Event details

The Port Talbot schoolmaster Philip Burton is well-known for having set the young Richard Jenkins on the road to fame. He trained and transformed him into the budding actor Richard Burton. Yet how much more is known about this older Burton? This talk, based on Angela V. John’s biography of Philip Burton, gives us a glimpse into his entire remarkable life, one that virtually spanned the 20c and crossed continents. Running through all these decades and places was Philip Burton's passion for the stage and performance and, above all, an ability to inspire countless youngsters to excel, whether in Port Talbot or at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy that he ran in New York. Professor Angela John, originally from Talbot but now living in Pembrokeshire, and honorary Professor at Swansea University, has explored the lives of many historical figures in recent years and now sees herself as a biographical historian. Her most recent book, Behind the Scenes: The Dramatic Life of Philip Burton has provided an engrossing and enlightening potrait of this influential former Port Talbot schoolmaster. Angela will be selling and signing books after the event at Port Talbot Library. Booking is essential for this event and should be done via the Library Service Eventbrite page https://www.eventbrite.com/e/philip-burton-a-stage-struck-man-with-gyda-angela-v-john-tickets-1986315948472?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl