an abused art form here. And it is undervalued because it is underfunded." "When you have nothing else you have words, so use those words."

Quotations about Annie Castledine Stephen Daldry CBE, director & producer: "A giant, a mother and a force for all that's best in the theatre." Sarah Brigham, artistic director and chief executive of Derby Playhouse: "Annie was fearless in her programming of Derby Playhouse, encouraging innovation, work of the highest quality and encouraging audiences to take as many risks as we ask artists to." Mike Kenny, playwright: "I don't think they make them like Annie any more... She had a belief in the creativity of ordinary people and never compromised on a parallel belief in excellence. She promoted women's work and diversity when it wasn't fashionable. She threw together volatile groups of creative people and often produced magic and sometimes, it has to be said, chaos. If you were an actor in her rehearsal room, every day was like having a full house – the quality of the attention she paid you was as enormous as she was as a personality. I did smile when I heard that she died on the same day as Muhammad Ali. If those two met at the Pearly Gates, I wouldn't fancy his chances." Lyn Gardner, critic and journalist: "ne of the most energising and dynamic talents in the business. She was always a late starter... Castledine's work... combines an English working-class and feminist toughness tempered by a lyric, European sensibility." Peter Brook CH CBE, director: "[Castledine] has defined herself as an outstanding director of European classical and contemporary plays, bringing a compelling visionary power to the stage."