Peter Wilson Strader, IV Papers

Peter Wilson Strader, IV was born July 22, 1925, to Florence Charlotte Swain Smith and Peter Wilson Strader, III at Halton Hospital in Sarasota, FL. Mr. Strader, III passed a year after Peter’s birth. His mother remarried Ernest C. Smith. Peter has a stepbrother, Ernest F. Smith. Peter married Helen Margaret Brown in 1949 and has two children: Charlotte Cubbage and Peter Wilson Strader, V.

Peter grew up volunteering on- and offstage at the Players Theatre in Sarasota. He made his acting debut in 1939-40 in "What a Life" and his professional directorial debut off-stage with “Young Elizabeth”. After graduating from Sarasota High School in 1942, Peter attended the University of North Carolina until he joined the U.S. Army in 1943 and served for three years during World War II. He served in various countries throughout Europe including Germany, France and England. In 1964, he moved to New York City, where he worked at Guardian Life Insurance Company and did freelance theater work for the Brooklyn Heights Community Theater. In 1976, Peter moved back to Sarasota and became the resident director at the Island Players in Anna Maria, FL and worked as a guest director and scenic designer at the Players Theatre until he became artistic director of the Players Theatre in 1980. Peter stayed at the Players Theatre until his retirement in 1993. After his retirement from the Players, he was resident director for several years at Venice Little Theater. Peter Strader passed away on September 2, 2008.