Whiting, John (1917-1963), was a British playwright known for his drama The Devils (1961). Whiting adapted the play from a historical novel by the English writer Aldous Huxley called The Devils of Loudon (1952). The story is a study of religious hysteria during the 1600’s in France. The play was not commercially successful but won the praise of many critics. Whiting wrote a number of other plays, but none approach the critical success of The Devils. However, his reputation as a significant modern British playwright has risen since his death.
Whiting was born on Nov. 15, 1917 in Salisbury, England. He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, in London and acted on the stage for a number of years before he wrote his first play, Saint’s Day. Completed in 1949, it won the Arts Council’s prize for the Festival of Britain in 1951. Whiting’s other plays include A Penny for a Song (1951), Marching Song (1954), and The Gates of Summer (1956). Whiting also wrote radio plays and screenplays and translated the works of several French dramatists into English. He died in London on June 16, 1963. His writings on the theater were published after his death in John Whiting on Theatre (1966) and The Art of the Dramatist (1970).
