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1994: THE END OF AN ERA
Diary
January: 400th newsletter; Death of Alan Livermore; Death of Sam Wanamaker.
Club Night: Play reading; "Little Red Anorak".
February: Club Night: Pantomime; JAMBATS open workshop; "The Real Thing"; Visit to "The Wind In The Willows", White Rock.
March: AGM; "Victory Of The Cross".
April: Club Night: Travel; "Murder With Love"; Visit to "The Wind In The Willows", R.N.T.; Edwardian Week at the De La Warr Pavilion
May: Club Night: Play reading.
June: "When We Are Married"; Seven Sisters walk.
July: Club Night: play reading; Visit to "Dangerous Corner", Chichester; Alan Livermore tree planting ceremony.
August: "Cymbeline"; Members evening to vote on 1995 plays; Members' coffee morning; BTSC's Fayre.
September: Club Night: Quiz; Visit to "The Schoolmistress" at Chichester; "Gigi".
October: Club Night: Masques and Musicals; Directors' course; Suspension of JAMBATS.
November: Visit to "Jesus Christ Superstar" at Mountview Theatre School; "Good-night Mrs Puffin".
December: Club Night: Reading two one act plays.
Hardly had our 400th newsletter been distributed and the New Year seen in than we were saddened by the death of our President, Alan Livermore, at the age of 79. After a career in the Army during which he reached the rank of Major and served with distinction in Burma, India and Malaya, Alan and his wife Myra retired to Bexhill in 1958. He joined the BATS and soon was our Secretary, becoming Chairman in 1967, a position he held until l986. He saw the Society through a period of lean years to an era of great expansion and development, culminating in the acquisition in 1983 of the Granary Barn in Broadoak Park as our headquarters. With great skill and persuasion he led the way through the months of negotiation and oversaw the conversion from farm buildings to a suite of rooms where we could rehearse, store furniture, scenery, costumes and properties, and construct our sets. Alan was always looking for and encouraging new talent among actors and directors, and exploring new ways of bringing audiences and drama together. He instituted the custom of touring a Lenten play round local churches and in 1972 seized the Charter Year celebrations to stage Shakespeare in the Manor Gardens, which we have continued to so ever since. In 1986 when he relinquished the chairmanship, we honoured him by making him Life President, in which role he continued to keep a close watch on our activities and be always available with assistance and advice.
Alan was a firm believer in Noel Coward's dictum that actors should come to the first rehearsal word-perfect. Learning lines seemed to present him with no difficulty, and when directing he often knew the parts better than the actors playing them. He did not favour long rehearsal periods, saying that fifteen sessions were plenty otherwise the cast became stale. He applied this philosophy to all plays, including Shakespeare whom he believed in playing uncut. This led to some late sittings in the Manor Gardens with lengthy plays such as "The Winter's Tale". Alan would sum up his position as a director by repeating the old saw that his job was to prevent the actors bumping into each other and the furniture. At the blocking he would give out the basic moves (with Shakespeare which entrance people came on or left by) and then let the cast get on with it, relying on their experience and technical skills to put in the other moves and to interpret their lines and characters. This worked very well with experienced and skilled actors, but newcomers and beginners were left to flounder as best they could. The result was that many of his productions suffered from unevenness of performance.
Alan ran the Society in a way that could be both benevolent and autocratic, ensuring that others would follow where he led. Occasionally this attitude did not prove popular, and in the mid 70s there was a breakaway by a group of members wishing to have a greater say in how things should be managed. They set up the Pebsham Players, later changing the name to the Rother Theatre Company. Relations between us and then have always been amicable and co-operative, with members passing from one group to another and borrowing scenery, costumes and props as the occasion demanded. Typical of Alan's approach was the way he handled all the business connected with our taking over the Granary Barn. Although he kept the General Committee fully informed and consulted them whenever necessary, he alone dealt with the RDC and lawyers and officials so that we were terrified that, if anything befell Alan, the rest of us would not have any idea of how to continue with the negotiations.
