Dorothy Black

Dorothy Black or Kitty Black aka Noir (30 April 1914 – December 2006) was a South African born playwright, literary agent and translator. She was a backer for Radio Atlanta. Life Black was born in 1914 in Johannesburg to Francis and Elizabeth Johanna Black. She was the youngest of six children. Educated at Roedean School in Johannesburg. Her brother became a Rugby International but died young. She passed her university entrance exam but she became a concert pianist. She toured for four years but it was her decision to abandon this and she trained as a stenographer. When she joined the theatrical agents H. M. Tennent Ltd in 1937 when it was a growing success. The management were impressed with idea of having a stenographer and she developed a strong interest in what was a growing business. In 1939 she became Binkie Beaumont's secretary, and the following year she also became secretary to John Gielgud. As a pianist she was able to accompany auditions and performances, and as a confident person she was entrusted to take on secondary casting. She was annoyed to find she had been passed over when the company appointed new managers, including a casting director and Binkie Beaumont's partner. She moved to work as an assistant to Murray Macdonald who ran "Company of Four", which was also Tennent's company. Here she was based at the Lyric Theatre. She and Macdonald produced several notable theatrical productions, but John Perry explained that she would progress no higher.