A Brief History of Orton and Hallowell

Joe orton met kenneth hallowell at the royal academy of dramatic arts london in 19 53. After graduating, they decided to give up acting and collaborate as writers instead. Hallowell's inheritance was enough to keep them from having to find work for a few years. Their collaborations were less enthusiastic and less frequent. The future looked bleak. But it wasn't until five years later, when the lovers were jailed for six months for defacing dozens of library books, that he began to find his voice. He came out of prison determined to express his contempt for english society in the form of theatrical farces. In 19 64, joe wharton completed his first full length play,