Dorothy Black

Dorothy Black or Kitty Black aka Noir (30 April 1914 – December 2006) was a South African born playwright, literary agent and translator. She was a backer for Radio Atlanta.

Life Black was born in 1914 in Johannesburg to Francis and Elizabeth Johanna Black. She was the youngest of six children. Educated at Roedean School in Johannesburg. Her brother became a Rugby International but died young. She passed her university entrance exam but she became a concert pianist. She toured for four years but it was her decision to abandon this and she trained as a stenographer. She and Macdonald produced several notable theatrical productions, but John Perry explained that she would progress no higher. Black was fluent in French and so in love with France that she was sometimes called "Noir". She created translations of plays that were enabled not only by her fluency in French but with her knowledge of theatre after reading so many plays as a literary agent. She also translated his play "Morts sans Sépulture" and was thrilled when the director said that it was perfect. and again in London at the Royal Festival Hall in 1956 with Flanders as the narrator, Sir Ralph Richardson as the Soldier and Peter Ustinov as the Devil. Their translation has held its place as the standard English version into the 21st century.

In 1957 she was going to be married. She left her job but the marriage never took place. During the 1960s she worked in commercial British television first at Granada Television until 1963 and then for Associated-Rediffusion. In 1976 she became the house manager of the MacOwan Theatre, where she remained until 1986.

Black died in Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in 2006. The date is given as 20 or 26 December in different sources.

Works include The Prince of Bohemia, 1942 (play) Morts sans Sépulture, translation L'Histoire du soldat, co-translation La Putain Respecteuse, translation (1949) Le diable et le bon dieu, translation (1952) Landslide, 1943 (co-written play) The Singing Dolphin, 1963 (co-written play) Upper Circle:A Theatrical Chronicle, 1984 (autobiography)