William Stanley Houghton

(William) Stanley Houghton (February 22,1881 - December 10, 1913) was a British playwright. His best known play is "Hindle Wakes". Together with Allan Monkhouse and Harold Brighouse, he formed what became known as the "Manchester School" of dramatists.

Houghton was born at 1 Amy Villas, Doveston Road, Ashton-upon-Mersey, Sale, Cheshire, the only son of John Hartely Houghton and Lucy Mary Houghton (nee Darbyshire). [Certified copy of an entry of birth, Trafford Registration District. Entry No. 118, 25 March 1881] In 1896, the family moved to 2 Athol Road, Alexandra Park, Manchester, some two miles from the City centre. [The Life and Literary Career of W. Stanley Houghton, Mortimer, 1984 (University of Salford PhD Thesis). p9] From there Houghton immediately enrolled as a fee paying pupil at the Manchester Grammar School. [Manchester Grammar School: a biographical register of Old Macunians 1888-1951, Rawson, 1965. p125 ]

On leaving school, Houghton commenced work in his father's cotton-broker office in Meal Street, Manchester, a 9-5 job which continued until mid-1912 when he began to achieve fame. [The Works of Stanley Houghton Vol. I (1914). Introduction by Harold Brighouse. p10]

Houghton and the other local dramatists of his period were given powerful aid by Miss Horniman, who in September 1907 opened the Gaiety Theatre, Manchester, as the first English repertory theatre. [Lancashire Literary Worthies, Angus-Butterworth, 1980. p88]

For a time, Houghton was Hon. Secretary of the Manchester Athenaeum Dramatic Society, and frequently gave his services as a producer. [Lancashire Literary Worthies, Angus-Butterworth, 1980. p89] He gained experience of dramatic criticism as an unpaid supernumerary critic for the Manchester City News in the years 1905 and 1906. Between 1907 and 1912 he was a frequent contributor to the Manchester Guardian for dramatic criticism, book reviewing and special articles. [Lancashire Literary Worthies, Angus-Butterworth, 1980. p89]

Houghton's connection with the Gaiety Theatre began with the production there in November 1908 of his one-act play "The Dear Departed". His first popular success was "The Younger Generation", produced by Miss Horniman in November 1910. With "Hindle Wakes" (written in the autumn of 1911 and first performed at the Aldwych Theatre in London in June 1912) he leapt into fame. The play had a long run in London, and remains his best known work. Later in the same year "The Younger Generation" was successfully produced at the Haymarket Theatre, London, with "Trust the People" the following year at the "Garrick" and "The Perfect Cure" at the Apollo.

His early death from meningitis cut short a career of much promise. His plays show the influence of Ibsen with sympathy for women.

References

External links

* [http://www.isd.salford.ac.uk/library/resources/special/houghton.xml Stanley Houghton Collection from the University of Salford site]
* [http://www.theatredatabase.com/20th_century/stanley_houghton_001.html Short biography]

Persondata
NAME=Houghton, William Stanley
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=English playwright.
DATE OF BIRTH=February 1881
PLACE OF BIRTH=Manchester
DATE OF DEATH=December 10, 1913
PLACE OF DEATH=Manchester