MOVING TO THE COUNTRY

THE FIRST IMAGE IN THIS BLOG IS THE “BEFORE” PICTURE OF THE DILAPIDATED CHAPEL AND TWO EVEN MORE DILAPIDATED COTTAGES THAT SANDWICHED IT. I BOUGHT THE THREE FOR THE HANDSOME PRICE OF $1200, IN THE EARLY 1960’S. IT HAS A PLAQUE ON THE CHAPEL “ZION PRIMITIVE METHODIST CHAPEL 1853”. IT HAD A COVENANT ON IT WHICH MEANT THAT BEFORE WE COULD PURCHASE AND ALTER IT, THE LAWYER HAD TO TRACE ANY LIVING RELATIVES OF THE ORIGINAL BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE CHAPEL. THIS WAS 110 YEARS  PREVIOUSLY, IN A SMALL COUNTRY VILLAGE NAMED KINTBURY IN BERKSHIRE. ENGLAND TOOK ABOUT TWO YEARS OF SEARCHING, BUT EVENTUALLY THEY WERE TRACKED DOWN AND WE COULD MAKE THE PURCHASE, FOLLOWED BY DOING THE RENOVATIONS.  I HAD DONE RENOVATION WORK BEFORE ON ANOTHER HOUSE, SO I KNEW WHAT WAS INVOLVED. THIS TIME I HIRED A LOCAL  ARCHITECT, MAINLY TO GET THROUGH THE MANY PAPERWORK HASSLES WITH THE LOCAL COUNCIL.




THE VILLAGE OF KINTBURY HAD SEEN BETTER DAYS. DATING BACK OVER 900 YEARS PREVIOUSLY, IT WAS INCLUDED IN THE FIRST SURVEY OF TOWNS AND VILLAGES AND CENSUS OF THE POPULATION, KNOWN AS THE DOMESDAY BOOK.  IT WAS UNDERTAKEN AFTER FRENCH KING WILLIAM THE CONQUERER BEAT ENGLISH KING HAROLD AT THE BATTLE OF HASTINGS ON ENGLAND’S SOUTH COAST.  HAROLD DIED AFTER BEING SHOT IN THE EYE WITH AN ARROW. AT THE TIME, KINTBURY WAS CONSIDERABLY LARGER AND WAS A CENTER OF THE ENGLISH WOOL TRADE.

 

THE DILAPIDATED CHAPEL WAS HALFWAY DOWN THE NARROW MAIN ROAD OR HIGH-STREET. THE FRONT DOOR WAS SET BACK FROM THE ROAD BY ABOUT FIFTEEN FEET, GIVING A 15’ X 30’ FORECOURT WHICH WAS JUST BIG ENOUGH FOR PARKING A SMALL CAR. THE ATTACHED,TINY COTTAGES FACED DIRECTLY ONTO THE ROAD. IT ALSO BECAME A TEMPORARY WORKING STDIO WHEN I WAS BUILDING PROPS FOR THE WEST-END. SHAW’S ”ARMS AND THE MAN”  REQUIRED A COPY OF A 1901 DE DION-BOUTON AUTOMOBILE. PETER PAN NEEDED A NEW FULLY-ARTICULATED 25’ CROCODILE THAT COULD BE DRIVEN FROM INSIDE BY A YOUNG ACTOR LAYING FLAT ON HIS BELLY. MY INDOOR STUDIO WAS TOO SMALL TO ACCOMMODATE LARGE PROJECTS, SO EITHER THE CROC OR THE CAR HAD TO BE PARKED ON THE FORECOURT WHILE I WORKED ON THE OTHER. IN A VILLAGE FULL OF ENGLISH ECCENTRICS I QUICKLY DEVELOPED A GREAT REPUTATION FOR ENCOURAGING STRANGE OCCURRENCES. THE PUB ACROSS THE STREET, ONE OF SEVEN IN THE VILLAGE, LOVED IT AS THEY GOT CUSTOMERS COMING TO TEST OUT WHAT THE LATEST THEATER PROJECTS MIGHT BE, SITTING ON OUR FORECOURT.

