I’m just settled for a coffee after a walk through an important chunk of my life in Bristol. Last night I led a workshop on taking shows to EdFringe with representatives of Dramsoc, Spotlights and an array of independent aspiring theatre companies at Bristol University. I realise that last night I was sitting in the room in the Students Union where I first worked with Helen who would, in time, become my partner, first wife and amazing mother of two children. At this point I was marking up the floor of the rehearsal room for the first rehearsal of Beauty and the Beast where Helen would be playing the second title role. That same evening I met one of the two Dames, Greg, who would become my co-director of our Bristol based UK theatre company, my best man, my specialist collaborator in a national touring quilt exhibition, and the man who pulled me into the amazing opportunity to co-project manage the design and appeal for the Theatre by the Lake in Keswick 25 years ago.
Not a bad day of meetings.
My walk back to the station this morning took me past the Victoria Rooms where I spent time with my first girlfriend and got to know my technical colleagues and the polycule which we enjoyed. Past the Exhibition gallery where we toured Flying Colours , our quilt exhibition curated by the amazing head of costume, Dawn Pavitt, of the University Drama Department. We also took the exhibition to London, Edinburgh, Liverpool, York and Newcastle all in support of the local hospices.
As I walked down Park Street I reflected on the changes over the years. Even 6 years ago it was a vibrant connecting road between the University/Clifton area and the City/Shopping/Theatre district. Now so many shops are boarded up and it feels as though covid and the financial challenges of this amazing city are reflected in what I see. I hope the street recovers as a celebration of independent retailers.
I arrive at College Green where Greg and I did one of my favourite every press photocalls. We were about to rehearse The Booke of Sir Thomas More, partly written by the man who wrote Lear, Hamlet and many other great plays. We had, amazingly, booked to play at the Young Vic in London [and only yesterday I spotted my Winters’ Tale poster from the same Poor Players and saw that we also took that to the Young Vic as part of a mainly open air tour. I do wonder how I landed these and so many other tour dates as a student company]. We called the press to raise a glass of mead to William Shakespeare on 23rd April – and whether it was the love of the bard, the chance to get out on a lovely Spring day, the chance to interview unknown actors and a director who might (and did) become globally famous, or just the large bottles of mead. Whatever the reason we had a great turnout of press.
As I turned the corner of Park Street I was back at my first professional theatre home – Bristol Hippodrome where I was House Manager / Assistant Theatre Manager. Across the road is the sign for Watershed which my two bosses helped to set up whilst I was there. And across the way is the road to our bank where we deposited box office and bar takings every night. That deposit box is famous for a robbery which, as far as I know, was never solved and the value of the steal was never known. On a night I stress that we were not banking, a clever crook had pasted a note over the safe deposit box alerting the late-night tired cashiers that the box was not working and to pop their sealed cash boxes through the letter box. Little did anyone know that there was a dustbin liner slipped into the letter box, and the inventive money gatherers were parked nearby. As each box was despatched ‘safely’ into the bank and the business owner headed home, one of the gang pulled the bin liner up and removed the box. The bin liner was returned and a quiet wait in the car continued until the next unsuspecting cashier read the fated sign on the deposit box. I remember we were rung by the bank the next day but it was during our dark period and so no money had been banked that night. I do wonder how many cash boxes they got away with.
I didn’t today pass the Dragonara Hotel where I first met the rather unusual sponsor of our first Poor Players tour of Romeo & Juliet. [Happy to tell the story off line sometime]. And I didn’t spot the Job Centre where 3 technicians and an opera director queued to sign on at the start of our summer production period, and where that same day I was invited to become Administrator/Producer of two different theatre company projects. I chose one and we went on to produce 4 tours/shows together. The other is still going strong under the same Artistic Director 45+ years later.
My memory walk is over now and I await my train.
My other reflections are around the EdFringe and differences which we highlighted last night with the current Dramsoc team.
In my two student Edfringe years Bristol companies were spread across the City all playing the full 3+ weeks. Bristol Revunions was running Transport Hall on Leith Walk. Bristol Express was the new kid on the block established by Andy Jordon and Paul Unwin which took over the studio spaces opposite the Lyceum, which is now the Lyceum Studio. Bristol OpSoc led by Keith Warner along with a crack team from the STA took over Laureston Hall. Between the three we programmed, I guess, 15ish shows from Bristol as well as hosting some guest artists like Quentin Crisp.
This shows some immense changes between then and now:
- Then it was normal for a Uni to take over a venue and sublet some slots to others. I haven’t seen that happen for many many years.
- Hub venues were spread much further across the City than the current challenging concentration around George Square. [Big cheer out to Greenside who have taken over a space on George Street and drawing student crowds back to the new town].
- In those days student companies could scrabble together enough money to mount shows, pay for accommodation for 4 weeks, and hire/equip our own venues. [OK to save insurance premiums I slept for 4 weeks in our theatre/hall on black drapes at the back of the stage which might not be allowed now],
I’m excited for the 6 companies/shows which will be heading to EdFringe2025 from Bristol. They will be with Greenside and Space venues, and maybe others, They would love to be in touch with anyone from the Bristol past who wants to cheer the next generation of creatives. If you were at Bristol Uni and would be happy to join an Alum list then here is a short form (2 mins max to complete) which I am storing on their behalf. https://forms.gle/PXrkDJiUB11EvkoEA
I am encouraging the key companies this year to create a shared leaflet so they can cross-promote all 6 shows. When I have a graphic of that I will add it to this blog and share it around on my Facebook, Linked In etc.
I hope some of you will catch one/more of their shows at EdFringe25, and maybe share your own walk-down-Bristol-memory lane in comments.
Bristol and Edinburgh hold a very special place in my heart. Maybe book-ending my career, and definitely both instrumental in my being connected into an amazing array of artistic projects through 50 years.