It was decided that an appropriate memorial to Alan would be another tree in the Manor Gardens, this time near the lower lawn where the first open air productions were held. A fund was opened and in July the tree, a Norwegian maple which produces yellow flowers, was officially planted by Myra who herself has always been a staunch and active supporter of BATS. She was very pleased to find that the tree was already firmly in position when she arrived and that she was spared any spade work,
Alan's death was followed shortly by that of the celebrated American actor, Sam Wanamaker. Sam's great contribution to the cultural life of this country was his conception and realisation of reconstructing Shakespeare's Globe Theatre on the south bank of the Thames opposite St Paul's. The project was well under way at his death, but, like Moses, he was not able to see his life's work completed. We had always taken a great interest in the scheme, and were, in fact, the first amateur society to be associated with it, sending a 'royalty' payment for each of our open air productions. In recognition of our interest, Sam and his wife Charlotte, took the trouble to travel down to Bexhill to see two of our Shakespeares, "The Tempest" in 1986 and "Romeo and Juliet" in 1992. At least, they intended to see a whole production, but the weather defeated them in 1992. Nevertheless, they liked what they saw.
At the AGM the same officers were returned and thoughts directed towards 1995 which would be our, and the De La Warr Pavilion's, diamond jubilee. Ideas were requested and much thought and planning took place before the end of 1994. Meanwhile, after the analysis of last year's questionnaire replies, a sub-committee was set up under Len George's guidance to explore ways of implementing the findings further. They discussed a wide range of topics, including using the Curzon Cinema for some of our productions. Visits were paid and the young owner was enthusiastic but before we could take any positive action he had gone out of business. The suggestion of a directors' course had a more successful outcome, and in October 15 people took part in a day school under the tuition of Doreen Ferry from Kent. Lunch was provided by Margaret George and the event showed a small profit. Two of the participants were brave enough to undertake a full-scale production for us the following year, so the day was worthwhile.
Another continuing topic in 1994 was the terms under which we used the De La Warr Pavilion theatre. A new management team had been appointed and new proposals were put to us. After much discussion in the General Committee and meetings with the General Manager of the Pavilion, we were forced to accept the proposed arrangements. Hitherto we had worked on a profit-sharing based on the box office takings. The Pavilion had retained 30% leaving us 70. In future, ie from April 1st 1995, we would have to pay the full hiring fees which, for two rehearsals and four performances, would come to £2300 per production. We could not possibly afford this, so we would apply to Rother District Council for a concession to cover part of this sum. In actual fact we were granted a 75% reduction so managed to remain solvent.
This year all our productions went ahead, perhaps not trouble free, but without cancellations or serious mishaps. As the regular director, Denis Brooke, was in New Zealand, Sheila Harper took over the pantomime, "Little Red Anorak". This unpalatable parable of paedophilia was rendered acceptable in rhyming couplets by Eric Stevens, and enlivened by a splendidly nasty-comic portrayal of the Wolf by Len George. The usual venues were arranged, and the proverbial good time had by all.
More serious business was on offer in the Elizabeth Room in February when Val Major directed another In-the-Round presentation, Tom Stoppard's complex play about two rocky marriages, "The Real Thing". The Bexhill Observer gave us full credit for a very enjoyable evening, and commended the backstage team for negotiating the many scene changes in the second act. Julia Dance had a special mention for the way she portrayed a not-very-good actress in the play-within-the-play, being judged excellent in her overall role. There was a fair attendance, but another loss, this time of about £100, was incurred. We wondered if another venue might be less expensive and investigated the hall of Bexhill High School. However, this would have cost even more and so the search was put on hold. Perhaps one day we shall find a hall more suited to this kind of production - greater height for the lighting, no obstructing pillars - but for the rest of the century we made the best of what we had got.