I HAD BOUGHT A LARGE, FRONT-LOADING ELECTRIC KILN AS THERE WAS NO NATURAL GAS IN THE VILLAGE AND PROPANE KILNS WERE UNHEARD OF AT THE TIME. I QUICKLY FOUND OUT THAT I ONLY HAD HALF A CERAMICS EDUCATION AND THAT I HADN’T BEEN GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY  TO LEARN ANYTHING AT ALL ABOUT GLAZE AND COLOR DEVELOPMENT. THIS, APPARENTLY, WAS NOT UNUSUAL THEN, AND IT STILL NOT UNUSUAL NOW. I HAD A FEW STOCK GLAZE RECIPES THAT EVERYONE ELSE ALSO USED. I USED THEM AND ADAPTED THEM TO SUIT MY CURRENT NEEDS AND VOWED TO DO A THOROUGH RESEARCH PROJECT ON GLAZE AND COLOR AS SOON AS I HAD TIME. INCOME WAS STILL COMING FROM WINTER THEATER AND SUMMER TRAVEL.THE SPRING AND AUTUMN WAS WHEN I STARTED TO REBUILD MY POTTERY-MAKING SKILLS AFTER A FEW YEARS ABSENCE, AUGMENTED WITH PROP-MAKING AS JOBS CAME UP.  AS TIME PROGRESSED I WAS ABLE TO QUIT THEATER, TRAVEL AND PROP-MAKING AND JUST CONCENTRATE ON CLAY.

TOMORROW: DESIGNING AND DEVELOPING A PRODUCT RANGE AND FINDING MY MARKET PLACE

GARDEN IMAGES

I HAVE BEEN HAVING A PROBLEM WITH FINDING SOME IMAGES. I ALSO HAVE OTHER COMMITMENTS THAT DON’T  ALLOW ME TIME TO INCLUDE THE STORY I WAS PLANNING. SO I’M LEAVING YOU WITH IMAGES OF OUR MEDITATION GARDEN AT ‘CHOSIN POTTERY ON VANCOUVER ISLAND.

BACK ON MONDAY

 

MUSIC COLUMN - ALL THAT JAZZ

IN YESTERDAY’S POST, I LEFT YOU WITH GOING TO A NEW MAJOR BACKSTAGE THEATER DIRECTOR POSITION AT THE ASHCROFT THEATER AND FAIRFIELD HALLS CONCERT HALL. THE THEATER WAS NAMED AFTER FAMOUS ACTRESS, DAME PEGGY ASHCROFT  1907 - 1991. SHE WAS BORN IN CROYDON AND I WAS PRIVILEGED TO MEET HER MANY TIMES AT THE BEGINNING OF THE NEW THEATER’S LIFE. SHE WAS MUCH BELOVED BY THE THEATER COMMUNITY.
  

PEGGY AGE 22 IN 1929

DAME PEGGY IN THE MOVIE “A PASSAGE                                 INDIA”.

                                                       

THE OPENING PRODUCTION AT THE ASHCROFT THEATER WAS “ROYAL GAMBIT”, A PLAY ABOUT THE LIFE AND WIVES OF KING HENRY VIII.

THE FAIRFIELD HALLS WAS COMPRISED OF THEATER, CONCERT HALL AND AN ART GALLERY, NAMED THE ARNHEM GALLERY AFTER THE MANY CROYDON-BASED PARATROOPERS WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN A WWII AMBUSHED PARACHUTE DROP OVER ARNHEM, HOLLAND.   THE BACKSTAGE OF THE THEATER AND CONCERT HALL WAS MY AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY. I WAS IN MY EARLY TWENTIES AT THE TIME.






THE JOB AT THE FAIRFIELD HALLS WAS ANOTHER CONTINUUM FROM MY TEENS. FOR 25 YEARS OF CROSS-ATLANTIC BICKERING BY THE AMERICAN AND BRITISH MUSICIANS’ UNIONS WHERE, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE AMERICAN ARMY SWING BAND UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF GLENN MILLER, ALL AMERICAN MUSICIANS WERE BANNED FROM PLAYING IN BRITAIN, AND VICE VERSA.  THEN THEY MADE UP THEIR DIFFERENCES AND ONE AFTER ANOTHER, ALL THE MAJOR STARS AND BANDS OF AMERICAN JAZZ, SWING AND BLUES CAME ON CONCERT TOURS. AMONG THE PEOPLE I SAW FOR ABOUT 50 CENTS A TIME WERE DUKE ELLINGTON, COUNT BASIE, LIONEL HAMPTON, EARL HINES, STAN KENTON, THE MODERN JAZZ QUARTET, LOUIS ARMSTRONG ALL STARS, ELLA FITZGERALD, SARAH VAUGHAN, BILLY ECKSTINE, JOE WILLIAMS, PEGGY LEE AND MANY OTHERS OF SIMILAR STATURE. I SAW AND ENJOYED EVERY ONE.

