Description:Sir Barry Jackson (1879-1961), seen here on the bottom right of the photograph, was the founder of Birmingham Repertory Company. He was born to a wealthy family in Birmingham for whom the arts were an important part of life. He organized and funded Pilgrim Players, an amateur company, which became the Birmingham Repertory Company in 1911. He went on to create a fully professional company and opened his newly built theatre in 1913 with Twelfth Night. The company had 36 world premieres in the first decade and Jackson nurtured the careers of many actors, designers and directors. He also worked with the Malvern Festival and was artistic director at Stratford from 1945 to 1948. He lived at Blackhill, near Malvern, with his partner Scott Sunderland.
Reproduced by permission of the Sir Barry Jackson Trust.