The usual Lent play toured local churches in March. This year we offered "The Victory Of The Cross" dealing with the events from Maundy Thursday to Easter Sunday, ably directed by Dorothy Osborne. It was followed shortly after, though at the De La Warr Pavilion, by a Francis Durbridge thriller of deceit, blackmail and suspicion, "Murder With Love". Joan Jeffreys directed. 806 people came to see it and not everyone agreed with the local paper's poor opinion of the play: "a cliche-ridden contrivance poorly presented" and the production: "a parody of community hall drama with lines delivered parrot-fashion." "How can Bexhill Amateur Theatrical Society do Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing in the round to a standard far higher than many professional productions and then serve up Murder With Love on the De La Warr Pavilion stage?" asked the reviewer. Very easily, is the answer. The In the Round presentations tend to be of a much higher standard because (a) they deal with ideas, emotions and relationships (b) they attract the better actors who are not put off by the challenge of performing in close proximity to the audience (c) they have small casts and can be rehearsed more intensively, and (d) involve the audience directly in the drama without having to overcome the gulf between the curtain line of the Pavilion stage and the front row of the audience. One of our members, Marion Clarke, replied in the following edition of the paper pointing out that our In-the-Round productions may be of a high standard, but they lose a lot of money, and that Bexhill audiences dearly love a play with murder in the title, as has been demonstrated time and time again. "While some people can cope with a demanding role," she wrote, "others prefer to enjoy working as a team in a less controversial play, and also to have the satisfaction of playing to larger audiences".
There was, fortunately, no concern about the quality of our June presentation of Priestley's classic "When We Are Married", which was being given its second outing by us. 1994 marked the centenary of Priestley's birth, so the choice was apt. The critic thought it stood "head and shoulders above some recent offerings" but, ironically, 200 fewer people came to see it than to "Murder With Love", and our profit was 50% down (£246 compared with £514) The public was given a foretaste of Kate Walsgrove's production during Edwardian Week at the Pavilion in April when an excerpt from Act I was read in costume as part of the Society's contribution to the proceedings. The JAMBATS took part in a schools evening later in the week with a series of mines on "Workmen in Bexhill".
Having put on all the well-known Shakespeare comedies at least once in the 22 years we have been doing an annual open air production, it was decided to take a chance with one that few members of the audience would be familiar with, although at one time in the 19th century it was quite popular. Eric Stevens had been keen to direct "Cymbeline King of Britain" ever since he had seen it in New York's Central Park, and had been busy cutting the text by one third. The play has some gory moments, as when the heroine wakes up to find a severed head beside her, but there is an intriguing story line - how will Imogen take the poison that her wicked stepmother has prepared for her? - and Shakespeare's most complex presentation of sexual overtones: Imogen, dressed as a man and duly 'poisoned' (a sleeping draught had been substituted) 'dies' and is mourned by two brothers who have fallen in love with 'him'; however we know that she is really their sister.... The rehearsal period proved to be rather traumatic what with casting difficulties, holiday absences, and the page spraining his ankle at the last minute. It is the only one of Eric's productions in which he has almost been reduced to tears. One casting problem was solved when Terry Hattemore agreed to take on two roles, Posthumus, Imogen's banished husband, and Cloten, the queen's inept, evil son. At the Dress Rehearsal a miracle occurred and the play suddenly gelled and came alive. The attendance was more than for the Priestley in spite of the doubtful weather, and our profit of £1203 was only just below the figure for "The Comedy Of Errors" in 1993, we were able to donate 'royalties' of £40 to the Globe Theatre project. Last minute pre-show publicity was obtained from a float we entered in the Bexhill Carnival procession the Saturday prior to the opening. An unfortunate incident took place on the Friday night when some of the audience took a short cut up the flight of steps through the shrubbery at the back of the acting area. One elderly woman slipped and injured another behind her, and a third wrote to the Bexhill Observer to suggest that better safety precautions should be taken. The Chairman wrote in reply that the audience was never meant to use the steep and hazardous steps, but said that the remarks would be born in mind for future productions. In fact, detailed instructions were issued to stewards the following year to ensure that the audience left by the main paths.
"Gigi", NOT the musical but the play by Colette and Anita Loos, was our September choice. Originally Meryl Beamont was going to direct, but as she also wanted to take an important role, the General Committee thought it would not be advisable for her to do both. Denis Brooke took over the direction with Meryl as Associate Director, and the production was praised for being "light-hearted as well as poignant". The workshop team was congratulated on two excellent sets "which gave the production an extra touch of realism".