 COUNT BASIE

DUKE ELLINGTON

 ELLINGTON ORCHESTRA

IT WAS AN ORGY OF THIS TYPE OF MUSIC THAT I HAD FIRST HEARD AND ENJOYED AS A SIX YEAR OLD. THERE WAS A  R+R CENTER FOR INJURED US OFFICERS IN A HUGE MANSION JUST NEAR MY PARENTS’ GROCERY STORE. RECORDED JAZZ AND BLUES MUSIC WAFTED THROUGH OPEN WINDOWS WHILE I SAT IN THE GARDEN, LISTENED AND GOT HOOKED ON THE INFECTIOUS RYTHMS.

WHEN THE FAIRFIELD HALLS OPENED IT BECAME THE VENUE FOR CONTINUING THESE CONCERTS. I WAS PRIVILEGED TO BE ON STAGE WITH MANY ACTS BUT THE EXPERIENCE THAT I MOST ENJOYED WAS SITTING IN ON REHEARSALS. MANY MEMBERS OF THE ELLINGTON ORCHESTRA HAD BEEN PLAYING TOGETHER FOR 40 YEARS, YET THEY REHEARSED DAILY FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS WITH NEW WORK. SUCH PERFECTIONISTS. I HAD LEARNED TO PLAY TRUMPET AND TROMBONE IN SCHOOL, SO THIS WAS “DIED AND GONE TO HEAVEN” TIME!.

LOUIS ARMSTRONG

ELLA FITZGERALD

I COULD HAVE EASILY STAYED IN THE WORLD OF ENTERTAINMENT, IT WAS ALWAYS INTERESTING BUT VERY DEMANDING OF TIME AND ENERGY.  I HAD MET AND WORKED WITH SOME AMAZING PEOPLE, THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THE ENTERTAINMENT WORLD.  I FELT VERY BAD ABOUT THE LACK OF TIME WITH MY FAMILY AND THE KIDS WERE GROWING APACE. MY PRIMARY REASON FOR BEING IN THE THEATER WORLD IN THE FIRST PLACE WAS TO MAKE MONEY TO START A CLAY STUDIO.  NOBODY TOLD ME YOU COULDN’T MAKE A GOOD INCOME IN THE THEATER BUSINESS, SO, WITH THE POWER OF POSITIVE

THOUGHT AND ACTION, I ALWAYS DID. WHEN THE RENOVATIONS TO THE HOUSE AND STUDIO WERE DONE.  I STARTED TO EXPERIENCE LIFE AS A SELF-EMPLOYED STUDIO POTTER. I KNEW THAT IF THE STUDIO DIDN’T WORK OUT, I COULD ALWAYS GO BACK TO THEATRE OR WORKING AS A TRAVEL GUIDE.


TOMORROW, MOVING TO A COUNTRY VILLAGE

THEATER: MAGIC AND MYSTERY, FUN AND FANTASY

THE GREAT SIMILARITY BETWEEN A THEATRICAL PRODUCTION AND OPENING A POTTER’S KILN MAY NOT SEEM TOO OBVIOUS TO MANY. HOWEVER, WHEN YOU HAVE LIVED IN BOTH WORLDS FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, IT BECOMES SOMEWHAT CLEAR. IN THE FOURTEEN-YEAR, THEATER PART OF MY LIFE, I WORKED IN OVER 30 THEATERS ALL OVER GREAT BRITAIN, INITIALLY AS AN ACTOR ON THE BOARDS, BUT LATER BACKSTAGE, WHERE I WAS IN CONTROL OF EVERYTHING THAT WENT ON, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE ACTORS. I DEVELOPED A SIGNIFICANT REPUTATION FOR MY BACKSTAGE WORK AND WAS ABLE TO BE FULLY EMPLOYED.  I COULD HAVE EASILY STAYED IN THE THEATRE BUT THE HOURS WERE HORRIBLE AND I SELDOM SAW MUCH OF MY FAMILY. THE THEATER WORLD IS FULL OF TRANSIENT PEOPLE AMONG THE STAGE HANDS. MANY OF THEM WORK AS EUROPEAN  TRAVEL GUIDES IN THE SUMMER AND BACKSTAGE IN THE WINTER. I GOT TALKING WITH SOME OF THEM IN THE GREEN ROOM, THE LOUNGE AREA FOR ALL BACKSTAGE WORKERS AND ACTORS. HEARING MY KNOWLEDGE OF BOTH EUROPE AND LANGUAGES AND THAT I WAS PLANNING TO START A POTTERY WORKSHOP,  THEY SUGGESTED THAT I CONSIDER THAT LINE OF WORK TO MAKE SOME SERIOUS MONEY AND GET THE STUDIO TOGETHER
FASTER. I MADE MORE CASH BUT SAW EVEN LESS OF MY FAMILY!

