Edward Irham Cole


Edward Irham Cole was an Australian theatrical entrepreneur and film director whose productions represented a synthesis of Wild West show and stage melodrama. He managed a theatre company, called the Bohemian Dramatic Company, that performed in semi-permanent and temporary tent theatres. During 1910 and 1911 Cole directed a number of silent films, adapted from his stage plays and using actors from his theatre company.

Biography

Cole arrived in Australia as a young man and worked for a time in Adelaide before moving to Wilcannia.
He started in showbusiness as a lecturer, calling himself "the Bohemian" and giving presentations on various topics.
He later joined the company of Texas Jack, an American showman in the Buffalo Bill mould. He established the Bohemian Dramatic Company, which toured the country performing shows. At its height, the company included over 60 performers and 20 horses, and was transported in its own train.
In 1910 and 1911 Cole made a series of films adapted from his shows, which cost over £1,000 in all. The longest was reportedly 1,5000 feet. They were sometimes screened accompanied by lectures and songs. Cole toured Tasmania in 1911 and 1912.
By 1926 the company was down to a size of 24 and touring mostly only country areas.

Later years

Cole's company was still touring in the 1930s as 'Cole's Varieties', run by his son-in-law, Bill Ayr.
Cole and his wife ran a small factory at Marrickville in Sydney which manufactured cowboy outfits for small children.

Personal life

Edward Cole married Ada Dale in 1884 at Adelaide, South Australia. Edward and Ada had seven children: Mabel, Ethel, Isabella, Francis, Ada, Rose, and Myrtle. Ada died while giving birth to Myrtle.
In 1905, Edward Cole married his leading lady, Vene Linden .
Mabel married Cole's leading man, Bill Ayr. They had three children, Ned, Tom and Millie.
In later years, Millie and Ned Ayr would be actors for the company while Tom Ayr handled most of the managerial duties of Cole's Varieties.
In 1931, Edward Cole's wife engaged in a court case against her sister for ownership of their father's cottage.
Edward Cole died on 1 July 1942. His wife died on 8 November 1948, aged 71, survived by their children Frank, Belle, Mabel, Rose and Myrtle; a son, Roy, had predeceased her.

Filmography

Select theatre credits

As writer

As performer/producer