Jack Beresford Fowler (21 July 1893 – 17 July 1972), generally referred to as Beresford Fowler or J. Beresford Fowler, was an Australian actor and stage director, remembered for his little theatre productions in Melbourne.
History Fowler was born in Darlinghurst or Ultimo, Sydney, youngest of four sons of musician Frank Harry Fowler (c. 1857 – 9 December 1893) and Fannie Adele Fowler, née Ellard (c. 1861 – 10 August 1928), better known as the actress Ethel Adele, whose sister Ada Kate Ellard married Garnet Walch.
He was only a few months old when his father died, and his mother, though not well provided for, brought up her four boys on her own. In 1896 she took her sons to live in Melbourne, living in various suburbs — Elsternwick, Brighton, Armadale and Hawksburn — taking in boarders and supplementing whatever income by producing Gilbert & Sullivan operettas for high schools. She also appeared on stage for Gregan McMahon, so Jack got to see many stage productions, albeit involuntarily. One of his earliest memories was of Bert Royle's pantomime Djin Djin starring Florrie Young at the Princess Theatre in 1896. He was quite deaf, so had no talents as a singer. He was educated at Hawksburn State School (closed 1993), and after leaving found employment as a dentist's assistant.
Fowler got a start in theatre with Gregan McMahon's amateur company 1911–1914, playing alongside medical student F. Kingsley Norris in various dramas, notably as Foldal in Ibsen's John Gabriel Borkman. On one occasion they shared the stage with Nellie Melba. Other notable amateurs with McMahon around that time were Doris Fitton, Jack Cussen, son of Judge Cussen, and Louie Dunn, teacher of Irene Mitchell.
In 1911 Bert Bailey, Edmund Duggan and Julius Grant combined to form the Bert Bailey Dramatic Company, and leased King's Theatre from William Anderson, and Fowler joined the company. He played Billy Bearup in a touring production of On Our Selection and back at King's Theatre in The Squaw Man on 22 April 1916.
He was living with his mother at 94 Hotham Street, East St Kilda, Victoria when he enlisted with the First AIF in April 1916, and served as a private in France, returning to Australia in 1919. He rejoined Bailey. In 1923 he joined Allan Wilkie's company, playing in Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Henry V, and others.
Meanwhile he assembled an independent amateur company, who performed Darnley's comedy Facing the Music from 8 January 1921 at The Playhouse. Audience included members of the 3rd Battalion Pioneers Ibsen's Ghosts followed on 27 September 1922.
He became associated with the Australian Institute of Arts and Literature (1921–1927), a Melbourne club for the Arts élite whose existence rose and fell with the presidency of Sir Robert Garran. A dramatic group was formed within the organisation which, led by Fowler, presented several dramas, one at the clubroom above or adjacent the Palace Theatre overlooking Bourke Street, and another at The Playhouse. The Institute appears not to have sponsored any further productions after 1922.
In 1925, with no backing and £100 from his own savings, Fowler founded The Little Art Theatre Company, often referred to as the Little Art Company or Little Art Theatre. For four years they kept up a heavy schedule of challenging productions, mostly on the minuscule Queen's Hall stage, to generally warm praise from critics. In 1929 they turned professional, with Fowler and Dudley Riddick (who had been with the company several years) as joint directors, and business manager Laurence Walter, as The Art Theatre Players, and that February opened in Hobart. The travelling cast was four men and four women, with Berta Howden pianist. Despite good reviews the tour was a financial failure.
