PART TWO 1986 - 2000

"Battling On"

By

ERIC STEVENS

1998: ONE THOUSAND, TWO HUNDRED

Diary

January: 12th Night Party: Eastenders; "Puss In Woollies"; Murder Mystery evening at Bexhill High School; Visit to "Arabian Nights" at the DLWP.

February: "The Master Builder"; Visit to Lewes for "Death And The Maiden".

March: AGM; "Pilate's Wife".

April: "I'll Leave It To You".

May: Club: Social evening; Visit to "The Cherry Orchard", DLWP.

June: "A Bit Between The Teeth"; Barn Spring clean; Visit to the Globe for "The Merchant Of Venice".

July: Beach Party; JAMBATS play & Barbecue; "Measure For Measure".

August: Club: play reading; Garden Party; BTSC Fayre.

September: Club: Harvest Supper; Visit to "Katherine Howard" at Chichester; Catherine Blod donation.

October: "Speaking Of Murder".

November: Club: "Funny Ha-ha And Funny Peculiar"; "Season's Greetings" Concert, DLWP; Visit to "Cavell" at Lewes.

December: Club: poetry evening; "The Forsyte Saga"; JAMBATS visit to "Mother Goose" at the Stables.

The first part of the year was devoted to consolidation and getting the Society moving smoothly once again. The death of Denis Brooke in 1997 had left a great chasm in the BATS organisation, and in filling this gap, a number of routine arrangements had been overlooked. Peter Bradbury took on the vital post of Publicity Officer, and soon had that department well organised with visions of improvements to be made in the future. One of the first manifestations was the production of an illustrated brochure for 1999. Peter was also appointed Vice Chairman by the new General Committee, thereby strengthening the team at the top. This General Committee discussed, among other topics, proposals from him concerning the holding of open auditions, ways of broadening the membership, developing publicity and public awareness, and changes needed to the Constitution. Most of these suggestions were eventually adopted to good effect.

Len Jeffreys stood down after eight years service as Hon. Secretary and Eric Stevens came out of 'retirement' to take his place. Eric's first task was to tidy up some of the proceedings of the AGM, discovering that one of the Officers had been elected without signing his nomination form! One important item that had been overlooked by the retiring General Committee was the appointment of a Play Selection Sub-committee to arrange the programme for 1999, and so one was quickly established under the chairmanship of Sheila Harper. In spite of the shortness of time, 24 plays were considered and the result announced on schedule in the September newsletter. The AGM passed one important resolution, first mooted last year, that of limiting membership of the General Committee to three years, except for Officers. Retiring members could offer themselves for re- election after twelve months of retirement.

A memorial tree to Denis Brooke was discussed, approved, and, eventually in Autumn 1999, planted in the corner of the Manor Gardens opposite the Bell Hotel. We had asked for it to be near the Costume Museum as Denis had done a lot of art work for them, but this was as close as could be arranged. The tree was Pyrus Calleryana Chanticleer, a species of pear. Our other commemorative trees were still alive, although in the case of Gordon Leonard's Betula Jaquemoutin (a birch with a very white bark), only just in its crowded site. Alan Livermore's Norwegian Maple flourished in a more open situation.

We had to say farewell to another long-serving friend in the Autumn. Strong winds had played havoc with the flag which flies from the De La Warr Pavilion mast during our productions, and, in spite of repairs carried out by the Wardrobe, it was felt that a replacement was necessary.

The surprise of the year undoubtedly occurred during the September General Committee meeting. An envelope containing an anonymous donation was received. When it was opened a cheque for a thousand pounds was found, with a note saying "I have had such a lot of pleasure from the performances of the Bats since I moved to Bexhill... and have the greatest admiration for all the hard work everyone puts in. You have such a 'luvverly' friendly crowd too." The Chairman wrote a letter of thanks, but sadly the donor had died before it could be received. As there was no longer any need for secrecy, we were able to reveal that the money had come from a Theatre Associate, Miss Catherine Blod. Naturally, much discussion took place about how to use our windfall; a new kitchen, more bookshelves in the Belfry, workshop equipment, hiring professional directors, a laser printer - there was no shortage of ideas. The final decision would be taken next year. Meanwhile a more urgent matter needed attention, the external staircase used as a fire escape from the Props Room and Electrics Store; Chris Bullock carried out the necessary repairs.