Finally, a more traditional comedy, "Goodnight Mrs Puffin' by Arthur Lovegrove, directed by Winifred Atkins, This tells how a clairvoyant stranger upsets the marriage plans in the Fordyce family by predicting that it will not take place as well as predicting various incidents that will happen. The play was moderately well attended, but owing to changes in Value Added Tax, the profit was too little to make a decent donation to the charity we had chosen to support, so our cheque for St Mary's School had to come out of general funds. "The BATS had a good stab at this old potboiler" said the Bexhill Observer, "keeping a good pace and giving it a nice comic edge" which was nice to know. However the critic continued "although the busiest member last Thursday night was the prompt." Heigh ho!
1994 was not a happy one for the JAMBATS. They started off well with a mime and movement workshop, and took part in the Edwardian week, but then their leader, Claire Palmer, had to relinquish her position due to the demands of her work. The group tried to continue with Florrie Croft and Maureen Lascelles-Spry in charge helped by a rota of General Committee members, an arrangement which did not work out with the Juniors. Reluctantly it was decided to disband them until another leader could be found.
A great improvement in the appearance of the Barn occurred during the year when Les Mason, assisted by Len Jeffreys, installed a suspended ceiling of white plasterboard to replace the plastic panels put in when we took over to prevent loss of heat through our unboarded slate roof. The improvement in lightness, brightness and warmth was remarkable, and a quarter of the £800 expense was met with a maintenance grant from the RDC. The operation did not go as smoothly as it might owing to misunderstandings about the use of the Barn at the tine of rehearsals for "When We Are Married". Quite a few feathers were ruffled and the Chairman had the unenviable job of restoring calm and tranquility. Nevertheless it was a task that needed doing and one that was done well and we were all pleased that we had the skills necessary at our disposal.
On the social side, regular Club Nights were held on the first Friday of the month when no production was on. Apart from play readings, we had a poetry and prose evening on the theme of Travel, a Quiz Night, an evening for members to discuss and vote on the 1995 programme of plays, and a talk on "Masques and Musicals". A proposed wine and cheese evening had to be cancelled as no one was willing to organise it (social events had not been popular of late, and there had been no Twelfth Night party) but a coffee morning in August attracted 40 members to our headquarters, many of whom had not seen the premises before. Sheila Harper led a party of intrepid walkers over the Seven Sisters (or are there eight?) in June which was thoroughly enjoyed.
Theatre visits were paid to the Royal National Theatre for their acclaimed production of "The Wind In The Willows" in which stunning use was made of their revolving lift; to the Minerva Studio Theatre in Chichester for "Dangerous Corner"; and to the main theatre for Pinero's farce "The Schoolmistress". Two special trips took place to see ex-members: Mark Feakins (Tom Jones in 1987) was appearing as the villainous Mr Fox in a touring production of another adaptation of Kenneth Grahame's classic at The White Rock Pavilion in Hastings in February, and in November a party travelled up to the Mountview Theatre School in North London to see Jonathan Clarkson (Romeo in 1992) give a magnificent performance as Herod in "Jesus Christ Superstar".
Goodnight Mrs Puffin 1994: Paul Read, Sheila Harper, David Sayers, Maureen Taylor, Josephine Turnbull, David Poulson, Denis Brooke
1995: EXULTATE JUBILATE
Diary
January: 12th Night Party: 60 years of Bats; Swimbad the Sailor".
February: Club: "Swimbad"; "Relatively Speaking".
March: AGM; Visit to Chichester for Chinese Golden Dragon.
April: "News From Jerusalem"; Visit to Lewes for "Henry IV, Part 2"; "Trap For A Lonely Man".
May: Club: Playreading; Visit to Lewes for "Shadowlands"; Patrick Cargill at the De La Warr Pavilion; Spring Clean of Barn.
June: Visit to "Hobson's Choice" at Chichester; Barn Open Day; Walk at Fairlight; "Hay Fever" with Gala performance.
July: Church Service; Beach party; Bexhill Carnival.
August: "Much Ado About Nothing"; Garden party; BTSC Victory Fayre.
September: Club: Play reading; Visit to "The Miser" at Chichester; "Dangerous Corner".
October: Club: Talk on Nepal; Visit to the Globe site & "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the RSC.
November: Anniversary Dinner; "Great Expectations".
December: Club: "Kings, Courtiers and Clowns" at the Manor Barn.
