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Joanna Foster

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Joanna Foster is a British actress active in theatre, television, and film since 1978. On stage she created roles in the world premieres of Andrew Davies's Diary of A Desperate Woman (1979), Anthony Burgess's The Eve of Saint Venus (1979), and Olwen Wymark's Brezhnev's Children (1991), and has performed leading roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal National Theatre, The Young Vic, Leicester Haymarket Theatre, and The Dukes, Lancaster among other theatre companies. She was the fourth and final actress to portray Susan Barlow in Coronation Street.

Career

Education and stage work

Foster is the daughter of the actor Barry Foster and the sister of the actress Miranda Foster.[1] She was trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.[2] While a student she performed the role of Celia in the Central School's January 1978 production of Christopher Hampton's The Philanthropist.[2] She made her professional stage debut at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester in September 1978 as Valeria in Aphra Behn's 1677 play The Rover. It was the first un-censored staging of the play since the 1750s; restoring much of the original bawdy language.[3]

In 1979 Foster starred in the world premiere of Andrew Davies's Diary of A Desperate Woman at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry, England.[4] That same year she became a resident actress at the New Wolsey Theatre; making her debut with the company in a production of Carlo Goldoni's 1746 play The Servant of Two Masters.[5] Other roles she performed at that theatre included Diana in the world premiere of Anthony Burgess's The Eve of Saint Venus (1979),[6] Gerda in a stage adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen (1980),[7] and Hermia in William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream (1980).[8]

In 1980 Foster portrayed the role of Cheppi / Ilona in János Nyiri's If Winter Comes at the Leicester Haymarket Theatre.[9] She had a critical triumph as Nora Helmer in Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House at The Dukes, Lancaster in 1981; a production which used a new contemporary English language translation by playwright Pam Gems. The Stage theatre critic Robin Duke wrote "Given the contemporary nature of the new translation, the play compounds its earlier feminist ideals and clenches a new iron fist in a velvet glove. Much of the thanks goes to a remarkable performance by Joanna Foster as the trapped Nora Helmer. She positively trembles with nervous energy, hands desperately seeking somewhere to rest, eyes too busy to settle."[10] She returned to the The Dukes in successive seasons as Laura Wingfield in Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie (1981),[11] Juliet in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (1981),[12], and Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire (1983).[13] Reviewing the latter performance, The Guardian theatre critic Robin Thornber stated, "Joanna Foster makes Stella a true star of the play, all sweet reason and patience, torn for compassion both for her sister's sensitivity and her husband's animal pride."[14]

In 1982 Foster starred as Mrs. Molière in the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Mikhail Bulgakov's Molière at The Other Place in Stratford-upon-Avon;[15] a performance described as "alluring" by The Observer.[16] In 1984 she performed in David Pownall's Music to Murder By at the Nuffield Southampton Theatre.[17] In 1985 she appeared at the Young Vic as Isabella in David Thacker's staging of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure with Peter Guinness as the Duke and Margot Leicester as Mariana.[18] The Guardian theatre critic Desmond Christy wrote,

"The great scenes between Isabella and Angelo are outstanding. Joanna Foster's Isabella is not the best spoken sister of mercy we have seen but she is one of the most feeling. This is not a neurotic novice obsessed with chastity but one who sincerely believes that her immortal soul is worth more than her brother's life. This moral absolutism, pitted against her Angelo's lustful casuistry, makes for superb drama."[19]

In 1986 Foster starred as Lucy in Peter Wood's staging of Bertolt Brecht's The Threepenny Opera at the Royal National Theatre with Tim Curry and Sally Dexter,[20][21] and appeared as Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare's 1606 tragedy at the Torch Theatre, Milford Haven.[22][23] In 1988 she portrayed Ann Deever in Arthur Miller's All My Sons at the Theatre Royal, Manchester.[24]

In 1991 Foster created the role of Galina in the world premiere of Olwen Wymark's Brezhnev's Children with the Moving Target Theatre Company; a work based on Julia Voznesenskaya's 1987 Russian novel The Women's Decameron.[25][26] In 1995 she portrayed Abigail Brodsky in the UK premiere of Carole Braverman's The Yiddish Trojan Women; a work mounted by the Soho Theatre Company at the Cockpit Theatre in London.[27] That same year she portrayed Keely in the United Kingdom première of Jane Martin's Keely and Du at the Royal Theatre, Northampton.[28] In 1998 she starred opposite her sister Miranda for the first time in their careers in a production of José Triana's The Criminals at the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith; with Joanna portraying the role of Beba and Miranda in the part of Cuca.[1][29]

Television and film

Foster's first television role was as Theresa in the 1979 BBC television drama Testament of Youth.[30] The following year she portrayed Clara Brewer in the ITV television series Flickers.[31] In 1982 she starred as Fran in "The Visitors"; a supernatural thriller made for the British horror anthology series West Country Tales.[32] In 1988 she portrayed Ellen Thompson in the BBC television series Blind Justice;[33] an award winning television series produced by Michael Wearing which "exposed the inadequacies of the British criminal justice system".[34]

Between 1992 and 1993 Foster played staff general manager Kate Miller in the hospital drama Casualty.[35][36] She is the fourth actress to portray the role of Susan Barlow in Coronation Street, after Katie Heannau, Wendy Jane Walker and Suzy Paterson. She played the character for one month from January 2001 until the character's death in a car crash in February 2001. She also starred in the Five soap Family Affairs between 2002 and 2003, where she played Ginny Davenport. She also played the role of Miriam, the sister of Moses, in the History Channel's The Bible.

