The Dear Delinquent, St Martins Theatre, 1960s

Theatre and performance attracted Denzil from an early age (the family had strong theatrical connections traced back to England in the 1800s). By the time he was working in country radio at Warrnambool after the War, he was a regular member of the local amateur theatre group.

Marriage, travel, filmmaking, radio acting and the start of television occupied him during the 1950s, but in the early 1960s he returned to the stage in “The Dear Delinquent”, a comedy by Jack Popplewell, at St Martins Theatre. Comedy had a special appeal for Denzil and he enjoyed appearing in comedies on the stage or the screen.

St Martins Theatre in South Yarra (originally the Melbourne Little Theatre) is a Melbourne institution that provided a launching pad for many stage careers. In the early 1960s, the theatre was under the direction of Irene Mitchell, Peter Randall and George Fairfax.

These photos show Denzil with cast including Joy Mitchell and John Morgan.