Openedon Title Author Venue Comments 8 Jul 1922 John Gabriel Borkman Ibsen The Playhouse for I.A.L. 7 Dec 1922 Futurity Adrian Stephen Clubrooms for I.A.L. 16 Sep 1925 A Doll's House Ibsen Queen's Hall 14 Sep 1925 Candida Shaw Queen's Hall 26 Oct 1925 Hedda Gabler Ibsen Queen's Hall 29 Oct 1925 Rutherford and Son Githa Sowerby Queen's Hall 31 Oct 1925 Candida Shaw Queen's Hall 4 Nov 1925 Ghosts Ibsen Queen's Hall 22 Feb 1926 Rutherford and Son Sowerby Queen's Hall "continual improvement" 25 Feb 1926 Hindle Wakes Stanley Houghton Queen's Hall 1 Mar 1926 The Master Builder Ibsen Queen's Hall Melbourne premiere 3 Mar 1926 A Doll's House Ibsen Queen's Hall 6 Mar 1926 Candida Shaw Queen's Hall 11 Mar 1926 Man and Superman Shaw The Playhouse Ruth Conabere was singled out for special praise 18 Mar 1926 The Master Builder Ibsen Queen's Hall 18 May 1926 A Doll's House Ibsen The Playhouse 25 May 1926 Ghosts Ibsen The Playhouse 29 May 1926 The Wild Duck Ibsen Queen's Hall Melbourne premiere 30 May 1926 John Gabriel Borkman Ibsen The Playhouse 17 Jun 1926 Hindle Wakes Houghton Queen's Hall 21 Jun 1926 Hedda Gabler Ibsen Queen's Hall 17 Jul 1926 Man and Superman Shaw The Playhouse 22 Jul 1926 Major Barbara Shaw The Playhouse 21 Nov 1926 The Fires of St. John Sudermann Queen's Hall 6 Jun 1928 Miss Julie Strindberg Queen's Hall Australian premiere 6 Jun 1928 How He Lied to Her Husband Shaw Queen's Hall 16 Dec 1926 Windows (1922 play) Galsworthy Queen's Hall Melbourne premiere 24 Dec 1926 A Doll's House Ibsen Queen's Hall 1 Jan 1927 Caste T. W. Robertson Queen's Hall 15 Jan 1927 Windows Galsworthy Queen's Hall 10 Feb 1927 Fanny's First Play Shaw Queen's Hall 17 Mar 1927 The Seagull Chekhov Queen's Hall 4 Jun 1927 Pygmalion Shaw Queen's Hall 10 Aug 1927 Mrs Warren's Profession Shaw Queen's Hall 5 Sep 1927 The Wild Duck Ibsen Queen's Hall 7 Sep 1927 Windows Galsworthy Queen's Hall 21 Nov 1927 The Fires of St. John Sudermann Queen's Hall 1 Dec 1927 Joy Galsworthy Saint Peter's Hall 8 Dec 1927 Major Barbara Shaw Saint Peter's Hall 2 Mar 1928 The Family Man Galsworthy Queen's Hall Melbourne premiere 20 Mar 1928 You Never Can Tell Shaw ASH 4 Apr 1928 Candida Shaw Queen's Hall 12 Apr 1928 Dead Timber Louis Esson Queen's Hall 12 Apr 1928 Disturber of Pools Furnley Maurice Queen's Hall on same bill 18 April 1928 Man and Superman Shaw Queen's Hall 5 May 1928 The Taming of the Shrew Shakespeare The Playhouse in modern dress 10 May 1928 The Master Builder Ibsen Queen's Hall 15 May 1928 The Taming of the Shrew Shakespeare The Playhouse 6 June 1928 Miss Julie Strinberg Queen's Hall Australian premiere 20 Jun 1928 Fanny's First Play Shaw Queen's Hall 7 Jul 1928 Rosmersholm Ibsen Queen's Hall 19 Sep 1928 Loyalties Galsworthy Queen's Hall production criticised 8 Oct 1928 Heartbreak House Shaw Queen's Hall Australian premiere 15 Nov 1928 The Whiteheaded Boy Robinson Queen's Hall 22 Nov 1928 E. & O. E. Eliot Crawshay-Williams Queen's Hall "Grand Guignol farce" 22 Nov 1928 The Boon Chekhov Queen's Hall on the same bill 20 Dec 1928 The Vortex Noël Coward Queen's Hall Australian premiere 26 Dec 1928 The Rat Trap Coward Queen's Hall 22 Feb 1929 Pygmalion Shaw Queen's Hall 27 Feb 1929 The Doctor's Dilemma Shaw Queen's Hall Their 41st play 9 March 1929 Windows Galsworthy Theatre Royal, Hobart Debut as a professional company 13 Mar 1929 The Rat Trap Coward Theatre Royal, Hobart 16 Mar 1929 Candida Shaw Theatre Royal, Hobart 21 Mar 1929 The Fires of St. John Sudermann Theatre Royal, Hobart 25 Mar 1929 The Vortex Coward Theatre Royal, Hobart 28 Mar 1929 Pygmalion Shaw Theatre Royal, Hobart with "extras" from the Hobart Repertory Society 8 Apr 1929 Candida Shaw National Theatre, Launceston audience reduced due to floods 10 Apr 1929 Windows Galsworthy National Theatre, Launceston "adequately performed" 22 Apr 1929 Windows Galsworthy Queen's Hall 29 Apr 1929 Candida Shaw Queen's Hall 8 May 1929 The Rat Trap Coward Queen's Hall 22 May 1929 Loyalties Galsworthy