Tributes to 'acclaimed' former Edinburgh Festival director
Celebrated theatre director dies at age of 97
Tributes have been paid to a former director of the Edinburgh International Festival and veteran theatre director who enthralled audiences around the world.
Frank Dunlop, who helmed the EIF between 1984 and 1991, died on Sunday. He was 97.
At a time when the event was dominated by music and opera, the celebrated director was credited with bringing fresh ideas and new talent to the event, with his programmes showcasing works by Scottish writers.
Over the course of his career, Mr Dunlop worked with famous names including Richard Burton, Spike Milligan, and Miriam Margolyes, and staged major Broadway productions.
Francesca Hegyi, chief executive of the EIF, described Mr Dunlop as an “exceptional festival director,” as well as an acclaimed theatre maker and “diplomat.”
She said: “He believed passionately in the power of the performing arts to cross political and cultural boundaries, combining international ambition with a popular touch that widened the festival’s reach.
“Through bold programming and extraordinary international relationships, he helped shape Edinburgh as a place where art could bring people together even at moments of profound global tension.”
In his final year as festival director, Mr Dunlop secured the arrival of the Bolshoi Opera, even as the fall of the Soviet Union was in full swing. According to the EIF, Mr Dunlop drew on his “powers of diplomacy” to ensure the company was permitted to fly out to Edinburgh, thanks to the “warm relationships” he had developed with Soviet authorities.
Mr Dunlop, from Leeds, first attended the festival in 1953, when he took part in a play staged by the Oxford University Theatre Group, and he made his mark long before becoming director. In 1966, for example, he founded the Pop Theatre Company at the festival, with productions of The Winter’s Tale and The Trojan Women.
Reflecting on the 70th anniversary of Edinburgh’s festivals in 2016, Mr Dunlop told The Scotsman that he took pride in ensuring the annual gathering had an international impact.
“It should have an influence on the whole world, because the world thinks the Fringe is the festival,” he explained. “You need a few things that catch the attention of the world and it’s no use being refined about it.
“One of my things was keeping the prices down so ordinary human beings can afford to go to two or three things. Unfortunately, the prices have shot up. It’s got like London. To me that’s very sad, because it was an opportunity for ordinary people.”
He also established the Young Vic theatre in London in 1970 as an offshoot of the National Theatre, having previously served as joint artistic director of the Nottingham Playhouse.
Others to pay tribute to Mr Dunlop, who received a special recognition award at the Olivier Awards in 2017, included the veteran theatre actor, Jim Dale, who also starred in the series of Carry On! films.
He described Mr Dale as his “dearest friend,” and said he was “heartbroken” by the death of a man he hailed as “the best of all possible directors.”
In a post on Facebook, the Young Vic said it was “saddened” by Mr Dunlop’s death, and praised his vision in establishing the institution.
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.