THE LONDON COLISEUM

    THEATER ROYAL, DRURY LANE, LONDON


BEFORE I LEFT THE WORLD OF THEATER, I SPENT A LONG TIME THINKING ABOUT THESE TEMPLES OF ENTERTAINMENT. I REVISITED SEVERAL OF THEM BECAUSE OF MY INTEREST IN THEATER FOR ITS OWN SAKE AND THE WONDERFUL ARCHITECTURAL ENVIRONMENT, ALL DESIGNED TO GIVE A MAGICAL EXPERIENCE. THE VARIOUS RENOVATIONS THAT I HAVE DONE FOR HOMES TO LIVE IN HAVE HAD MUCH OF STAGE SET AND THEATER ABOUT THEM.  THE GARDENS THAT I’VE DESIGNED ARE ALSO LARGELY LIKE THEATER SETS.  MORE ABOUT THEM LATER.

MOST LONDON THEATERS ARE OVER 150 YEARS OLD AND THEIR GILDED AND SCULPTURED INTERIORS REMINISCENT OF A GIANT PIECE OF POTTERY FROM THE GEORGIAN AND VICTORIAN  PERIODS TURNED INSIDE OUT.  THE GLITTERING INTERIORS COMBINED SOFT, MULTI-COLORED, PASTEL-LIKE WALLS ARE LIKE GIANT PIECES OF WEDGWOOD, SEVRES OR LIMOGE’S PORCELAIN. INSIDE A THEATER, I NEVER FELT FAR FROM CERAMIC CHARACTERISTICS, LIKE BEING IN A GIANT, HIGHLY DECORATED, VICTORIAN BOWL.

THE OLD VIC NATIONAL THEATER, LONDON

                                              

     THE PALACE THEATER, LONDON

THEATER ROYAL, BATH  

 

THEATER ROYAL NEWCASTLE









TOWARDS THE END OF THE MOVIE “HUGO”, YOU CAN SEE HOW THEY CREATED THE ILLUSION OF WAVES ON THE OCEAN AND HAVING MERMAIDS PLAYING IN THE  WATER. THIS WAS EXACTLY HOW IT WAS DONE IN “PAN”.  IT WAS ACCOMPANIED BE THE SOUNDS OF WIND CREATED ON A WIND-MACHINE, A LENGTH OF CANVAS WAS STRETCHED OVER A REVOLVING OVER A SLATTED WOODEN DRUM.  THE TIGHTER THE CANVAS IS STRETCHED, THE HIGHER THE SOUND OF THE WIND. THIS WAS OFTEN ACCOMPANIED BY A THUNDER SHEET,  A SHEET OF METAL THAT IS HUNG BACKSTAGE. IT USUALLY HAS A COUPLE OF HANDLES AT THE STAGE END THAT ARE VIGOROUSLY SHAKEN TO CREATE AN AMAZINGLY LIFELIKE CLAP OF THUNDER.  THESE ARE SIMPLE SOUND EFFECT TRICKS BUT THEY WORK. ALMOST EVERY THEATER IN ENGLAND HAS THEM BACKSTAGE.       
WIND MACHINES

THREE YEARS INTO MY PROFESSIONAL THEATER WORK, PROP-MAKING AND COMBINED TRAVEL WORK, I HAD SAVED ENOUGH MONEY TO BUY MY FIRST SMALL HOUSE IN BARNES, SOUTH-WEST LONDON.   I SOON ALSO FOUND A DILAPIDATED, VICTORIAN, METHODIST CHAPEL IN A SMALL VILLAGE 60 MILES WEST OF LONDON. THIS BECAME MY FIRST STUDIO. IT BECAME  “KINTBURY POTTERY”, IN THE VILLAGE OF KINTBURY, BERKSHIRE.

