50 years on,,,

This weekend I met a wonderful array of folk I had last encountered at school 50 years before. We were there to celebrate an inspirational teacher & producer of epic plays. It was a pleasure to be able to raise a glass with Duncan Noel-Paton and to enable him to hear so many fond memories of the safe (albeit slightly extra-ordinary) world he created for us.  I first worked with him as  Production Secretary – I guess a cross between company manager and DSM in the professional world – helping to wrangle a cast of 100 in a production of Arthur Kopit’s Indians. The set was Chessington Zoo Circus ring and Buffolo Bill entered on a 17 hand white stallion.  Extra-ordinary.

Whilst at school they built me a theatre.  Well that’s my way of saying that the Christ’s Hospital Arts Centre was designed by Bill Howell and we ran it as a professional receiving multi-artform venue where the only tec staff were students like myself.  Bill had designed the Young Vic and went on to design the Open Air Regents Park before being tragically killed in a car crash.  It was wonderful to also welcome for this 50^th some of his family so we could also celebrate this extra-ordinary man and his achievements.

I think we were all nervous about such a meeting of mature strangers who had been young friends.  We were a mix of contemporary school friends and some of the girls, now highly successful grownups, who were part of these school plays.   It gave me time to think back to some lovely tender friendships from that time.  I am sure others were meeting their loves of the past.

Between 1973 and 1975 I had the privilege of working on stage and lx with an amazing array of companies. The Administrator of the theatre, the late Alan Wilkinson, didn’t bother to share the info with companies that their resident staff would be 14-16 year olds. London Contemporary Dance Theatre were annual visitors and it fell to me one night to pop into the dressing room and let Anthony Van Laast know his son had just been born.  We took classes led by Robert Cohen, Sue Davies and Patrick Harding-Irmer.  Ballet Rambert worked with us to present three world premieres with new works by Glen Tetley, Robert North and Christopher Bruce. Lighting by David Hersey and John B Read. Designs by Nadine Baylis – and we were working as Resident Stage Manager, Chief Lx and all the other roles needed to help these extra-ordinary international creatives realise their new ballets before transferring to Sadlers Wells.   I remember David Hersey sitting down behind the tec desk in the auditorium and picking up the headsets to communicate with Simon Carter on the Lx desk. In his wonderfully droll American accent he just said “Nice headsets – I invented these”.

Jonathan Miller directed Kent Opera in Orfeo and Coronation of Poppea with Roger Norrington in the pit. And I was working with Andrew Wicks on stage moving the goddess truck around with a young Sarah Walker giving it her all above our heads.

Amidst this amazing array of visiting artists we also created our own plays and I started, with Julian Garner, to plot out a tour of two of his new plays for one summer vacation.  My first time as producer/administrator of The Frog Company gathering patrons, funding, the company, and then doing the catering for rehearsals. No-one died but I’ve never eaten tripe since.

Spring 1976 was my final school production when we did an original rock opera created by the rock band Visitor 2035 with lyricist John Mason. Once again 100 people in the company, double cast principal roles. Massive.  And a young West End producer, Cameron Mackintosh, was persuaded by one of his mentor/colleagues to come down to see the show. I was despatched to look after this energised bundle of opinions and passion. Little did I know I would be offered a job by him in 1981 which I couldn’t take, and then again in 2002 which I did take – working with Les Miserables and Miss Saigon around the world.

So it was rather fitting that our 50^th anniversary ended with 64 of us with tickets to see the latest school production of, you guessed it, Les Miserables School Edition.  Once again it was epic and ambitious with some great choral and solo work. I want to especially mention Simon Madden the sound designer for the show who, I suspect, like us 50 years ago, was a student. The mix was clear and focussed. It is a real challenge to get the dramaturgy right on stage – and a good sound balance can really really help.

So 50 years on we all left having shared happy memories and some scurrilous stories of the times we were working on shows and in the theatre.  I guess we were quite literally lord of the flies at that time. Now there are tec managers and adults in charge, and they don’t have extra-ordinary international and UK touring companies arriving any more.

I headed direct from there to Stratford to see my son, Michael, play Feste in the new winter production of Twelfth Night. Prasanna Puwanarajah’s new production puts Feste absolutely centre in this play and I hope the critics will relish this production and Mike’s amazing tour de force.   It was in 1978 that the RSC launched their small scale touring arm with a production of Twelfth Night led by Ian McKellen.  And where did they premier the show – yes you guessed – Christ’s Hospital where yellow stockings are part of our everyday clothing…although not cross-gartered.

If you’ve never been to Christ’s Hospital charitable foundation established to offer education to those in need – then check it out…or just look at the front of the Lord Mayor’s Procession in London each year where the school leads with the musicians of the school.

The theatre was a safe haven for many of us – and, for some, the launch pad of a career in the arts.  Thanks Duncan, Alan and Bill and all those in at the beginning.