Doris Fitton

Doris Alice Fitton Mason, DBE (born 3 November 1897, Manila, Philippines – died 2 April 1985, Sydney) was an Australian actress and theatrical director who founded and for 35 years headed Sydney's Independent Theatre, staging a diverse range of local and international dramas, many for the first time in Australia, including Sumner Locke-Elliott's wartime comedy, Rusty Bugles, and Max Afford's thriller Lady in Danger.

Background

Doris Alice Lucy Walkden Fitton was born in Manila, Philippines to Walter and Janet Frazer (née Cameron) Fitton. Her father died when she was young and in 1902, aged five, she relocated to Australia with her mother and elder sister, Ethel. She was educated at Loreto Convent, Ballarat and took acting classes with Gregan McMahon. Fitton had her first acting role in Melbourne with J.C. Williamson in 1915.

Marriage and Career

In 1922 Fitton married law clerk Norbert Keck "Tug" Mason in Sydney, where they lived in Chatswood and Potts Point before moving to Berry Street, North Sydney in 1953. She joined the Turret Theatre where she was secretary as well as performer.^[1] She helped found the Independent Theatre in St James' Hall in 1930, taking its name from the Independent Theatre Society founded in London by J. T. Grein. As the company developed, they progressively moved to better premises until in 1938 they took over the old Coliseum in Miller Street, North Sydney.

All told, they staged more than 400 productions, including Sumner Locke Elliott's controversial Rusty Bugles, Max Afford's Lady in Danger and Gwen Meredith's Shout at the Thunder. Doris was usually producer and director, and frequently leading lady, and in each of these roles won praise from the critics. With Doris's failing health, "The Independent" closed in May 1977. It reopened in 1998,^[2] continuing its tradition as a training ground for young actors and playwrights.

Notable students and associates

• John Appleton, stage and radio producer
• Sumner Locke Elliott, stage producer and writer^[3]
• John Alden
• Ruth Cracknell
• Reg Livermore
• Googie Withers

Honours

She gained public recognition for her commitment to theatre in Australia with her appointments as Officer of Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1955, as Commander (CBE) in 1975, and as Dame Commander (DBE) in 1982.

Personal life

Doris and "Tug" Mason had two sons, Ewen Richard Cameron Mason (born 19 February 1925) and Malcolm John (born 26 July 1933).^[4][5]

In 1952 they were living at a three-storey flat in Pott's Point before moving to North Sydney in 1953.^[6] This house was later demolished to make way for the Northern Expressway. They then moved to Ridge Street, North Sydney, around the corner from the Independent Theatre.

Death/legacy

Doris Fitton Mason died in Sydney on 2 April 1985, aged 87. A commemorative plaque was unveiled on 17 December 1986 on the footpath in front of the Independent Theatre in her honour, with the famous stanza from As You Like It: "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances..."^{[citation needed]}

Autobiography

Her autobiography, Not Without Heat and Dust, was published in 1981.

Sources

• Doris Fitton (1981). Not without dust and heat: my life in theatre. Sydney: Harper & Row. ISBN 0-06-312035-6. 
• Philip Parsons, Victoria Chance (Ed.) (1995). Companion to theatre in Australia. Sydney: Currency Press in association with Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-86-819357-7. 

References

1. ^ "New Amateur Theatre", Sydney Morning Herald. 23 May 1930. p. 6
2. ^ Independent Theatre
3. ^ SMH 28 January 1939
4. ^ "Little Theatre Mainspring", Sydney Morning Herald. 5 June 1949
5. ^ [1]
6. ^ "Convict-built house made over" Sydney Morning Herald. 21 October 1954 (Women's Supplement), p. 3

External links

• Profile
• IMDb entry
• Sydney Morning Herald article on Doris Fitton
• History of the Independent Theatre
• Doris Fitton profile at AusStage website

Persondata
Name	Fitton, Doris Alice Lucy Walkden
Alternative names	Mason, Doris Fitton
Short description	Actress and stage director
Date of birth	3 Movember 1897
Place of birth	Manila, Philippines
Date of death	2 April 1985
Place of death	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia