Charles Vance, a self styled anarchronism and a leading champion of rep theatre giving  hundreds of actors, stage managers and designers their first opportunities in the world of the professional theatre. He enjoyed his role as the last of the old-time actor managers, often seen at first nights with a silver-topped cane, once owned by the redoubtable Victorian actor Henry Irving, and wearing a  green velvet jacket. There was always something raffish about Vance, who was proud of his origins as an Irish Jew, the son of a dealer in leather goods and the nephew of Harold Goldblatt, who founded the Ulster Group Players. At the age of seven, he was heard on BBC Radio’s Children’s Hour. At Queen’s University, Belfast,  where he read law, he joined its amateur dramatic club, which he found mediocre. He first appeared onstage at the city’s Grand Opera House. After university, he joined a theatre company

that toured Ireland with the plays of Shakespeare. There followed a spell at the Gate, in Dublin, which he described as “like going to heaven”.

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After a prolific career as an actor, Vance launched his own production company in 1960 with his wife Imogen Moynihan, the daughter of the distinguished Liberal peer, the second Lord Moynihan. Their first production was Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie, which was staged at the Empire Theatre, now the Little, in the Norfolk resort of Sheringham.

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Their first full season followed a year later at the new Civic Theatre in Chelmsford. There were further seasons in Torquay, Cambridge, Eastbourne, Hastings, Weston-super-Mare, Whitby, Wolverhampton and at the Leas Pavilion, Folkestone, which Vance bought in 1976. In 1987, he instituted the Summer Play Festival at the Manor Pavilion, Sidmouth, which continued every year until last year, when seat prices forced him to abandon the enterprise.

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A typical Sidmouth season was a clever mix of 13 plays, offering something for everyone, including two Rattigan plays – Vance knew the dramatist well – two Ayckbourns, Jane Eyre and Private Lives. Work by Francis Durbridge took the place of Agatha Christie after an international media production company took control of the latter author’s copyright. Throughout a career that lasted nearly 50 years, Vance mounted hundreds of touring productions, ranging from Stop the World –I Want to Get Off to The Merchant of Venice. He produced 180 pantomimes all over Britain, and in the latter part of his life he became known for his world premieres of stage adaptations of Ealing comedies, starting with Kind Hearts and Coronets in 1998.

As a publisher and editor, he founded the British Theatre Directory and was, uniquely, twice president of the Theatrical Management Association.

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Charles Vance, who was born Charles Goldblatt on December 6, 1929, died on January 13 at the age of 83.

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A selection of Charles Vance Pantomimes...

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1974 Jack and the Beanstalk - Bradford Alhambra starring Charlie Drake, Cannon & Ball and Jack Smethurst

1975 Cinderella – Greenwood Theatre, London

1979 Cinderella – Greenwood Theatre, London

1979 Cinderella – Key Theatre, Peterborough
1982 Cinderella - Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl. Starring Nigel Ellacott and Peter Robbins

1983 Cinderella - Gordon Craig Theatre, Stevenage  - Peter Byrne & Kathryn Apanowicz

1983 Cinderella - Orchard Theatre, Dartford -  Wendy Richard, Dicki Henderson, Sand Toksvig

1984 Dick Whittington – Orchard Theatre,  Dartford - Barbara Windsor & Nicholas Parsons

1986 Dick Whittington – Beck Theatre,  Hayes - Barbara Windsor & Trevor Bannister

1987 Cinderella - Beck Theatre, Hayes - Wendy Richard & Frank Carson
1987 Jack & The Beanstalk - Intimate Theatre, Palmers Green - Hugo Myatt, Bob Grant, Joanne Good

1992 Cinderella – Princess Theatre, Torquay - Maggie Dence, Melissa Bell & Bernie Clifton

1993 Aladdin - Broadway Theatre, Barking - Les Hill, Dennis Spencer, Roy Lance
1993 Peter Pan - Princess Theatre, Torquay - Colin Baker, Daniella Westbrook

1994 Dick Whittington – Princess Theatre, Torquay - Lyn Paul and Paul Shane

1995 Cinderella - Princess Theatre, Torquay - Jimmy Cricket and Juliette Kaplan
1996 Cinderella - Billingham Forum - Normal Collier

1996 Cinderella – Wyvern Theatre, Swindon - Jess Conrad and Bernie Clifton

1996 Babes in the Wood - Beck Theatre, Hayes  - Jill Greenacre, Bruce Montague, Juliette Kaplan

1997 Babes in the Wood – Wyvern Theatre, Swindon -  Paul Leyshan, The Roly Polys & Hugo Myatt
1997 Aladdin - Grimsby Auditorium - Norman Collier, Rod, Jane & Freddy, Seb Craig, Dennis Spencer
1997 Cinderella - The Beck Theatre, Hayes - starring Bernie Clifton, Jackie Piper, Jim & John Lavelle and Lydia Watson

1998 Jack and the Beanstalk – Wyvern Theatre, Swindon -  Colin Baker with Rod, Jane & Freddy

1998 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – Beck Theatre, Hayes - Kym Valentine (Neighbours)
1998 Dick Whittington at Carlisle Sands Centre

1999 Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs – Wyvern Theatre, Swindon - Jacinta Stapleton (Neighbours)
1999 Aladdin – Beck Theatre, Hayes -  Ian Rawlings (Sons and Daughters)

2000 Aladdin – Wyvern Theatre, Swindon -  Aleetza Wood, Juliette Kaplan & Geoff Hinscliff (Coronation Street)
2000 Aladdin – Crewe Lyceum - Rod, Jane & Freddy and Hugo Myatt
20000 Jack and the Beanstalk - Beck Theatre starring Little & Large, Gemma Bissix and Paul Mead

2001 Cinderella – Wyvern Theatre, Swindon - Bernie Clifton & Polyann Tanner
2001 Dick Whittington – Beck Theatre, Hayes - Ryan Moloney (Neighbours) & Hugo Myatt (Knightmare)
2001 Cinderella – Lyceum Theatre, Crewe - Keith Harris and Orville

2002 Dick Whittington – Wyvern Theatre, Swindon - Geoffrey Hayes (Rainbow), Colin Baker (Doctor Who) & Hugo Myatt (Knightmare)
2002 Dick Whittington – Crewe Lyceum - Bernie Clifton & Diane Youdale (Gladiators)

2002 Cinderella - The Beck Theatre, Hayes - Bobby Crush, Ruth Carr, Rod, Jane & Freddy (Rainbow)

2003 Goldilocks & The 3 Bears – Wyvern Theatre, Swindon - Vicky Binns (Emmerdale) & Ross Davidson (Hollyoaks)
2003 Jack and the Beanstalk – Crewe Lyceum -  Hugo Myatt (Knightmare)

2004 Peter Pan – Crewe Lyceum - Ross Davidson (Eastenders), Tweedy & Alexis & Ruth Carr

2005 Aladdin – Crewe Lyceum - John Altman (Eastenders), Bobby Crush' Jonny Mac, Vickie Gates & Ruth Carr

2006 Cinderella – Crewe Lyceum - Leah Bracknell (Emmerdale) & Ruth Carr

2007 Beauty and the Beast – Crewe Lyceum - Craig Phillips (Big Brother) & Lara Sacher (Neighbours)