After organising the Christmas Catalogue sales since the death of Gordon Leonard in 1992, Sheila Harper felt it was time to let someone else take over this very welcome source of income bringing in sums ranging from £254 - £525. Verena Jacob volunteered, although she lived in Hastings, but several people said they would help in the distribution of the goods ordered. This proved to be a successful combined effort which put £321 into the kitty plus a travel voucher for £100. This was raffled - no source of income is ever overlooked! - and a further £17 raised, the lucky winner being Luke Wells. Sheila was not withdrawing to a life of leisure, however. At the end of 1998 she took over the post of Membership Secretary from Winifred Atkins who had completed many years of valuable service.

The plans for the improvement of the Pavilion took one step further when a bid for £15 million from the Lottery Fund was made. If successful, the building would be closed for several months from March 1999 for the work to be carried out, and we would have to find alternative venues for our productions. In the event the scheme was far too ambitious and the application was turned down, although it was clear that something would have to be done to the theatre, especially its ancient seating.

Socially, the traditional parties took place, Twelfth Night, Beach and Garden. Club Nights, organised by Dorothy Webb and Verena Jacob, continued with a social evening in May at the request of several members who wanted the opportunity for a chat over a cup of coffee. The old photo albums were on display giving rise to a host of reminiscences. In September we had a Harvest Supper with a quiz organised by Gordon Green. Two months later Eric Stevens presented an evening entitled "Funny Ha-ha and Funny Peculiar" featuring some classic comedy extracts and curious musical examples, such as an apparently rude catch by Henry Purcell. December's Club Night was another poetry reading with members reading their favourite pieces and refreshing themselves with mulled wine and mince pies. Another kind of social gathering was the late Spring clean of the Barn, held in June, when a gratifying number of BATs made a clean sweep of the premises in time for the Shakespearean cast to mess it up again.

Theatre visits of two kinds were made during the year - active and passive. Actively, seven BATS assisted with a Murder Mystery evening at Bexhill High School in January, and helped it to raise £250 towards a new school they are sponsoring in Uganda. At the other end of 1998 five members took part in "Season's Greetings", a charity concert at the De La Warr Pavilion organised by Philip Elms of Rother Theatre Company, for which we received £100 as our share of the profits. Passively, parties arranged by Sheila Harper went to Lewes Little Theatre for "Death And The Maiden" and "Cavell"; to Chichester for "Katherine Howard", a new play by William Nicholson of "Shadowlands" fame; to Shakespeare's Globe on a very wet Saturday for a Walkshop (a guided tour round landmarks near the theatre) in the morning, followed by a matinee of "The Merchant Of Venice" when we were glad to have seats under cover; and, nearer home, to the Pavilion for "Arabian Nights", the pantomime substitute, and "The Cherry Orchard". The second Lewes trip was marred when one of the cars being used broke down, resulting in an expensive taxi ride. The General Committee was sympathetic but could not make more than an ex gratia payment of £10. Members were reminded that on theatre visits the Society is responsible for just the tickets, and that transport arrangements were entirely up to them.

The JAMBATS, who had another successful year, had their own theatre visit when they went to see "Mother Goose" at the Stables Theatre in Hastings, just before Christmas. Previously they had concluded their summer activities with a play they wrote themselves, followed by a barbecue. The group went from strength to strength and that created its own problem. A maximum of 25 children was proposed, but some of them were approaching the upper age limit and were in danger of being lost to the Society as there was little for them to take an active part in. A special youth group would be the answer but ... who would be willing to take it on?

