Clive Perry obituary

Clive Perry, who has died of cancer aged 70, was an important figure in British theatre - in Derby, Leicester, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Pitlochry - and devoted a large part of his career to encouraging creativity and radical experiment in actors, writers, technicians, and, above all, directors.

Perhaps his greatest contribution was to reinvent the role of the artistic director: rather than just being a director of plays, he was, in his own words, "a subsidised impresario", concentrating on the politics and business of running theatres, lifting responsibilities from his colleagues and providing them with the freedom and opportunity to hone their craft. He later passed on his knowledge as the first professor of drama at Queen Margaret University College (QMUC), Edinburgh.

More from Peter Farago in The Guardian.