1995 saw the diamond jubilee of the Society, an event which had been eagerly anticipated and planned for. Suggestions for how to celebrate had been requested at the 1994 AGM, and a sub-committee, consisting of the Chairman, Vice Chairman and Treasurer, set up to organise the events. A number of interesting ideas was considered, and in the end three main highlights agreed upon: a Gala night of "Hay Fever" acknowledging civic support of the BATS, a service of thanksgiving at St Peter's church, and a dinner with invited guests. In addition, Denis Brooke would design a special 1935-1995 logo to go on our brochure and stationery, and would arrange for suitable souvenirs to be on sale throughout the year. These proved to be 'I LOVE BATS' car stickers, fluffy bats, bookmarks and pens; sales did not live up to expectations. Doreen Carter was invited to make a special ceramic plate for the Belfry, and this was formally handed over at the dinner.
The year began well with a commemorative article in the Bexhill Observer, which Denis Brooke followed up in May with an account of the Society in wartime which was printed in the "Amateur Stage". An Open Day was held at the Barn in June for all members to come and look round our headquarters but only eight availed themselves of the opportunity - at least they had an unhurried tour. The December Club Night took the form of a lecture-recital by actor and writer John Beardmore. Finally, as a way of thanking all our members for their support and encouragement, a Christmas card (again designed by Denis) was sent out with the December newsletter.
Each member of the sub-committee undertook responsibility for one of the three main events. Denis Brooke began with the arrangements for the civic celebration on the last night of "Hay Fever", Cllr Ivor Brampton and his wife were invited to be the guests of honour as he was one of the Deputy Lieutenants for the County of East Sussex. The Chairman introduced him from the stage at the end of the performance and he delivered a short tribute to the Society, calling us a great asset to the town, Then 'stage champagne' was uncorked, and the party on stage toasted the audience as representatives of our stalwart supporters over the years. A jubilee buffet party was held at the Barn afterwards.
It fell to Eric Stevens to arrange the church service in July, a novel experience for him as there was no precedent to follow. After much discussion, the General Committee decided that the service should include a review of amateur drama in Bexhill during the past 60 years, and that other groups should be invited to contribute items, The BLODS, St Peter's Players, and the Rother Theatre Company accepted, and their contributions were woven into a history of the BATS narrated by Denis Brooke. Some of our past productions were recalled with extracts featuring the original players where possible. Of course, this could not be the case with "Eden End", our second presentation in 1936 but Meryl Beamont and Janet Ticehurst performed a short scene. The first "Taming Of The Shrew" was represented by the original Petruchio, Stanley Bullock, with Meryl filling in again as Katherine. Our pioneering work with In the Round presentations was shown by an excerpt from the 1992 "The Glass Menagerie" performed by Janet Ticehurst and Mark Pelham, and Barbara Brock and Christopher Lacey replayed the handbag scene from "The Importance of being Earnest" of 1985. Open air Shakespeare was also recalled when Iris Gillett, an honorary member, performed songs she had composed for "As You Like It" in 1991 and Cymbeline" in l994. The coming together of so many dramatic societies, often seen as rivals, was one of the pleasing aspects of the service which was conducted by the Rev Ronald Hawkes of St Michael's church and attended by over 100 people. The evening concluded with an informal gathering in the Coach House where refreshments were served by the Servants with Jesus.
It was fitting that Len George, our Treasurer, undertook to arrange the dinner as a lot of money was involved. The Mermaid at the Sackville on the East Parade was the venue and our special guests were Anthony Leonard, the Director of Recreation and Tourism, and Charles Vance who had presented repertory at the Devonshire Park Theatre in Eastbourne and at the De La Warr Pavilion. He broke a long-standing resolution to avoid weekend engagements owing to these local connections, and afterwards drove off to his home in Hampshire. Mr Vance is now the editor of "Amateur Stage"' and his production company, Platform Publications, still mounts tours and pantomimes. Founder member Patrick Cargill had hoped to be present but sent his apologies. Also unable to be with us were the two backstage technicians at the De La Warr Pavilion, Tony Williams and Peter Lockwood; we were pleased to make them a liquid recompense at a later date. After the loyal toast proposed by the Chairman, Doreen Carter formally handed over the plaque already referred to. Anthony Leonard proposed the toast to the Society and the Secretary proposed the Guests, to which Charles Vance replied with an amusing speech full of theatrical anecdotes. He told us we were one of 17,000 amateur companies, without whom the theatre world would be in a poor way. "'Amateur' was not a dirty word" he said. "Some of the finest professional performances I have seen were in the amateur theatre, and some of the most unprofessional have been in the professional theatre. Professionals perform because they have to, amateurs because they love the theatre'."