The mini-production this year was a revival of Eric Stevens' "Puss In Woollies"- Eric had to be in the director's seat this time. It toured the usual venues in January, ending up at the Barn, and was followed in February by Ibsen's "The Master Builder" directed by Dominic Campbell in the Elizabeth Room of the DLWP. Good publicity ensured good audiences, and extra seats had to be brought in for the Friday performance. The intimacy of the venue worked once again, and an enthralling evening's entertainment ensued with some powerful performances. The Bexhill Observer enthused in the manner we have come to expect: "No matter how many productions Bexhill Amateur Theatrical Society stage in- the-round, their ability to deliver a perfect little gem never ceases to impress. ... From first to last this was a beautifully crafted production... There were no weak links in the chain forged so deftly under Dominic Campbell's direction."

In March another new play by Meryl Beamont, "Pilate's Wife", directed by Dorothy Osborne, was well received on its tour of local churches. A Noel Coward rarity, his first play "I'll Leave It To You", written in 1919, was our April choice, anticipating the author's centenary by twelve months. The setting is the typical country house of the period, complete with butler. The Dermot family are in a state of crisis as the father's death threatens to leave them in dire straits. Enter a mysterious uncle who tells them he has not long to live and will leave all his money to whoever makes the most money in the meantime. The Bexhill Observer was less ecstatic on this occasion. "A slight, mildly entertaining play, well directed by Kate Walsgrove, this production had neither anything to be criticised nor anything to excite." However, we attracted 600 patrons, and the show was distinguished by having three generations of Webbs involved: mother Dorothy 'on the book', daughter Josephine (Turnbull) in the cast and grandson Jeremy looking after the sound. The Chairman of Rother District Council and the Deputy Town Mayor were our guests on the last night, but in future we decided to invite the VIPs on the Friday, as on Saturday everybody is busy striking the set, tidying up, changing, etc. so that there is little time for entertaining guests.

Our June presentation was in support of our charity of the year, Guide Dogs For The Blind, and an attendance of 550 ensured a contribution of £248 to their funds. The play, Michael Pertwee's "A Bit Between The Teeth", directed by Gordon Green, proved, in the words of the Observer critic, to be "Fast-moving, manic, with half dressed females and distraught males leaping in and out of windows - the BATS latest offering contained all the ingredients farce demands. Good laughs come aplenty... Without exception a five strong Bexhill Amateur Theatrical Society cast worked their socks (and their trousers, blouses, etc) off to do it justice on the De La Warr stage... If only Pavilion audiences would learn to let their hair down, relax and LAUGH when good material is well presented. Your correspondents' [sic] guffaw made a lonely echo at times." Heart- warming praise for all concerned, with a good turnout for the get-in and -out, and congratulations for the exploding tin of baked beans which was somehow germane to the plot.

For our open-air Shakespeare we chose a play we had not done before, "Measure for Measure". Director Eric Stevens was struck by the topicality of the story, political sleaze, lack of strong moral guidelines, emphasis on sexual activity, and so opted to present the play in modern dress. This presents a challenge to actors who have to work out the 20th century equivalents of their characters, but it tends to make relationships easier to follow. One difficulty was that the Duke disguises himself as a monk in order to root out corruption in Vienna, and friars are not exactly common nowadays. The problem was solved by doing nothing, and trusting the audience to accept the situation. On the whole the production was well received, although there were several absentees who were unable to accept the idea of the cast in the Manor Gardens wearing the same sort of clothes as they had on. The Bexhill Observer was on our side: "This uncomfortable play of hypocrisy is excellently done on the whole, with strong acting and a good pace (except for the final couple of scenes which do lose steam), so allowing the script to stand for itself without the need to disguise any weaknesses with elaborate costumes." The critic had read the play beforehand (!) and regretted the cutting of much of the comedy: ".. there is so much heartbreak and callousness... that it needs more comic relief than is given here." Individual performances were praised, and the review concluded "Altogether a highly recommended entertainment." The smooth running of all necessary arrangements for staging a play in the Manor Gardens was once again in the capable hands of Len George, who assembled a hardworking team.

He was not, however, responsible for the weather which was unsettled, and rain fell during the Saturday interval. Fifty hardy souls reassembled afterwards and an equally determined cast started to perform the second half, but the attempt had to be abandoned as the actors' words could not be heard. Summing up, the Society seemed tolerant of the director's whim yet was not anxious to repeat the experience - the remaining open air productions of the century were firmly dressed in correct period costume.

