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
THEATER ROYAL, BATH
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.
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