Leicester to Honour Joe Orton
The famous twentieth century playwright Joe Orton is to be honoured in his home city of Leicester.
Born in1933, Joe Orton grew up on the city`s Saffron Lane estate. He met his long term partner Kenneth Halliwell when they were both studying at RADA in London, and they both served time in prison for defacing library books.
Orton is remembered for the sardonic but popular plays "Entertaining Mr. Sloane", "Loot" and "What the Butler Saw".
He was murdered in 1967 by Halliwell, who then took his own life.
A ceremony on Saturday 1st November will celebrate the naming of a newly created square as Orton Square.
It is in front of the new performing arts centre which is about to open, named Curve and designed by the world-famous architect Rafael Vinoly. On the other side of the sqaure are the former Odeon Cinema, now named Athena, and the Victorian St. George`s Church, which stands in its own churchyard.
Posted by colin on Wednesday 29th October, 2008 at 9:43am