Chauve Souris cheekily remarked that to balance affairs, the next production, "Speaking Of Murder", ought to be performed in 16th century garb, but Sheila Harper, the director, chose to ignore this. Glyn Jones' thriller was presented in October, and typified the advice to actors that they should never appear with animals or children. "Speaking Of Murder" had both and, of course, there were special mentions in the Observer's review, Meryl Beamont's chihuahua, Pepe, being congratulated as he "behaved impeccably in his role." The young boy and girl were played by members' grandchildren. Another of Dorothy Webb's descendants, Hannah Turnbull made her debut along with her grandmother, and her stage brother was played by James Jeffreys, grandson of our Wardrobe Mistress, Joan Jeffreys. James achieved something unique among BATS - in the following two years he appeared in non-singing roles at nearby Glyndebourne, first as a lad in "The Bartered Bride" and then as the apprentice in "Peter Grimes". A healthy 630 thriller-lovers came to see the show, which was not to the taste of the Observer's critic. It "never quite fulfilled its early promise of a tense, psychological thriller, largely because of its clumsy script and the predictability of the plot." Nevertheless "Sheila Harper's direction made the best of the material and the cast put up some good performances." For the set, we called upon the Rother Theatre Company to let us use their staircase which is higher than anything we can construct.

To while away part of one rehearsal of "I'll Leave It To You", one of our young members, Paul Read, counted up the number of productions published in our brochure, something no one else had ever thought of doing. Astonishingly he discovered that we were about to score a double century with our final presentation of 1998, "The Forsyte Saga". It took us 45 years to clock up our first hundred, "The Deep Blue Sea" in 1981, and only 17 for the second, which shows how busy we are nowadays. It might be argued that the figures are incorrect, as there are five playlets in Alan Ayckbourn's "Confusions" and does our 1988 double bill of "The Real Inspector Hound" and "The Browning Version" count as one production or two? Whatever the quibbles, "The Forsyte Saga" directed by Joan Jeffreys was officially recognised as No. 200. It proved to be a mini-saga in itself with more than its fair share of headaches, heartaches, stomach aches, etc. To add to Joan's problems, her husband, Len, had to go into hospital just before the end of rehearsals, but as usual, people rallied round to deal with the various crises.

As a general rule the critics should be read and accepted, never replied to, but everyone felt that the Observer reviewer on this occasion was most unfair and must have had a bad headache at the time. The adaptors of John Galsworthy's novels, Pat and Derek Hoddinott, came in for a lot of stick: ".. the dramatisation appears to have been done by people who have not read the book [sic] with any degree of comprehension... Insult was added to injury in the BATS production by bad casting and misinterpretation of roles. Very few of the cast made much of their parts, making the characters about as fascinating as Noddy and bearing as little likeness to Galsworthy's creations as Mrs. Miniver to the Wife of Bath." The final piece of advice was that people should buy the books and read them themselves, "it will be far more satisfying." All those involved were distressed by such an unsympathetic critique, and were delighted when, the following week, a member of the public not connected with us expressed our feelings: "Descriptions such as 'inept', 'depressing', 'sad', 'tired', 'clumsy', 'misinterpretation', 'as fascinating as Noddy' and other innuendos, seem unnecessarily hostile and wholly inappropriate for a local newspaper." The writer acknowledged that a critic is entitled to express his or her opinion, "but there are ways of doing so with out descending to these depths." Hear, hear!

Speaking of Murder, 1998:  Gemma Bogle, James Jeffreys, Verena Calegari, Lawry Rhodes

1999: BEHEMOTH COMETH

Diary

January: 12th Night party: Fairy tales theme; "Flo White And Rose Dredd".

February: "Talking Heads"; "Way Upstream" at Lewes.

March: AGM; "The First Witnesses"; Slides of New Zealand.

April: "Waters of the Moon"; Behemoth bought.

