Bundle of correspondence

  • This material is held at
  • Reference
      GB 133 FRD1/1/16
  • Former Reference
      GB 133 RDA102-110 and RDXA1-20.
  • Dates of Creation
      12 Dec 1945-19 Jul 1957
  • Physical Description
      29 pieces

Scope and Content

Correspondence with Renée Asherson (formerly Ascherson, b. 1920), actress and second wife of RD. Only pieces /1-9 are currently open to readers.

/1-9 is a bundle of correspondence dating from 1945-1948, prior to Asherson's marriage to RD in 1953, and includes some correspondence between Asherson and Margaret Howard (RD's General Manager at the Westminster Theatre) as well as correspondence with RD himself. Topics covered include: RD's engagement of Asherson in Much Ado About Nothing and The Man Behind the Statue in 1946, and for first refusal of the part of Nina in The Seagull; Asherson's work on various plays, including one with Laurence Olivier, and their reception; RD's children; his asthma; RD's visit to America in 1949; their relationship; RD's sleeping problems; and a French holiday taken by Asherson.

The rest of the material (/10-29) dates from 1946-1957 and consists of correspondence (41 sheets), two photographs, and one envelope.

Dated at: Braunwald Ct, Glaris, Switzerland; London; Birmingham; and La Provence, France.

Manuscript and typescript.

Access Information

Pieces /10-29 are closed, and may only be accessed by readers who have obtained the prior permission of Joanna Wellington and Brian Donat.