Queen's Hall improvement noted 7 Aug 1929 Chains Elizabeth Baker Queen's Hall 14 Aug 1929 Miss Julie Strindberg Queen's Hall 20 Sep 1929 The Pincher Pinched Furnley Maurice Queen's Hall 20 Sep 1929 Peer Gynt (scene) Ibsen Queen's Hall on the same bill 26 Sep 1929 The Round Table Robinson Queen's Hall 31 Oct 1929 Justice Galsworthy Queen's Hall 4 Dec 1929 The Round Table Robinson Queen's Hall 12 Dec 1929 Strife Galsworthy Queen's Hall 4 Jan 1930 Strife Galsworthy Queen's Hall 15 Jan 1930 Justice Galsworthy Queen's Hall 22 Jan 1930 The Vortex Coward Queen's Hall 1 Feb 1930 Heartbreak House Shaw Queen's Hall 19 Feb 1930 Chains Elizabeth Baker Queen's Hall 27 Feb 1930 Fallen Angels Coward Queen's Hall Australian premiere 27 Mar 1930 Passers By Haddon Chambers Queen's Hall Production by Victor Wiltshire 5 Apr 1930 A Doll's House Ibsen Queen's Hall 3 May 1930 Rutherford and Son Sowerby Queen's Hall 7 May 1930 John Gabriel Borkman Ibsen Queen's Hall praised 31 May 1930 Pygmalion Shaw Queen's Hall 4 Jun 1930 Man and Superman Shaw Queen's Hall 11 Jun 1930 Easy Virtue Coward Queen's Hall Australian premiere 23 Jul 1930 Mrs Warren's Profession Shaw Queen's Hall 26 Jul 1930 The Fires of St. John Sodermann Queen's Hall 14 Aug 1930 Widowers' Houses Shaw Queen's Hall Australian premiere 17 Sep 1930 Mrs Warren's Profession Shaw Queen's Hall 29 Sep 1930 The Affairs of Anatol Schnitzler Queen's Hall 22 Jan 1931 The Fugitive Galsworthy Queen's Hall hugely popular 4 Feb 1931 Joy Galsworthy Queen's Hall hugely popular 6 May Candida Shaw Queen's Hall 20 May The Rat trap Coward Queen's Hall 27 May Greater Love Fowler Queen's Hall under the auspices of Sir John Monash and Albert Jacka VC. 22 Jul 1931 A Family Man Galsworthy Queen's Hall 29 Jul 1931 The Wild Duck Ibsen Queen's Hall 28 Oct 1931 Fallen Angels Coward Queen's Hall 1 Nov 1931 The Queen Was in the Parlour Coward Queen's Hall Melbourne premiere 8 Nov 1931 The Pillars of Society Ibsen Queen's Hall Melbourne premiere 6 Jan 1932 Easy Virtue Coward Queen's Hall 13 Jan 1932 The Vortex Coward Queen's Hall 6 Feb 1932 Mesalliance Shaw Queen's Hall 11 Feb 1932 The Queen Was in the Parlour Coward Queen's Hall 18 Feb 1932 The White Blackbird Robinson Queen's Hall 27 Feb 1932 The Wild Duck Ibsen Queen's Hall 5 Mar 1932 Windows Galsworthy Queen's Hall 25 Jan 1933 Home Chat Coward Queen's Hall 26 Jan 1933 Pygmalion Shaw Queen's Hall
Other interests He was a prominent member of the Play Lovers' Club, which read Chekhov's The Seagull in August 1926.
Fowler produced plays for other amateur groups, — Sunset by Jerome K. Jerome for the Old Wesley Collegians' Dramatic Society
He produced W. W. Jacobs' The Warming Pan as a radio play on station 3LO in 1930.
He helped found a repertory theatre in Bendigo 1930.
In 1932 he produced plays at Ballarat.
He has been credited as founder and conductor of the Brisbane Liedertafel.
As playwright In 1910 Fowler wrote a play about Robert Clive, which he sent to Gerard Coventry, a producer for J. C. Williamson's, which was not accepted, nor was his second, a dramatization of The Count of Monte Cristo. Coventry again returned the manuscript, with the advice to "persevere . . . and never give up or lose heart".
In 1920 he registered his play The Dame of Corbie for copyright purposes.
At an all-Australian programme 12 April 1928 he staged his own A Heroine of Russia (1916)
Greater Love, a "comedy-drama of the war, the stage and school life", loosely adapted from his own novel, The Elusive Ideal.
A Suit of Clothes, play adapted from his own short story.
Assessments Everyone with a knowledge of the theatre is aware that the producer's skill or the lack of it makes or mars the play. To obtain a right effect at the right moment is part of the producer's job. To obtain a well-balanced ensemble is another . . . How Mr Fowler works his miracles at the Queen's Hall is beyond my comprehension. Almost as well attempt Hamlet in a Punch and Judy theatre.
Notes and references