May: Bexhill 100; Club: playreading; "Julius Caesar" at the Globe.

June: Newsletter with masthead in colour; "Spider's Web"; Barn cleaning; Walk to Crowhurst; "The Importance of Being Earnest" at Chichester.

July: Skiffle evening.

August: "Canterbury Tales"; Beach party; Garden party; BTSC's Fayre.

September: Club: Tibetan evening; "The Secretary Bird".

October: Club: Harvest Supper; "The Man Who Came To Dinner" at Chichester; Barn cleaning.

November: Club: "Oberon, The Fairy Prince"; "Rebecca".

December: Club: Poetry evening; "The Nutcracker" at the Congress Theatre, Eastbourne.

1999 proved to be the year when important pieces of equipment were purchased to make life easier and the Society more self-sufficient. A mini-disc recorder was bought in the summer; music and sound effects can now be recorded and played back accurately - no more waiting for the tape to run. 'Happy Henry' made his appearance at a Barn clean and proved to be an excellent sucker for dusty carpets. But the most expensive outlay was for a laser colour printer which took care of Miss Blod's £1000 donation and then some. Peter Bradbury, our Press and Publicity Officer, was most persuasive in committee with a breakdown of costs and expected benefits, and so we invested in a Tektronix 840DP printer at a cost of £2975, being assured that in three years it would pay for itself. Of course, there were the usual attendant extras - paper, ink (only £425 a time), and a maintenance kit (£102). The latter is essential as the machine stops automatically after 33,000 copies and will continue only when it has been serviced. Although it is not much more bulky than a computer, it had to be housed somewhere. The Barn was clearly unsuitable, and Peter and Verena said it could live in their spare bedroom. This arrangement works very well, except when they have visitors. The Secretary christened the beast Behemoth after the book of Job, although he first came across it applied to a Hi-fi system in one of Peter Schaffer's plays. The biblical reference is to Job x1 15-24: "Behold now Behemoth which I made with thee, he eateth grass as an ox. Lo now, his strength is in his loins and his force is in the navel of his belly. etc." Further elucidation comes from the New English Bible which offers as a probable reading: "Consider the chief of the beasts, the crocodile, who devours cattle as if they were grass..." Behemoth is, apparently, Hebrew for 'beast', and ours has so far proved willing and amenable. It was soon producing newsletters- bursting into a masthead in full colour for its first one – programmes, minutes, brochures, and eventually 8-part posters. Stapling sessions were frequently arranged where teams collated, stapled and folded the publication in hand for an hour or so. This present volume you are reading is the result of the force "in the navel of his belly". Behemoth devoured 5400 A4 sheets in his first three months and seemed rather thirsty for ink, but he soon settled down and was having his first maintenance before we were really aware of it.

Thirty BATs attended the AGM in March at which a number of important decisions had to be made. First, however, Len George stepped down at his own request as Treasurer after many years of steadfast service. Verena Jacob replaced him. He had been an excellent keeper of the purse strings, and his explanations for his figures on presenting the accounts each year were a delight to hear with their wit and humour. As a reward for his efforts he was made a Life Member; Winifred Atkins had already been similarly honoured at the beginning of the year for her work as Membership Secretary.

The Society had been warned that a reshaping of our membership categories was on the cards, and five were proposed and agreed: Members, Theatre Associates (existing members only - they are entitled to one free seat a year), Associates (as for Theatre Associates but with no free seat), Life Members and Honorary Members. 'Members' covers all Acting, Junior and Student members, plus anyone else who opts for it. As an inducement to join the Society, 'Members' were to have the privilege of a £1 discount every time they bought a theatre ticket, so if they attended all our shows they would save most of their subscription. There was then the problem of how to address everyone, in the newsletter, for example; in the end BAT was decided upon. These changes affected our constitution, so the General Committee decided to revise the whole document for the first time in ten years. The changes were put to the AGM and passed, and the Secretary and the new Treasurer spent part of the summer producing an accurate version which was distributed with the December newsletter.