BY THE TIME I DECIDED TO LEAVE THE THEATER AND EUROPEAN TRAVEL WORLDS I HAD LEARNED A GOOD DEAL ABOUT BUSINESS AND SURVIVAL TACTICS FOR PEOPLE IN RISKY ART PROFESSIONS. THE TRAVEL PART SUPPLIED ME WITH ALMOST ENDLESS TIME IN MUSEUMS ANALYZING HOW THINGS WERE MADE AND WHAT THEY WERE MADE FOR. MY SKETCHBOOKS, ALWAYS AT HAND, WERE FULL OF DRAWINGS AND IDEAS FOR WHAT I WANTED TO MAKE IN MY NEW STUDIO. WHILE I WAITED IMPATIENTLY FOR THE RENOVATIONS TO BE DONE.  I WENT BACK TO CROYDON WHERE THERE WAS A NEW THEATER AND CONCERT HALL COMPLEX NEEDING A BACKSTAGE DIRECTOR  FOR THE CONNECTED BUILDINGS. IT WAS THE PEGGY ASHCROFT THEATER AND THE FAIRFIELD CONCERT HALL  NEXT DOOR WAS THE NEW CROYDON COLLEGE OF ART. I HAD COME FULL CIRCLE

TOMORROW - ALL THAT JAZZ.

FLYING HIGH: TIMING AND PLACEMENT ARE EVERYTHING IN LIFE

THE ROLES OF PETER, WENDY AND HOOK ARE NORMALLY PLAYED BY WELL-KNOWN BRITISH ACTORS, MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, STARS FROM THE BRITISH FILM WORLD. IN THE 108 YEARS THAT PETER PAN HAS BEEN PLAYING THE CAST LLISTS ARE A VERITABLE WHO’S WHO OF THE BRITISH ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY. IT HAS ALSO BEEN THE TRAINING GROUND FOR A LARGE NUMBER OF WELL-KNOWN CHILD ACTORS.

WHEN PAN FINISHED ITS SIX WEEK LONDON SEASON, IT THEN WENT ON THE ROAD FOR SIX TO EIGHT WEEKS TO OTHER THEATERS AROUND THE BRITISH ISLES. IT NORMALLY PLAYED FOR A WEEK, OR POSSIBLY TWO, IN SOME OF THE LARGER CITIES. THERE WERE A NUMBER OF CHANGES IN THE CAST, BASICALLY WITH ALL OF THE LOST BOYS AND WENDY’S BROTHERS JOHN AND MICHAEL. THIS IS BECAUSE OF THE AGE OF THE KIDS AND GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS ABOUT MINORS.  SO THEY THEN AUDITIONED SHORT BOYS ABOVE THE AGE OF 16 TO FILL THOSE ROLES. SEVERAL WERE JOCKEYS, MOST WERE HELLIONS OR LITTLE DEVILS BACKSTAGE!                            
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     DAVY JONES                                       

DAWN ADDAMS AS PETER AND JANE ASHER AS WENDY

    DAVY JONES PLAYED THE                        

TOURING MICHAEL FOR TWO                      

SEASONS, BEFORE BEING CAST AS “THE ARTFUL DODGER” IN THE LONDON, AND LATER NEW YORK  PRODUCTIONS OF “OLIVER”. THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY BECOMING ONE OF THE SINGING GROUP “THE MONKEES”.

ON THE ROAD, ALL THE THEATERS HAD DIFFERENT SIZED STAGES SO ADJUSTMENTS TO THE SETS HAD TO BE MADE TO ACCOMMODATE THEM. THIS OCCASIONALLY LED TO PROBLEMS, PARTICULARLY WITH SCENES WHERE THE ACTORS MIGHT BE FLYING.

