December 20th 1996

Joan Knight and Perth Theatre

Theatre entrance in the High Street

Joan Knight was born in Lancashire and trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. She worked as artistic director with a number of repertory theatres before she came to Perth in 1968.

For twenty four years she guided and guarded the fortunes of the theatre. When she arrived it was in financial crisis, with poor audiences and an unimaginative choice of plays. When she retired in 1992 the theatre had been enlarged and refurbished, a rehearsal room had been built, a first class restaurant created and the excellence of the theatre was accepted throughout the country. She could have left Perth. She was offered posts at both the Royal Court and the National Theatre which she refused much to Lord Olivier’s astonishment. Her reasons for refusal were typical “I have given my word to the directors in Perth and, besides, perhaps a career in London, with all those egos, might have turned me into someone not quite as nice to know.”

One of her last plays was Peace Child. Over one hundred children from sixteen countries came to Perth as guests in private homes. Two weeks rehearsals and nine sell out performances followed. It was a wonderful example of what can be done with dedication, compassion and drive. Perhaps only Joan Knight could have carried it off. It was a fitting memorial to her.

In 1984 she was made an OBE and in October 1996 she was awarded an Honorary Degree of Letters at Queen Margaret College, Edinburgh for her services to the arts. Accepting the degree she said, “I really didn’t expect this honour nor am I sure that I deserve it……I have had a wonderful life and have no doubt that my time at Perth Theatre was the happiest in my career.”

She died two months later.