Other documents were presented to the General Committee during the year. It was felt that Fire and Safety at the Barn had been neglected of late and Len George undertook to investigate and to Produce a list of recommendations, which in due course he did. As happens among legislators In Another Place, a report having been commissioned, prepared, submitted and debated, is usually then forgotten. "Action" is rarely "this day", and so it was in this instance. Len's report was discussed thoroughly and the necessary steps to be taken agreed, but the implementation was a long, slow, process in spite of the Secretary's cajoling, badgering and nagging. One immediate effect was to declare the whole Barn a 'No Smoking' area. Hitherto, smoking had been banned only in the Belfry. But as we fitted smoke alarms throughout the building, the slaves of the weed would have to brave the elements without. Safety notices went up, security lights were fixed and the Council agreed to tidy up their yard at the back of the barn so that we could cross in relative safety when evacuating the premises. It was agreed that every production would get off the ground with a fire practice, and that people using the Barn during rehearsals would be signed in and out. These last two measures, however, were not put into practice until the autumn of 2000.

Also debated was a document produced by the Chairman concerning the future development of the Society in view of the fact that our lease expires in 2002. Michael Turnbull was very keen on the idea of having a theatre of our own, or a performing arts centre open to all groups in the town. He suggested that the Drill Hall on the Down would be suitable and did some research on the subject which sadly did not get much further. The General Committee, however, did agree to set up a development fund which could be used for this purpose or to expand our Broadoak Park premises, and this was started by earmarking our funds held in National Savings, some £4400, for this purpose. Another idea put forward was that we should have a patron, a well-known ' name' with local connections who could provide a focus for the Society. The obvious candidate, local resident Desmond Llewelyn, famed as Q in the James Bond films, unfortunately died in a road accident before the idea could be put to the next AGM. The plan was approved and several suggestions were considered by the General Committee from which they produced a short list of three, who were contacted in 2000.

The De La Warr Pavilion took a step forward in 1999 by closing the theatre for the month of August (when outdoor entertainments were possible) for a £1.03 million refurbishment. At long last the aged seating went, to be replaced by comfortable, slender blue rows; the creaking steps at the back of the auditorium gave way to a more solid construction; the auditorium roof was replaced with insulated aluminium roofing; the dressing rooms were redecorated in a tasteful pastel blue, with a shower and disabled toilet installed; the lighting and sound systems were overhauled; and a hydraulic lift put in to facilitate the removal of the stalls for storage beneath the stage, thus doing away with the brute-force-and-manpower solution dreamed up by the late Leslie Steen many, many, years ago. The new machinery, of course, had its teething troubles, and the technical rehearsal of "The Secretary Bird" was accompanied by the hammering of workmen trying to sort the problems out. Meanwhile, another lottery bid was being prepared for submission in 2001.

An audit at the Pavilion revealed that they had not been charging users VAT for their services. The General Manager was able to delay imposing this until after the end of the financial year, but, with an increase in charges as well, it would mean, in our case a 20% rise in our expenses on this one item. The situation was potentially disastrous as we might not be granted our usual concessions (in the end, we were.) In any case, our ticket prices would have to go up. £6 and £4 were agreed for the theatre and £5 for In the Round and Open air. OAPs would get their reduced price of £3 for the Saturday matinee.

The Society also made changes in some of its procedures. It was decided to hold open auditions in an attempt to increase our membership, and so advance notices were placed in the local newspapers. The scheme worked better than expected. Casts were no longer required to buy their scripts; these where provided free of charge to be handed in at the end of the production unless the actor wished to keep his copy on payment of £3. This proved fairly workable, but involved a lot of chasing up of defaulters and ever increasing demands for space on our limited bookcases, so after a year or so the idea was dropped. It was simpler for the Society to buy the scripts and let the casts keep them. Raffles were introduced at our theatre presentations and provided an additional source of income. They were also a means by which our charity of the year could contribute to the production; sometimes they ran the raffle for one night only, sometimes for all four performances. Naturally, they kept the proceeds themselves. The raffle was tried at the Open Air production, but it was felt afterwards that what with buying tickets, coffee tickets and programmes, the audience could hardly be expected to lay out more money on a raffle ticket as well. A final change was financial. We decided to transfer our insurance from the Zurich to First Night, a new company recently formed specialising in the requirements of Amateur companies.