References

  1. ^ a b "SHOW PEOPLE: ACCESS ALL AREAS". The Stage (6102): 10. 26 March 1998.
  2. ^ a b O'Brien, Susan (26 January 1978). "PLAY REVIEWS: THE PHILANTHROPIST". The Stage. No. 5050. p. 17.
  3. ^ Mullen, Liz (7 September 1978). "ON THIS WEEK AT: COLCHESTER". The Stage. No. 5082. p. 23.
  4. ^ Linsie, John (22 February 1979). "Play Reviews: Diary of A Desperate Woman". The Stage (5106): 11.
  5. ^ "WHOLSEY THEATRE: Artistic policy: a plan for all seasons". The Stage (5136): 28. 20 September 1979.
  6. ^ Nugent, Ann (6 December 1979). "Play Reviews: Deconstruction Of The Countdown". The Stage (5147): 11.
  7. ^ Glenn, Alfred (17 January 1980). "Christmas Show Reviews: IPSWICH". The Stage. No. 5153. p. 8.
  8. ^ Glenn, Alfred (20 March 1980). "Regional Reviews: A Midsummer Night's Dream". The Stage (5162): 26.
  9. ^ "PRODUCTION NEWS: If Winter Comes". The Stage (5186): 2. 4 September 1980.
  10. ^ Duke, Robin (16 April 1981). "Regional Reviews: Remarkable Ibsen play on morals". The Stage (5218): 13.
  11. ^ Duke, Robin (29 October 1981). "Lancaster: The Glass Menagerie". The Stage (5246): 23.
  12. ^ Duke, Robin (19 November 1981). "Regional Reviews: Romeo and Juliet". The Stage. No. 5249. p. 25.
  13. ^ Duke, Robin (30 June 1983). "REGIONAL REVIEWS: Desire, death, violence and success in 'Streetcar'". The Stage (5333): 23.
  14. ^ Thornber, Robin (10 June 1983). "A Streetcar Named Desire". The Guardian. p. 14.
  15. ^ "THEATRE WEEK; Thursday August 12, Molière". The Stage (5287): 34. 12 August 1982.
  16. ^ Cushman, Robert (15 August 1982). "Spectacular Tempest". The Observer: 27.
  17. ^ "REGIONAL PRODUCTION NEWS: Music To Murder By". The Stage (5401): 16. 18 October 1984.
  18. ^ Marriott, R B. (23 May 1985). "PLAY REVIEWS: Measure for Measure". The Stage (5432): 11.
  19. ^ Desmond Christy (8 May 1985). "Harsh times: Desmond Christy on the Young Vic's Measure for Measure". The Guardian. p. 9.
  20. ^ "National Theatre, Threepenny Opera". London Theatre Record: 30. 12 March 1986.
  21. ^ "PRODUCTION NEWS: The National Theatre". The Stage (5466): 38. 16 January 1986.
  22. ^ Adams, David (28 October 1986). "Macbeth/ Deals". The Guardian. p. 13.
  23. ^ Stoddart, Vivien (11 December 1986). "Regional Reviews: Macbeth". The Stage (5513): 26.
  24. ^ Anglesey, Natalie (7 April 1988). "Regional Reviews: All My Sons". The Stage (5582): 18.
  25. ^ "Brezhnev's Children". Theatre Record. 11. 27 February 1991.
  26. ^ Maureen Paton Maguire (21 March 1991). "Play Reviews: Brezhnev's Children". The Stage (5736): 13.
  27. ^ Hepple, Peter (2 February 1995). "Theatre Reviews: Pieces fail to fit in this emotional jigsaw". The Stage (5938): 14.
  28. ^ Rigby, Neville (12 October 1995). "THEATRE REVIEW: Keely & Du". The Stage (5974): 14.
  29. ^ John Thaxter. "THEATRE REVIEW: The Criminals". The Stage (6104): 12.
  30. ^ Larry James Gianakos (1983). "Testament of Youth". Television Drama Series Programming: A Comprehensive Chronicle, 1980-1982, Volume 4. Scarecrow Press. p. 130. ISBN 9780810816268.
  31. ^ Lovelace, Jennifer (25 September 1980). "TELEVISION TODAY: Flickers format was an acquired taste". The Stage and Television Today (5189): 24.
  32. ^ "BBC South west lines up play and music". The Stage (5196): 22. 13 November 1980.
  33. ^ "PRODUCTION: Blind Justice (BBC)". Screen International (628): 24. 28 November 1987.
  34. ^ Millington, Bob (2014). ""Michael Wearing"". In Horace Newcomb (ed.). Encyclopedia of Television. Taylor & Francis. p. 2507. ISBN 9781135194727.
  35. ^ Barrow, Tony (24 September 1992). "Television People: Casualty's scope makes it more than just soap". The Stage (5815): 21.
  36. ^ Paul Cornell; Martin Day; Keith Topping (1996). "Casualty". The Guinness Book of Classic British TV. Guinness Publishing. p. 61. ISBN 9780851126289.
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