TERRY THOMAS AS “HOOK”                           THE THEATER ROYAL, YORK. 
                                                                                           

          











                                                                                    
A THEATER SINCE 1744 AD, BY ROYAL DECREE.  THIS IS A SMALL THEATER BUILT INTO THE 14TH CENTURY SHELL OF A RUINED NUNNERY. IT IS RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE YORK MINSTER, ONE OF THE LARGEST AND MOST BEAUTIFUL CATHEDRALS IN EUROPE.  THE STAGE AT THE THEATER IS ONE OF THE SMALLEST POSSIBLE FOR TOURING PETER PAN INTO. ONE PARTICULAR PROBLEM IS THE PROCESS OF FLYING THE CHARACTERS OF PETER, WENDY JOHN AND MICHAEL. THIS IS DONE BY WHAT WAS CALLED KIRBY’S FLYING MACHINES.  HIGH UP ABOVE THE STAGE IS WHAT IS CALLED “THE GRID” WHERE SCENERY IS INSTALLED ON CABLES TO BE LOWERED IN AND OUT AS NEEDED. THE LARGE PULLEYS THAT TAKE THE FLYING WIRES ARE INSTALLED ON THE GRID WITH STEEL WIRES THAT REACH DOWN TO THE STAGE. THE ACTORS WEAR A HARNESS UNDER THEIR COSTUMES THAT HAVE A CONNECTION RING THAT HOLDS A SPECIALIZED CLIP WHICH ATTACHES TO THE HARNESS. THE RAISING AND LOWERING OF THE ACTOR IN FLIGHT IS DONE BY AN OFF-STAGE WORKER WHO PULLS ON ROPES. THE PRINCIPLE IS THAT OF A PENDULUM WITH THE ACTOR BEING THE WEIGHT ON THE END. HE OR SHE THEN IS LIFTED ON THE THIN BLACK WIRE GIVING THE EFFECT OF A PERSON IN FLIGHT. THE ACTOR HAS TO STAND OR KNEEL IN EXACTLY THE RIGHT SPOT TO GET THE PENDULUM TRAJECTORY ACCURATE FROM START TO FINISH. THE HEIGHT OF MOST GRIDS IS BETWEEN 70 AND 75 FEET ABOVE THE STAGE, GIVING A LONG TRAJECTORY.  THE GRID AT THE YORK THEATER IS ONLY 62 FEET, WHICH MEANS THAT THE FLYABLE DISTANCE IS MUCH SHORTER THAN NORMAL. AND IT IS SUPER CRITICAL WHERE THE ACTOR IS POSITIONED FOR FLIGHT. ON ONE PERFORMANCE, PETER WAS JUST ABOUT AN INCH OFF FROM WHERE SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN. THE FIRST FLIGHT THROUGH THE WINDOW AND INTO THE BEDROOM, THE WIRE CAUGHT AT THE TOP OF THE WINDOW AND PULLED DOWN THE WHOLE BACK OF THE SET. TEN MINUTES LATER THE UNDERSTUDY WAS READY TO GO  ON WITH THE SHOW!

THE THEATER ROYAL IS ONE OF MANY BRITISH THEATERS THAT ALSO HAS A RESIDENT GHOST. I HADN’T HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT HER BEFORE WE MET, AND I WOULD HAVE BEEN SKEPTICAL ANYWAY.  I WAS WORKING IN A VERY DARK SCENE WHERE THERE WAS SOME TRICK FLYING INVOLVED. I SUDDENLY FELT TOTALLY CHILLED AND LOOKED TO MY LEFT WHERE THERE WAS A SHROUDED FEMALE FIGURE. I SUBSEQUENTLY HEARD THE STORY ORF A YOUNG NUN WHO HAD BECOME PREGNANT. SHE WAS BRICKED UP ALIVE IN A ROOM IN THE NUNNERY TO SLOWLY DIE OF STARVATION. THE BACK RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE STAGE IS BUILT INTO THE WALLS OF THAT NUNNERY.  SHE WAS A BENIGN SPIRIT, AND EVERYWHERE I WENT IN THE THEATER AFTER THAT, SHE WAS THERE!

                                      YORK MINSTER CATHEDRAL, YORK, ENGLAND

FLOREAT ETONA

THE CURTAIN GOING UP IN  A THEATER, OR THE KILN DOOR OPENING ON A NEWLY FIRED GROUP OF WORK OFTEN PRODUCES THE SAME SORT OF HIGH ENERGY OR ADRENALIN RUSH. JUDI AND I JUST SAW THE GREAT MARTIN SCORSESE MOVIE ”HUGO”, MANY OF THE STAGING EFFECTS REMINDED ME OF BACKSTAGE AT PETER PAN.

