Orson Welles Acting on the Rogers Hall Stage at Todd School

Welles on stage as student.jpg

Title

Orson Welles Acting on the Rogers Hall Stage at Todd School

Description

A young Orson Welles acting on the Rogers Hall Stage at the Todd School for Boys. This photo was most likely taken in the mid to late 1920s,

The famous actor and director, Orson Welles, is the best-known Todd School graduate. He started at Todd School in 1926 and graduated in 1931 at age 15. In the summer of 1934, he returned to produce the Todd Theatre Festival of Shakespearean plays at the Opera House.

Welles’ first known film, Hearts of Age, was filmed in Woodstock. The building seen in the film is Wallingford Hall on the school campus. The Todd School bell used in the film now resides in front of the Woodstock Presbyterian Church, and the gravestone is in the Calvary Cemetery on Jackson Street.

Welles is perhaps best known for directing and starring in Citizen Kane. In another of his movies, The Stranger, set in a boys’ boarding school, Welles paid homage by including subtle references to Todd School.

Welles was a frequent visitor to the school after graduating, and would eventually serve on the Todd School board and his daughter, Christopher, attended the school. Welles remained friends with Roger Hill, Todd School Headmaster, and the two men collaborated on the Everybody’s Shakespeare.

Date

192X

Collection

Citation

“Orson Welles Acting on the Rogers Hall Stage at Todd School,” Woodstock Public Library Archives, accessed October 11, 2024, https://woodstockpubliclibraryarchives.omeka.net/items/show/505.

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