Harold Baigent

Harold Verdun Baigent 16 November 1916 9 March 1996 known as Baige was a New Zealand theatre director actor and arts manager He trained as an actor in the USA at Yale University Drama School and acted in Broadway and London stage productions before returning to New Zealand in the late 1940s where he founded his own drama company and worked as a drama tutor and stage manager In the 1960s he settled in Melbourne Australia As director of the Emerald Hill Theatre Company and the Victorian Travelling Theatre he was an influential figure in the Victorian theatrical scene and played a significant role in promoting the arts in regional Victoria and South Australia He was associated with the Warrandyte Arts Association Drama Group and performed in many productions including Twelfth Night 1964 as Malvolio and as director of Salad Days 1968 As an actor Baigent was known for many parts on Australian film and television including roles in the film Gallipoli and the television series The Flying Doctors and a memorable introductory monologue at the beginning of the film Mad Max 2 He was director of the Council of Adult Education in Adelaide South Australia for many years and founded the Arts Train an innovative travelling arts project that toured small towns throughout South Australia and Victoria He retired to the Heathcote area in the 1980s but continued to be actively involved in theatre and the arts there until his death in 1996