Gordon Craig (actor)

Edward Gordon Craig (16 January 1872 – 29 July 1966), usually known as Gordon Craig, was an English modernist theatre practitioner; he worked as an actor, director, designer and theorist. He is the son of actress Dame Ellen Terry.

Craig began his career as an actor, initially performing with Henry Irving's company. However, he soon became more interested in stage design and developed highly influential ideas about the visual and spatial elements of theatre. He argued for a theatre freed from literary dominance, emphasizing the director's role as a unifying artistic force.

Craig's theories emphasized the use of simplified, abstract settings and the manipulation of light and space to create atmosphere and emotion. He advocated for the use of mobile screens and experimented with puppet-like actors, or "Übermarionettes," to achieve a controlled and stylized theatrical experience. His designs, often executed on a grand scale, were rarely fully realized in his lifetime due to practical and financial limitations.

His most influential writings include "The Art of the Theatre" (1905) and "On the Art of the Theatre" (1911). Craig's ideas had a profound impact on the development of 20th-century theatre, influencing movements such as expressionism and constructivism. He is recognized as one of the most important and visionary figures in modern theatre history.