Edward Henry Gordon Craig (16 January 1872-29 July 1966), usually known as Gordon Craig, was a British actor, producer, director and scenic designer. Do not change January 16 it preserves the date correctly formatted and stops robots from delinking it. ... 1872 (MDCCCLXXII) was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... July 29 is the 210th day (211th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 155 days remaining. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... This article or section is missing references or citation of sources. ... A theatrical producer is a type of producer who oversees the staging of theatre productions. ... A theatre director is a principal in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a play by unifying various endeavors and aspects of production. ... Scenic design also known as Stage design is the creation of theatrical scenery. ...

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. Illegitimacy was a term in common use for the condition of being born of parents who were not validly married to one another; the legal term was bastardy. ... Architect at his drawing board, 1893 An architect is a person involved in the planning, designing and oversight of a buildings construction. ... Northampton Guild Hall, built 1861-4, displays Godwins Ruskinian Gothic style. ... Actors in period costume sharing a joke whilst waiting between takes during location filming. ... Ellen Alice Terry (February 27, 1847 – July 21, 1928) was an English stage actress. ... Do not change January 16 it preserves the date correctly formatted and stops robots from delinking it. ... Stevenage is a town and district in Hertfordshire, England. ... Hertfordshire (pronounced Har(t)fordshire and abbreviated as Herts) is an inland county in the United Kingdom, officially part of the East of England Government region. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the United Kingdom (light green), with the Republic of Ireland (blue) to its west Languages None official English de facto Capital None official London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked... Baptism is a water purification ritual practiced in certain religions such as Christianity, Mandaeanism, Sikhism, and some historic sects of Judaism. ... A family name, or surname, is that part of a persons name that indicates to what family he or she belongs. ... A deed poll is a legal document binding only to a single person or several person acted jointly to express an active intention. ...

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. Henry Irving, as Hamlet, in a 1893 illustration from The Idler magazine John Henry Brodribb Irving (February 6, 1838 – October 13, 1905),(whose original name was John Brodribb), became better known as Sir Henry Irving. ... Venus de Milo exhibited in the Louvre museum, France. ... James Pryde (1866-1941) was a Scottish artist working mainly in graphics. ... Sir William Nicholson (1872-1949) was a British painter, also know for his work as an illustrator. ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Usually considered in the context of the applied arts, engineering, architecture, and other such creative endeavours, design is used as both a noun and a verb. ...

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 conceptual unity that encompassed the entire production. George Frideric Handel (German Georg Friedrich Händel), (February 23, 1685 – April 14, 1759) was a German-born British Baroque music composer. ... Sydney Opera House: one of the worlds most recognizable opera houses and landmarks Opera refers to a dramatic art form, originating in Europe, in which the emotional content or primary entertainment is conveyed to the audience as much through music, both vocal and instrumental, as it is through the... Acis and Galatea is a pastoral opera or masque composed by George Frideric Handel while he was living in Cannons (the seat of James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos, during the summer of 1718, and later revised and expanded to three acts in 1732, to words by John Gay, Alexander... Henrik Johan Ibsen (March 20, 1828 – May 23, 1906) was an influential Norwegian playwright who was largely responsible for the rise of the modern realistic drama (dubbed the father of modern drama). It is said that Ibsen is the most frequently performed dramatist in the world after Shakespeare. ... The Vikings at Helgeland is Henrik Ibsens seventh play, written in 1857. ... } London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England and is the most populous city in the European Union. ...

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. 1904 (MCMIV) was a leap year starting on a Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... An essay is a short work that treats a topic from an authors personal point of view, often taking into account subjective experiences and personal reflections upon them. ... Konstantin Stanislavski at a young age Konstantin (Constantin) Sergejevitch Stanislavski (Stanislavsky) (Russian: ; January 5, 1863–August 7, 1938) was a Russian theatre and acting innovator. ... A detail of the engraving of Daniel Maclises 1842 painting The Play-scene in Hamlet, portraying the moment when the guilt of Claudius is revealed. ... The Moscow Art Theatre is a theatre company in Moscow, Russia, founded in 1897 by Konstantin Stanislavsky and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko. ... 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

His influence on the development of stage design was considerable. He received the OBE and in 1958 was made a Companion of Honour. Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these... 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Order of the Companions of Honour is a British and Commonwealth Order (decoration). ...

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). Portrait photograph by Arnold Genthe. ...

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.

See also

• List of illegitimates

External links

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