Hale, Owen

Owen Hale, born in 1920 began his theatrical career after serving in the RAF during the Second World War. While in the Treasury department of Hampstead Borough Council he directed three plays for Nalgo (National and Local Government Officers Association) members, after which he left to work as both an actor and a stage manager at the Hampstead Repertory Theatre.

The early 1960s saw Owen become the stage manager for Peter Cook's comedy club The Establishment for four years, following which he worked as company manager for Theatre Workshop's 1964-1965 European tour of Oh! What a Lovely War .

From 1966 to 1975 Hale was publicity manager for a number of theatres in Nottingham, Leicester and Lancaster and at the Thorndike Theatre in Leatherhead from 1975 to 1985. He was also a director of the Studio Theatre, Scarborough and was a colleague of Stephen Joseph.

Encore Magazine was launched in 1957 with Hale as business manager and patron. He worked there until its closure in 1965 and was co-author of the subsequent Encore Reader .

In 1958 and 1960 Hale published playwright Harold Pinter's first two plays; The Birthday Party and The Caretaker respectively. Owen died in 1995.

From the guide to the Owen Hale Collection, 1953-1992, (V&A Department of Theatre and Performance)