Early career (1931–1935) Orson Welles

after graduating, 16-year-old orson welles embarked on painting , sketching tour of ireland , aran islands, traveling donkey cart (1931)

after father s death, welles traveled europe using small portion of inheritance. welles said while on walking , painting trip through ireland, strode gate theatre in dublin , claimed broadway star. manager of gate, hilton edwards, later said had not believed him impressed brashness , impassioned audition gave. welles made stage debut @ gate theatre on october 13, 1931, appearing in ashley dukes s adaptation of jew suss duke karl alexander of württemberg. performed small supporting roles in subsequent gate productions, , produced , designed productions of own in dublin. in march 1932 welles performed in w. somerset maugham s circle @ dublin s abbey theatre , travelled london find additional work in theatre. unable obtain work permit, returned u.s.

welles found fame ephemeral , turned writing project @ todd school become immensely successful, first entitled s shakespeare , subsequently, mercury shakespeare. welles traveled north africa while working on thousands of illustrations s shakespeare series of educational books, series remained in print decades.

in 1933, roger , hortense hill invited welles party in chicago, welles met thornton wilder. wilder arranged welles meet alexander woollcott in new york, in order introduced katharine cornell, assembling repertory theatre company. cornell s husband, director guthrie mcclintic, put welles under contract , cast him in 3 plays. romeo , juliet, barretts of wimpole street , candida toured in repertory 36 weeks beginning in november 1933, first of more 200 performances taking place in buffalo, new york.

in 1934, welles got first job on radio—on american school of air—through actor-director paul stewart, introduced him director knowles entrikin. summer welles staged drama festival todd school in woodstock, illinois, inviting micheál mac liammóir , hilton edwards dublin s gate theatre appear along new york stage luminaries in productions including trilby, hamlet, drunkard , tsar paul. @ old firehouse in woodstock shot first film, eight-minute short titled hearts of age.

on november 14, 1934, welles married chicago socialite , actress virginia nicolson (often misspelled nicholson ) in civil ceremony in new york. appease nicolsons, furious @ couple s elopement, formal ceremony took place december 23, 1934, @ new jersey mansion of bride s godmother. welles wore cutaway borrowed friend george macready.

playbill archibald macleish s panic (march 14–15, 1935), welles s first starring role on u.s. stage

a revised production of katharine cornell s romeo , juliet opened december 20, 1934, @ martin beck theatre in new york. broadway production brought 19-year-old welles (now playing tybalt) notice of john houseman, theatrical producer casting lead role in debut production of archibald macleish s verse play, panic. on march 22, 1935, welles made debut on cbs radio series march of time, performing scene panic news report on stage production

by 1935 welles supplementing earnings in theater radio actor in manhattan, working many actors later form core of mercury theatre on programs including america s hour, cavalcade of america, columbia workshop , march of time. within year of debut welles claim membership in elite band of radio actors commanded salaries second highest paid movie stars, wrote critic richard france.