THE WELL-EXPERIENCED ACTOR OR ACTRESS KNOWS BY BOTH INSTINCT AND EXPERIENCE HOW TO COACH THE BEST REACTIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE. THE LIFT OF AN EYEBROW OR THE SNEERFUL RAISING OF AN  UPPER LIP WAS ENOUGH  FOR ALISTAIR SIM TO EFFECT A WHOLE RANGE OF EMOTIONS IN THE 1951 MOVIE OF SCROOGE OR CHRISTMAS CAROL. THIS MOVIE IS USUALLY SHOWN SEVERAL TIMES  OVER THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY PERIOD

ALISTAIR SIM AS SCROOGE.

ALISTAIR SIM AS CAPTAIN HOOK  AND MR DARLING IN THE 1961 LONDON PRODUCTION OF ”PETER PAN”. HE WAS THE FIRST CAPTAIN HOOK I WORKED WITH.

    ROBERT EDDISON,  SHOWN HERE IN AN INDIANA  JONES

     MOVIE WAS ONE OF THE BEST “HOOK”

    PERFORMANCES DURING MY TIME WITH THE  SHOW.       

                                                                                SYLVIA SYMS

                                                                              PLAYED PETER IN 

                                                                              1965

“THE HOOK”

“THE ADVENTURES OF PETER PAN” WAS FIRST SHOWN IN     1904 AND IT HAS PLAYED IN LONDON ALMOST EVERY YEAR SINCE FOR SIX     WEEKS OVER THE CHRISTMAS SEASON.  IT THEN GOES ON TOUR AROUND     VARIOUS THEATERS THROUGHOUT THE BRITISH ISLES FOR SIX TO EIGHT WEEKS.      THE STORY REVOLVES AROUND PETER, THE BOY WHO NEVER GREW UP. (I TOTALLY     RELATE TO HIM!). HE LIVES IN     NEVER-NEVERLAND, HEADING UP A MOTLEY     COLLECTION OF LOST BOYS. HE IS ALWAYS AT THE MERCY OF CAPTAIN HOOK     WHOSE HAND HE CHOPPED OFF AND FED     TO A FRIENDLY CROCODILE. PETER FLIES     BACK TO LONDON REGULARLY ON HIS OWN POWER OF MAGIC OR FAIRY DUST. ON     ONE VISIT, HE ENTERS THE OPEN WINDOW OF A LONDON MANSION, THE HOME OF THE DARLING FAMILY, MUM AND DAD, AND THREE CHILDREN, WENDY, JOHN AND     MICHAEL. HE IS ALMOST CAUGHT WHEN MR DARLING SLAMS THE WINDOW SHUT,     CUTTING OFF PETER’S SHADOW IN THE PROCESS. HE ESCAPES, BUT RETURNS AT     THE SAME TIME THE NEXT YEAR TO     SEE IF HE CAN FIND HIS SHADOW WHICH     WENDY HAS KEPT NEATLY ROLLED UP IN A JEWELRY BOX. HE GETS CHATTING TO     WENDY AND EVENTUALLY PETER, WENDY, JOHN, MICHAEL AND PETER’S FAIRY     FRIEND, TINKERBELL, PLAYED BY A HIGH-POWERED FLASHLIGHT, FLY OFF TO     NEVER-NEVERLAND. BESIDES CAPTAIN HOOK THERE ARE A STRANGE SELECTION     OF INEPT PIRATES AND A BUNCH OF INDIANS THAT MAKE UP THE LARGE     CAST.  THE     SHOW WAS HELD AT THE SCALA THEATER FOR MANY YEARS.

     PROBABLY THE BEST KNOWN PEOPLE TO WORK ON THAT STAGE WERE THE     BEATLES, MAKING THEIR FIRST MOVIE “HARD DAY’S NIGHT”. IT WAS FUN BEING     BACKSTAGE WITH THEM BEFORE BEATLEMANIA TOOK OVER. THAT EXPLOSION     HAPPENED     AFTER THEIR PERFORMANCE ON THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW OF 1965.

