Jennifer Caron Hall (born 21 September 1958; also known as Jenny Wilhide)[1] is an English actress, singer-songwriter, artist and journalist.[2]
Since 2019 she has been artistic director of SHAKE Festival, a performing arts company and festival based in Suffolk. [3][4]
Early life
Hall was educated at the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle, Bedales School and Newnham College, Cambridge, where she read English.[5]
Actress
At the National Theatre in London, Hall played Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream directed by Bill Bryden in 1982–1983, starring Paul Scofield and Susan Fleetwood as Oberon and Titania.[6] This was the first ever production of Shakespeare in the Cottesloe Theatre [7] and transferred to the Lyttelton in 1983. While Hall continued to play Helena, Scofield was replaced by Sir Robert Stephens and Brenda Blethyn joined the cast as Hermia[8]
In the BBC's 1996 television adaptation of Rumer Godden's The Peacock Spring,[9] Hall played Alix Lamont, a character of half-Indian, half-European descent and narrated the Macmillan Audio Book of it.[10] Caron also appeared in The Love Boat, alongside her mother in an hour-and-a-half special entitled 'The Christmas Cruise.'
Music
Hall was signed to Warner Bros. Records and as Jennifer Hall released the album Fortune and Men's Eyes in 1987.[11] Her song "Ice Cream Days" appears on the Bright Lights, Big City: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.[12]
Art

In 2009, Hall began painting on her iPhone and exhibiting on a blog, The Blue Biro Gallery.[13] Her digitally enhanced self-portrait was featured in Vogue online.[14]
In 2012, the Theatre Royal in Bath commissioned her to paint a portrait of her father in oils. In 2013, Hall had a solo show at the Serena Moreton Gallery in London. [15]
Journalism
As a freelance journalist writing under the name Jenny Wilhide, she has written on arts and trends in titles such as the Evening Standard[16] and The Spectator,[17]
References
- ^ "Jenny Wilhide | Newnham Associates". Archived from the original on 24 December 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ Caron, Leslie (2009). Thank Heaven. JR Books. pp. 142. ISBN 978-1-906779-24-5. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
- ^ Aspden, Peter (16 November 2020). "Jenny Caron Hall on her unfinished business with Shakespeare". Financial Times.
- ^ "A Midsummer Night's Dream Review". The Times. 1 April 2021.
- ^ "Newnham Associates: Jenny Wilhide". Newnham College, Cambridge. Archived from the original on 24 December 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ "BBC World Service – Meridian, A Midsummer Night's Dream – Bill Bryden". BBC. 2 December 1982.
- ^ "A Midsummer Night's Dream Custom Print | National Theatre Bookshop". shop.nationaltheatre.org.uk.
- ^ "King's College London Arts and Humanities Data Service".
- ^ "The Peacock Spring Part 1 (1996)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 14 May 2019.
- ^ Peacock Spring Audio Cassette. ASIN 0333669533.
- ^ "Overview: Fortune and Men's Eyes". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
- ^ "Review: Bright Lights, Big City Original Soundtrack". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
- ^ "The Blue Biro Gallery: Digital paintings by Jennifer Caron Hall". Retrieved 22 November 2011.
- ^ "The Vogue Blog: Hall of Fame". Vogue. 18 May 2010. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
- ^ "Serena Morton Gallery". Retrieved 15 November 2013.
- ^ "Evening Standard Article Index: Jenny Wilhide". Evening Standard. London. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
- ^ "The Spectator Article Index: Jenny Wilhide". The Spectator. Press Holdings. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
Bibliography
- WGBH (1997). Peacock Spring: Program Description. Masterpiece Theatre, 1997. Retrieved from [1].
- Mulryne, J.R.; Shewring, Margaret; Barnes, Jason; Mulryne, Ronnie (1999). "The Cottesloe at the National: Infinite Riches in a Little Room" (book). Mulryne & Shewring Ltd, 1999.
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