Alan Murray (1897–1975), Australian teacher of the Alexander Technique.
Life
Alan Murray studied acting and music and worked with a theatre company in Melbourne. After a tour of America in the 1920s Alan Murray settled for some time in New York where he was involved in acting, stage production and dramatic teaching. He started working for Alice Bailey of the Arcane School of Philosophy and Comparative Religion, teaching and doing administration. He did some of this work at the centre’s headquarters at Tunbridge Wells, England. Through his wife, Marcia (neé Ford), he heard of the Alexander Technique and went to see Alexander at Ashley Place. He joined Alexander’s training course in 1947.
Upon graduation in 1950 Alan Murray returned to Melbourne, Australia, where he set up a teaching practice. Murray was the first teacher in Australia after the Alexanders had left (and the only teacher there until 1963 when he was joined by Graham Pearl). In 1954 he moved to Sydney where he would teach as well as sometimes do part-time administration work. He taught Ben Gabriel, a well-known actor, and the musician Don Burrows.[1] He also taught Marie Byles who was so keen on Alexander’s work that she wrote the book Stand Straight Without Strain.[2] Murray taught Jeremy Chance who went on to train and later founded the Direction journal and ran teacher training courses in Australia and Japan.
Biography
‘Alan Murray – The Alexander Technique returns to Australia’ by Rosslyn McLeod tells the story of Alan Murray, especially of him setting up a teaching practice in Australia and of his correspondence with Alexander and F. P. Jones.[3]
‘Australia since F. M.’ by Rosslyn McLeod contains a brief biography of Alan Murray.[4]