In the course of the evening a birthday cake suddenly appeared, and although there were several intelligent guesses as to the donor, his or her identity was never discovered; surely they could safely own up now?
John Beardmore's talk and recital "Kings, Courtiers and Clowns" was held in the Manor Barn and was open to members of the public. Mr Beardmore, who was a friend of Denis Brooke from the war, gave his services entirely without charge. He had appeared in several TV series and was well acquainted with Shakespeare as his choice of illustrations showed: "A Midsummer Night's Dream", "As You Like It", "Richard II", "Henry IV", "Henry V": "Hamlet", "King Lear" "The Tempest", "Two Gentlemen Of Verona" and the sonnets.
1995 was not only our Diamond Jubilee, but also that of the De La Warr Pavilion which had inspired our formation in 1935. In June, as part of their celebrations, our founder member, Patrick Cargill, was persuaded to come over from Brighton where he was appearing at the Theatre Royal in a tour of "Noises Off". A group of BATs were invited to meet him and afterwards he was taken to the Barn for a flying visit before being taken back to Brighton. His recollections of our early days were rather hazy, but he was suitably impressed by our progress and headquarters.
And what of our jubilee productions? First, as usual, was our mini-pantomime, "Swimbad The Sailor", an entirely new and original story by Eric Stevens. Usually he goes back to the original tales before constructing his plots, but this time he found Sinbad's voyages unsuitable for pantomimic treatment, so he invented an episode from the sailor's youth. A camel named Muriel featured in the plot and our costumiers made a skin specially for us for £20 - happily it did not have the characteristic camel smell. Denis Brooke directed with his usual skill. Also toured was a Lent play. This year it was specially written by one of our members, Meryl Beamont. It is amazing how many different approaches have been found to the Easter story: the plot is known, the characters familiar, but still writers come up with new ideas. In Meryl's case it was a reflection on the Passion and Crucifixion brought to the audience by means of a television news bulletin. A newsreader and a foreign correspondent interviewed eyewitnesses who gave colour to the events as they saw them. Our 'Traditional' biblical costumes were given another airing, but when the play was revived in 2000 everyone wore modern dress with no loss of atmosphere. Dorothy Osborne again was the director.
The first main production was In the Round, but not in its normal location. As part of the Jubilee celebrations of the Pavilion, the Elizabeth Room was being refurbished, so we were given, at no extra charge, the Main Hall. We had been there before in 1987 with "Joking Apart" and used that experience to avoid some of the mistakes made then. This year our choice was another Ayckbourn, the early "Relatively Speaking", and the director was Lawry Rhodes fresh from last year's Directors Course. He was well served by his cast of four who did not get lost in the vastness of the theatre. The Bexhill Observer critic confessed to being treated to a tour de force, "one of the finest evening's theatre I have enjoyed, a production difficult to fault - it would almost be churlish to try .... performances truly worthy of the Company's diamond jubilee year."
So, cheered on our way, we prepared for "Trap For A Lonely Man", a French thriller set in the Alps, by Robert Thomas, first staged by us in St Peter's Community Centre in 1971. The Bexhill Observer critic was distinctly unimpressed by our revival; "..[it] belongs to the stage contrivance school of writing; wildly improbable yet paper thin". As to the performances, Gordon Green was "the only cast member to bring a characterisation alive." There were, apparently, some consolations for the audience: the critic's wife took refuge in sleep before the interval, and "even with a 20 minute interval we were out of the exit by 9.30." Notwithstanding, 635 people saw Joan Jeffreys' production and the play made a very healthy profit.
