Joe Orton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Joe Orton
In 1964
Born	John Kingsley Orton (1933-01-01)1 January 1933 Leicester, England
Died	9 August 1967(1967-08-09) (aged 34) Islington, London, England
Education	Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Occupation	Playwright author
Years active	1959–1967
Partner(s)	Kenneth Halliwell (1951–1967)

John Kingsley Orton (born January 1, 1933 – died August 9, 1967), known as Joe Orton, was a famous English playwright and writer. He wrote plays that were often very funny but also a bit shocking. His plays are known for their unique style, which is sometimes called Ortonesque. This means they mix dark humor with silly situations.

Joe Orton's career as a playwright was quite short, lasting only from 1964 until 1967. But in this short time, he became very well-known and had a big impact on theatre.

Early Life and Education

Joe Orton was born in Leicester, England, on January 1, 1933. His father, William, was a gardener, and his mother, Elsie, worked in the shoe industry. Joe was the oldest of four children.

He went to Marriot Road Primary School. However, he often got sick with asthma, which made it hard for him to study. He didn't pass an important exam for high school, so he took a secretarial course instead. After that, he worked as a junior clerk.

Around 1949, Joe became very interested in acting and theatre. He joined several drama groups in Leicester. He also took lessons to improve his speaking and tried to get stronger. In 1950, he earned a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, which is a famous acting school. He started there in 1951 after recovering from a health issue called appendicitis.

At RADA, Joe Orton met Kenneth Halliwell in 1951. They became close friends and lived together. After finishing school, both Joe and Kenneth worked in regional theatre for a short time. Then, they returned to London and started writing together. They wrote several novels, but none of them were published.

Joe Orton wrote his last novel, The Vision of Gombold Proval, in 1959. He often used ideas from these early writings in his later plays. Joe and Kenneth lived a very simple life to save money. In 1959, they moved into a small flat at 25 Noel Road in Islington, London.

Becoming a Playwright

Joe Orton started writing plays in 1959. His first play was called Fred and Madge, followed by The Visitors two years later. In 1963, the BBC bought his radio play The Ruffian on the Stair, which was broadcast in 1964. He later rewrote this play for the stage.

Entertaining Mr Sloane

By the time his radio play was broadcast, Joe Orton had already finished his play Entertaining Mr Sloane. He sent it to a theatre agent, and it opened in London on May 6, 1964. The play got very strong reactions. Some critics loved it, while others were quite shocked. The Times newspaper said it made people feel very strongly.

Even though Entertaining Mr Sloane didn't make much money at first, a famous playwright named Terence Rattigan believed in it and invested money. This helped the play move to bigger theatres in London's West End. Sloane was voted one of the best new plays, and Joe Orton was named a promising new playwright. Within a year, the play was performed in many countries around the world and was later made into a film and a TV play.

Loot and Its Journey

Orton's next major play was Loot. He wrote the first version in 1964. This play is a wild and funny story that makes fun of detective stories. It also playfully challenges common ideas about death, the police, religion, and justice.

Loot went through many changes and rehearsals. It first opened in Cambridge in February 1965, but the reviews were not good. Joe Orton disagreed with the director and rewrote a lot of the play. After a difficult tour, he and Kenneth Halliwell took a long holiday.

In 1966, Loot was given another chance. Joe Orton, now more experienced, made many cuts to the play, making it faster and improving the characters. This new version opened in Manchester and received much better reviews. It then moved to London's Jeannetta Cochrane Theatre in September 1966, where it was a huge success. Critics praised it, and it ran for 342 performances. Joe Orton also sold the film rights for a large sum of money.

Later Plays and Screenplays

Over the next ten months, Joe Orton worked on several new projects. He revised The Ruffian on the Stair and The Erpingham Camp for the stage. He also wrote Funeral Games, a screenplay called Up Against It for the Beatles, and his final full-length play, What the Butler Saw.

The Erpingham Camp was broadcast on TV in 1966. The Good and Faithful Servant, another TV play, was broadcast in 1967. Funeral Games was also made into a TV production after his death.

Joe Orton's play What The Butler Saw was a very funny and controversial play. It was staged in London's West End in 1969, about 18 months after he passed away. It featured famous actors like Sir Ralph Richardson and Coral Browne.

Legacy and Recognition

Joe Orton's unique writing style continues to be studied and performed today. His plays are known for their sharp wit and their ability to make audiences think and laugh at the same time.

A book about Joe Orton's life, called Prick Up Your Ears, was published in 1978 by John Lahr. This book was later made into a film in 1987, starring Gary Oldman as Joe Orton and Alfred Molina as Kenneth Halliwell.

In 2017, a short animated film inspired by Orton's funny letters, called 'Yours Faithfully, Edna Welthorpe (Mrs)', was made.

In Leicester, where Joe Orton was born, a public area in front of the Curve theatre has been named Orton Square in his honor. There was also a campaign to build a statue of him in Leicester, supported by many actors, but the project was later cancelled.

Plays

Novels

• Head to Toe (published 1971)
• Between Us Girls (published 2001)
• Lord Cucumber and The Boy Hairdresser (co-written with Halliwell) (published 1999)

Images for kids

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  Joe Orton in 1964

See also

In Spanish: Joe Orton para niños