Leslie Eric Evershed-Martin | |
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Born | |
Died | January 7, 1994 | (aged 90)
Nationality | British |
Occupation(s) | Theatre impresario, city councillor and optician |
Leslie Eric Evershed-Martin, CBE (1903–1991) was a British theatre manager, city councillor and optician, and founder of the Chichester Festival Theatre. [1]
Evershed-Martin was born in Clapham, London in 1903. His father was a bank manager, and he trained as an optician. He was twice Mayor of Chichester and founded Chichester Players in 1933. [2] In 1959, Evershed-Martin founded the Chichester Festival Theatre, and then successfully raised the funding to see this 'Impossible theatre' built, in 1960. [3] The theatre opened with Laurence Olivier as its first artistic director, and attracted a host of prominent directors during its first two decades. [1] In July 1963 he was recognised with the award of member (serving brother) of the Order of Saint John. [4] He was awarded an OBE in June 1967, [5] and a CBE in June 1990 for his services to theatre. [6]
He was married with two sons and died in 1991.