Our millennium ideas had fizzled out, as has been recorded previously, but the Assistant Manager of the Pavilion, spurred on by our Chairman, tried to get a community project off the ground. We were in favour, and even were willing to give up one of our autumn slots, but the scheme failed because of a lack of commitment from other groups consulted.

After a dozen years of, obscurity, Gordon Leonard's history of the Society's first fifty years, "Tonight at 7.45pm", emerged once again into the light of day. It was put through Behemoth and sold to interested members. As a personal Millennium Project, Eric Stevens offered to bring the history up to date; .how well you will have realised by now.

Total membership of the Society steadily increased during the year from 113 in February to 172 in December, when the breakdown was Acting 56, Theatre Associates 33, Associates 48, Student 6, Junior 7, Life 12, Hon. 6, and Members (the new category for 2000) 4. The Grim Reaper did not take away any leading light, but one passing deserves a mention, that of Kenneth Todd. Mr Todd was a former Hon. Auditor of the BATS. and subsequently a Honorary Member. He died shortly after his birthday in June, at the splendid age of 102.

With Sheila Harper taking over as Membership Secretary on January 1st a replacement Theatre Visits Organiser was required, and Betty Jupp stepped forward. Unfortunately, her first attempt was not wholly successful because "The Importance Of Being Earnest" was less popular than anticipated and we were left with four tickets unsold, costing the Society £62. All the other trips, however, were fully subscribed: "Way Upstream" at Lewes, "The Man Who Came to Dinner" at Chichester, an all-male "Julius Caesar" at the Globe, and "The Nutcracker" at Eastbourne - ballet for the first time.

A full range of social activities was held with varying success, and Club Nights ranged from talks on New Zealand and Tibet to the reconstruction of a Jacobean masque, "Oberon, the Fairy Prince", with Members taking the parts of various mythical nasties, via a Harvest Supper which introduced Crabapple and Ragwort, a group of young lady BATs who sang delightfully. The two garden parties were enjoyable and rewarding: Dorothy Osborne's at Forge House raised £116, and we received £192.50 from the Bexhill Theatre Supporters Club's summer fayre.

As Eric Stevens was spending Christmas and New Year in New Zealand, he was unable to become involved with our mini-pantomime after some twenty years of continuous service. Peter Bradbury took over, and wrote, directed and appeared in "Flo White and Rose Dredd". It made the conservatives, traditionalists and fuddy-duddies shake their heads, but it had the great advantage of live music in the shape of the Rock Island Skiffle Group which went down well. There was splendid ad-libbing when Peter lost his G string (or whatever) on his guitar, and the group had several 'gigs' during the year. The pantomime was revived in the Spring with a slight change of cast, and performed at the Bexhill l00 Festival of Motoring weekend, where it had to compete with vintage and modern cars roaring past and low-flying aircraft overhead. Other BATs had taken part in the parade of cars before the competitions - not driving, but as suitably costumed passengers. Meryl Beamont came up with another Lent script, "The First Witnesses", which Dorothy Osborne directed, and which was greatly appreciated by the churches on the tour.

Our In the Round presentation was the unusual "Talking Heads" by Alan Bennett, directed by 17 year old Luke Wells (see p62). These 6 monologues were well-known from television, for which medium they were written, but Rachel Earnshaw, Sheila Harper, Kaye Gabriel, Stanley Bullock, Kate Walsgrove and Maureen Taylor bravely tackled the formidable roles to great acclaim. "Straight talking. BATS at their best" headlined the Bexhill Observer. "..this... production ranked among their finest"; "thoroughly enjoyable entertainment"; "[it] showed a wholly admirable sensitivity, perception and confidence." One problem was which of the six playlets to do. In the end we adopted Len George's solution and performed all six in two alternating groups of three.