    PAUL’S GIRLFRIEND AT THE TIME WAS JANE ASHER, WENDY FOR TWO OF THE SIX     SEASONS I SPENT WORKING “PETER PAN”. THEY WERE FUN TIMES AND I WILL TELL     YOU MORE TOMORROW ABOUT “PAN” ON TOUR

THE THEATER OF EDUCATION

THE THEATER OF EDUCATION

I SPENT APPROXIMATELY FOURTEEN YEARS OF MY LIFE INVOLVED IN BOTH AMATEUR AND PROFESSIONAL THEATER. UNFORTUNATELY I NEVER KEPT A JOURNAL SO I CAN’T CHECK ON DATES AND PLACES, BUT IT STARTED AT TWELVE WITH PROFESSIONAL TRAINING AND JUST KEPT GOING THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL AND INTO ART SCHOOL. TO EARN MONEY, I WORKED BACKSTAGE IN THE CROYDON GRAND THEATER, A REGULAR PICTURE FRAME OR PROSCENIUM STAGE, FOLLOWED BY A NEW EXPERIMENTAL THEATER IN THE ROUND, THE PEMBROKE, THAT HAD JUST STARTED UP. I PLAYED SMALL PARTS WHENEVER THE OPPORTUNITY AROSE. I WAS FASCINATED BY THE MAGIC OF THEATER, WATCHING A PLAY GROW FROM PRINTED WORDS ON A PAGE TO A LIVING COLLECTION OF CHARACTERS ON A STAGE. WATCHING ACTORS GOING ABOUT THEIR INTERPRETATION OF ROLES WAS FASCINATING AS THEY MORPHED.

I WAS VERY PRIVILEGED TO WORK WITH EXTREMELY WELL-KNOWN ACTORS AND ACTRESSES OF THE TIME. WATCHING ANDREW CRUICKSHANK TRANSFORM FROM A SCOTTISH SHAKESPEAREAN HEAVYWEIGHT TO A CHICAGO LAWYER, BASED ON RENOWNED 1920’S CLARENCE DARROW, WAS INDEED AN INSPIRING LESSON IN THEATRICAL INTERPRETATION. EACH VOCAL INFLECTION AND CHANGE OF PHRASE LENT MUCH TO THE TOTAL CHARACTERIZATION. I LEARNED A GREAT DEAL ABOUT PRESENCE AND CHARACTER BUILDING DURING THIS TIME. I HAD MY 21ST BIRTHDAY ON STAGE AT THE ST. MARTIN’S THEATER.

                                     ANDREW CRUICKSHANK IN “INHERIT THE WIND”

I WORKED AGAIN WITH ANDREW IN A PLAY TITLED “LOOK HOMEWARD, ANGEL” THAT ALSO TRANSFERRED TO THE WEST  END OF LONDON. WATCHING HIM BECOME IMMERSED IN HIS ROLE IN THAT PLAY WAS AGAIN MESMERIZING. I DID SEVERAL WEST END PLAYS AND MUSICALS IN SUCCESSION AFTER THIS, LA BONNE SOUPE, THE GINGERMAN, FAIRY TALES OF NEW YORK, FINIAN’S RAINBOW, AND OTHERS, ALL WITH MAJOR CASTS WHO I LEARNED MUCH FROM.


WHEN I LATER CAME INTO THE WORLD OF TEACHING, I QUICKLY REALIZED THAT GOOD TEACHING IS AN ACT OF THEATER  AND THE MORE INTERESTING THE CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE CAN BE, THE MORE MEMORABLE IT IS FOR THE STUDENT.

THE SHOW THAT I SPENT MOST TIME WITH WAS J.M. BARRIE’S “PETER PAN”. FROM BUILDING A 20’ FULLY ARTICULATED NEW CROCODILE AND MANY OTHER PROPS, I BECAME THE PROPERTY MASTER FOR THE SHOW FOR TWO WINTER SEASON’S, FOLLOWED BY FOUR MORE SEASONS AS STAGE CARPENTER, THE PERSON WHO BASICALLY CONTROLS THE WHOLE OF THE BACKSTAGE AREA.

THERE ARE MANY STORIES THAT GO ALONG WITH MY EXPERIENCES ON “PAN”.  I WILL EXPAND ON THEM NEXT MONDAY.  BELIEVE ME, THEY DO HAVE RELEVANCE TO THE WORLD OF ACADEMIA!