In June we had what the Bexhill Observer called "A third bout of "Hay Fever". Our second revival of Noel Coward's witty and well-constructed play was directed by Denis Brooke, who, typically, took over when the original director had to withdraw for health reasons. Our first 'bout' was in 1941 and the two young leads then, Hugh Maynard and Trixie Morgan (nee Webber) were present this time to watch their successors, Paul Read and Hannah Beaumont play Simon and Sorrel. Also associated with bout three were some of the cast of the 1967 production. The elegant silver and blue souvenir programme contained memories of the wartime presentation as recorded in the diary of Anne Selby - the stage name of Barbara Selby-Lowndes - who has stage-managed all three productions. On May 23rd 1941 the BATS gave a single performance at the Egerton Park Pavilion (now an indoor bowling rink marks the spot). "As the production was in aid of was weapons week, there was a packed house to swell funds .... The rehearsals took place at the local First Aid Post and some real hard work was put in to justify its success ... "Hay Fever" was re-produced on Saturday June 14th 1941 in aid of the Hospital. A good house resulted in handing over £20 to the good cause." The good cause for 1995 was the St John Ambulance Brigade who received £250, such is the rate of inflation. The Observer critic, not the one who disliked the thriller, dispensed praise and blame dispassionately. The more experienced players were commended for their "memorable moments and excellent delivery", while it was wondered whether "the younger cast members really understood or appreciated the play."
"Much Ado About Nothing" had also been done by us before, in 1977; then it was in Napoleonic dress, all the RSC could offer us, but now we reverted to Elizabethan. Gordon Green directed a talented and experienced cast, and calculated that 46 people in all were involved in the show which was seen by just under 1000 patrons. Rita Pike had to relinquish the role of Beatrice owing to family illness, but we were fortunate that Barbara Elms, an erstwhile BAT now with the Rother Theatre Company, was available to take over. New rostra had been built by Les Mason and a new carpet to cover them and to lessen the noise of footsteps. A feature of the setting was a bridge which occupied a good deal of the stage making moves sometimes rather tricky. We had to bring our lighting equipment up to current safety standards, and Paul Webb spent a considerable amount of time fitting new weatherproof connecting plugs to every item. Furthermore it appears that it is unsafe to have the coloured lights illuminating the path up to the car park, strung over bushes - they will have to be on posts, and a new mains cable would be a 'must' in 1996. A float in the Bexhill Carnival brought the production to the public's attention, thanks to the efforts of Les Mason and his sub-committee. The weather this year played its part to perfection: "a hot, windless night when it was possible to sit in shirtsleeves under the stars and let the beauty of Shakespeare's language flow through the mind" said the Bexhill Observer, after castigating the audience for not letting down its hair and enjoying itself: "Monday night's audience sat stolidly through a gloriously humorous interpretation ... according an exuberant cast only a final round of applause," Never mind, they paid to come and helped give us a record breaking profit of a staggering £2122!
J.B. Priestley's "Dangerous Corner" was a first time experience for us, and a directing debut for Michael Sinclair, another 'graduate' from our Directors Course. The local paper thought that it was "a production which achieved much success without there being any single outstanding portrayal." It was unfortunate that there was no member of the General Committee in the cast, especially as Michael was finding his way: communications between production and committee and various departments left a lot to be desired. Feelings were running dangerously high following the presentation, but the Chairman was able to pour sufficient oil on the troubled waters to prevent a catastrophe. It was most regrettable that Michael's health did not allow him to attempt another play, and he died in the following June after a short spell in hospital.
