Thelma Holt CBE

On April 29 2004, the Japanese government announced that a decoration was to be bestowed upon Thelma Holt CBE in recognition of her tireless efforts as a facilitator of Japanese and British theatre exchange. The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays and Rosette will be presented to her by Ambassador Masaki Orita at a ceremony to be held at the Embassy in May.

Thelma Holt has been actively involved in the promotion of Yukio Ninagawa's unique adaptations of the works of Shakespeare ever since being inspired by his work in the mid-1980s. As a result of her enthusiasm and devotion, Ninagawa's productions of Shakespeare's plays performed by Japanese actors have been widely introduced to, and appreciated by, British audiences. In addition, Holt has successfully introduced high-quality Japanese performances such as Hamlet by the famous Japanese Kyogen actor Nomura Mansai to this country, further strengthen ing the valuable contribution she has made to the promotion of cultural exchange between Japan and the UK. She has also played an important role in the promotion of British theatre in Japan, in particular in her role as Patron of the Oxford University Dramatic Society (OUDS), through which she has instigated and co-ordinated several successful OUDS tours in Japan.