Goodwin, John, 1921-

John Goodwin (4 May 1921 – 29 July 2018) was a British theatre publicist, writer and editor who played a crucial role in the development of subsidised theatre in post-war Britain; first with the Royal Shakespeare Company where in the 60s he led the media campaign against concerted attempts to close its flourishing London base; then with the Royal National Theatre where, as an associate director and member of its planning committee, he was a key figure in the administrative team which, in the '70s and '80s, shaped its historic first years on London's South Bank. He was the author of a number of books on the theatre including the best-selling A Short Guide to Shakspeare's Plays (Heinemann Education, 1979). He also edited and compiled the classic reference work British Theatre Design (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1990) and edited the internationally best-selling diaries of Sir Peter Hall (Hamish Hamilton, 1983).