Papers of Dame Janet Suzman

Comprises material relating to Dame Janet Suzman's theatrical work. Includes material relating to productions of William Shakespeare's 'Othello', 'Antony and Cleopatra', and other plays. Material includes issues of 'The Reader' containing articles relating to Dame Janet Suzman: number 31, Autumn 2008, and number 47, Autumn 2012.

(Acc 2020/28) Material relating to a South African production of 'Hamlet' in 2005, including material relating to the actor Brett Goldin (1977-2006); various postcards, greeting cards and correspondence sent to Suzman; printed speech used for 'A Toast to the Immortal Memory' given on Shakespeare's birthday, 22 April 2006, in Stratford-upon-Avon; newspaper cuttings; and other items of correspondence.

(Acc 2021/132) Also material relating to the production of 'The Duchess of Malfi' by John Webster performed at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, 3-26 May 1979. Includes sealed reviews with Suzman's note 'I never read these reviews – prob [probably] just as well!'; correspondence with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust concerning Suzman's appointment as an Honorary Fellow, 2012; papers relating to the publication of Suzman's work 'Not Hamlet: meditations on the frail position of women in drama'; script for talk titled 'Cleopatra and the boys' delivered as a lecture to the Lockdown University, the Shakespeare Society, The Rose Theatre and the Shakespeare Institute during 2021; programme for 'Hamlet' performed at the Baxter Theatre Centre, University of Cape Town, 2005; print out of Trevor Nunn's response to Mark Rylance's 'devotion to the Oxfordian myth' [Rylance's belief that Shakespeare's works were authored by Sir Francis Bacon], 2019; issue of 'The News Magazine', London, 18 January 1980 with cover image of Suzman titled 'The Greeks… a legend comes to life'; four cartoon drawings by [William] Hewison depicting Suzman in various roles at the Royal Shakespeare Company, and published in 'Punch'; and collar prop, made from Suzman's mother's letter opener, used by the actor John Kani to cut his own jugular in 'Othello'. With accompanying printed books:
'The Taming of the Shrew', William Shakespeare, 'Midget' Classics, London: Burgess and Bowes Ltd. With manuscript dedication to Janet Suzman from Michael Williams. 'Macbeth', William Shakespeare, 1980. Hungarian language copy with loose inserts;
'Women in Shakespeare', Judith Cook, London: Harrap and Co Ltd, 1980. With manuscript dedication to Janet Suzman from the author;
'Shakespeare's Women', Angela Pitt, Newton Abbot: David and Charles (Publishers) Limited, 1981. With manuscript dedication to Janet Suzman from the author;
'The Kingsmead Heritage', Margot Bryant, The Kingsmead Foundation: Johannesburg. Presentation copy awarded to Janet Suzman 'in appreciation on the occasion of her visit to Kingsmead College, 5 October 1987';
'Acting with Shakespeare: the comedies', Janet Suzman, The Applause Acting Series, 1996. With loose inserts and manuscript annotations;
'Hamlet', William Shakespeare, Stratford Series, edited by A. C. Horan, Maskew Miller Longman, 18th impression, 2003. With manuscript annotations;
'Rosalind: a biography of Shakespeare's immortal heroine', Angela Thirlwell, London: Oberon Books, 2016. With manuscript dedication to Janet Suzman from the author.

(Acc 2023/23) 'A Short Walk Through Antony and Cleopatra' script, which was a talk given at the Shakespeare Retreat in January 2023 at Cumberland Lodge.

Dame Janet Suzman, DBE, was born on 9 February 1939 in Johannesburg, South Africa. She trained as an actress and enjoyed a successful early career in the Royal Shakespeare Company, and later reprised many Shakespearean roles on television. She is a niece of Helen Suzman, South African politician and anti-apartheid campaigner. Between 1969 and 1986 she was married to director Trevor Nunn; the couple having one son, Joshua.

Open. Access to all registered researchers. Certain items are closed to comply with data protection.

Deposited by Janet Suzman in multiple deposits.

A full catalogue of the collection can be found at: https://calmview.bham.ac.uk/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=XDSH31&pos=1

Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from the Director of Special Collections (email: special-collections@contacts.bham.ac.uk). Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult. The Shakespeare Institute Library: Special Collections will assist where possible with identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material.