One of the most complicated and ambitious productions ever mounted by the Bats concluded our Jubilee Year, This was Eric Stevens' adaptation of "Great Expectations", which, like Gordon Leonard's earlier version of 'A Christmas Carol", kept close to the original story-line. Each of the novel's three books provided an act and in all there were 29 scenes employing 19 actors. This meant that a fast-flowing production was needed and Denis Brooke undertook the stage-management which he organised with military precision. He also designed the costumes made up by Joan Jeffreys and Florrie Croft. A basic composite set was complemented by trucking in other locations and to achieve continuity two technical rehearsals were held. Eric insisted on doing one scene change seven times to get it down to less than ten seconds. The entire De La Warr Pavilion stage was utilised, including the orchestra pit, with full advantage being taken of the theatre's computerised lighting so that characters could move from one location to another and be accompanied by the correct spots and floods at the press of a key. There were 79 lighting cues and two pages of notes for costume changes. As can be imagined, nobody had a restful time, particularly as the cast were involved in the scene changing. Nick Cearns, as Pip the man, was mercilessly bundled in and out of clothes by the wardrobe department during the few seconds he had offstage. The Bexhill Observer's review was brief but complimentary concluding "Great Expectations made a fitting curtain to BATS diamond jubilee year", Attendance was a gratifying 812 with a profit second only to the Shakespeare; both were in four figures, due, no doubt, to the fact that the playwrights did not have agents demanding royalties. In fact, our total excess of income over expenditure for the year's productions was a staggering £7521! (Other 1995 statistics: 20 different men appeared in our shows, 20 different ladies and 11 students, making a total of 51 people; 7 different directors, 5 stage-managers and 9 assistant stage-managers - a grand total of 72.) Eric Stevens later wrote an account of "Great Expectations" which eventually appeared in 'The Play Produced' feature of 'Amateur Stage' in June 1997.
The extensive work of finding out what our members could do continued from 1994. More enquiry slips were sent out by the questionnaire sub-committee and the replies showed a willingness to become involved if people thought that they would be welcome. A survey was carried out during the run of "Trap For A Lonely Man" to discover how the audience had heard of the play - from the publicity at the Pavilion and by word of mouth, was the answer. The sub-committee was surprised and gratified by the co-operation of those approached, and recommended that our Front of House staff should be encouraged to talk to our patrons.
Another great improvement to our premises was carried out by Les Mason following the suspended ceiling last gear. The external staircase to the props and electrical departments was in an unsafe condition and needed to be replaced. Enquiries were made and estimates obtained, but then we learned that the Pavilion had a redundant staircase so we managed to obtain that and transport it to Broadoak Park. By a strange coincidence it was exactly the right size, although it would have to be installed inside not outside the Barn. Les, assisted mainly by Len Jeffreys, was able to do this, and now visits upstairs could be made without braving the elements. We tried to recover the £70.50 Building Notice fee we had already paid for the proposed external staircase, but the RDC Planning department would not hear of it. In addition Les began the exterior painting of the Barn, for which we were all very grateful as BATs in general are not too keen about decorating.
Social events not especially connected with the celebrations included a revival of the Twelfth Night party when 30 members came as "60 years of BATS". Club nights were again mainly play readings, although an exception occurred in October when Vanessa and Philip Osborne gave a fascinating account of their time in Kathmandu. Theatre visits were paid to Chichester in March for a highly theatrical but non-dramatic display by the Chinese Golden Dragon acrobats and magicians, in June for "Hobson's Choice", and in September for Molière's "The Miser". In April we went to Lewes Little Theatre for "Henry IV Part 2", and in May for "Shadowlands"; and in October travelled to London, first to tour the nearly-completed Globe Theatre (Denis Brooke had bought a brick and we had sent them £75 "royalties" from "Much Ado"), and then to see the RSC's "A Midsummer Night's Dream". The Globe looked very exciting and we eagerly looked forward to attending its productions. In June we tramped the Firehills at Fairlight under Sheila Harper's leadership and she also organised a beach party at her Cooden hut the following month. August saw another of Dorothy Osborne's successful garden parties at Forge House, courtesy of Pauline and Stanley Bullock, which was followed a week later by the Bexhill Theatre Supporters' Club's annual fayre, this time with a 1945 Victory flavour.
The saga of the De La Warr Pavilion continued. The RDC was going to apply for a grant from the National Lottery based on a three-part approach: 1. its place in the community; 2. as a regional venue, particularly its Art Gallery; 3. as a national attraction being a landmark in the history of modern British architecture. The Director of Recreation and Tourism was asking local societies to support the application which we were happy to do, emphasising the importance of the Pavilion to groups such as ourselves, although we did not agree with every detail of the proposals.
All in all, it had been a very full year, but we thought we had celebrated our 65 years in true style: we had worked hard, done ourselves proud, enjoyed the varied activities – and we did not end up out of pocket!
Hay Fever, 1995: Michael Turnbull, Kaye Gabriel, Hannah Beaumont, Len George
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