Edward Henry Gordon Craig (16 January 1872-29 July 1966), usually known as Gordon Craig, was a British actor, producer, director and scenic designer.

The illegitimate son of the architect Edward Godwin and actress Ellen Terry, Craig was born Edward Godwin 16 January 1872, in Railway Street, Stevenage in Hertfordshire, England, and baptized, at age 16, as Edward Henry Gordon. He took the surname Craig by deed poll at age 21.

He worked as an actor in the company of Sir Henry Irving, but became more interested in art, learning to carve wood under the tutelage of James Pryde and William Nicholson. His acting career ended in 1897, when he went into theatrical design.

His first productions, George F. Handel's opera Acis and Galatea and Henrik Ibsen's The Vikings were produced in London. While neither of these performances were successes, they debuted Craig's revolutionary style to the world. In these first productions, he concentrated on keeping the designs simple so as to set off the movements of the actors and of light. In addition, he introduced the idea of a "unified stage picture" that covered all the elements of design.

After finding so little financial success in Britain, Craig set out for Germany in 1904. While there, he wrote one of his most famous works, the essay The Art of the Theatre which was later reprinted with the title On the Art of the Theatre. Craig also met with Constantin Stanislavsky and worked on his famous production of Hamlet with the Moscow Arts Theatre in 1912. After settling in Italy, Craig created a school of theatrical design with support from Lord Howard de Walden.

His influence on the development of stage design was considerable. He received the OBE and in 1958 was made a Companion of Honour.

In 1893, Craig married May Gibson and had four children: Rosemary, Robin, Peter, and Philip. With his lover Elena Mee he had two children, Nelly and Edward Carrick (1894-), art director of British motion pictures. With his lover the dancer Isadora Duncan, Craig had a daughter, Deirdre (1906-1913). Tragically, Deidre died by drowning at the age of seven.

Among his ideas that have found their way into modern theatre practice is the idea of using the design elements within a production (scenery, costumes, lighting, etc.) in ways that transcend reality rather than simply representing them. These elements could create symbols by which a deeper meaning could be communicated. He was extremely difficult to work with.

See also

*Illegitimacy

External links

*Gordon Craig Biography
*Edward Gordon Craig and the Modern Theatre of Devising
*The Gordon Craig Theatre, Stevenage

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Craig, Gordon
Craig, Gordon