"Waters Of The Moon" by N .C .Hunter followed in the De La Warr Pavilion theatre in April. The director was Joan Jeffreys, but unfortunately she was laid low for War much of the rehearsal period, sending husband Len to keep an eye on things. It was little wonder, then, that the Bexhill Observer noted that the production "was not without its problems and flaws" , but Meryl Beamont, Eric Stevens and Joy Bryant were praised for their characterisations "...the shamefully few who made the effort to support live theatre!" - there were only 400 of them, were rewarded with "a production that will be long remembered for some outstanding interpretations."

The box office receipts almost doubled for "Spider's Web" in June, proving once again that there is nothing to beat an Agatha Christie to bring the crowds in. Local actor Desmond Llewelyn had appeared in the original production, so we invited him to come along and see how the play had fared; unfortunately he was unable to be present. The Observer thought that director Sheila Harper had cast the play very appropriately, and heaped praise on the show: "Characteristic of its genre, it was a little long and overdrawn, but the unique, inspired and energetic performances more than made up for it." From the proceeds we were able to donate £200 to the Bexhill and District Diabetic Group who were raising money to maintain a retina camera at Bexhill hospital. One unwished-for incident during the run was the theft of a wallet from the dressing rooms in spite of the Pavilion's precautions.

There was a break with tradition in the Manor Gardens this year. For only the second time since 1972, a non-Shakespeare play was performed, happily with more pleasing results than "Tom Jones" enjoyed in 1987. Kate Walsgrove ushered us through a selection of "Canterbury Tales" adapted from Chaucer by Phil Woods and Michael Bogdanov. Nine "mucky medieval stories" were presented, ending with the muckiest of the lot, "The Miller's Tale". The Bexhill Observer's critic summed up the evening, tongue in cheek, as "this shocking display of bawdiness." Undoubtedly, some people were shocked. "Every scene was salacious to say the least" wrote one correspondent to the paper. "The final tale included the kissing of bare bottoms and urinating on stage. In at least two scenes the simulation of the sex act took place. We both thought that the not inconsiderable talent of the BATS could have been put to better use." There were also concerns that the JAMBATS took part in one tale and that there were children in the audience, but Dorothy Webb, who was helping backstage, wrote a spirited reply: "...children are basic little creatures after all - they have not yet acquired the false modesty and prudishness of some adults - and most of them at some time like telling and hearing rude jokes." And the audiences thoroughly enjoyed themselves - 'fun' was the key word of the production. A crisis occurred during the run when Nick Cearns, who had parts in five of the plays, lost his voice completely, and Kate Walsgrove had to improvise a hasty series of substitutions. She read the lines at the side of the side of the stage while stand-ins mimed the action on it. Who would be a director? Of course, the production did not just happen, a great deal of planning and preparation was needed in which Gordon Green, Peter Bradbury and, particularly, Len George played significant parts. Among the items on their agenda were: obtaining a licence to perform in the Gardens; liaising with the Parks and Recreation Department; obtaining and erecting scaffolding for the lights; arranging for a supply of electricity and the official inspection of all the electrical apparatus; applying for a licence for children to perform; asking the St Peter's bell-ringers to forgo their weekly practice; ensuring the attendance of the St John Ambulance; collecting and returning deck chairs; enrolling stewards and laying on refreshments - every year the list gets longer.

Indoors again in September, after an anxious August (would the repairs to the theatre be completed in time? - the Rother Theatre Company had to postpone their production) Daphne Ekins directed William Douglas Home's "The Secretary Bird". The Bexhill Observer critic was determined to do a thorough job and the resulting piece reached parts others have never approached. "The set was well-designed and looked semi-professional", "The costumes were also fine and suited the characters.", "The lighting was also effective." "All the actors had clear voices and good projection." However "The tiresome script lacked wit and style and the jokes were feeble" and the acting was "stiff and lacked spontanaeity [sic] and feeling. The lines, on the whole were spoken naturally." However, considering that there had been a sparse attendance at the auditions, an all-too-short rehearsal period and a voiceless leading lady at the beginning of the week of the performances - not forgetting the noises off at the Technical rehearsal already mentioned - the in-house verdict was 'well done'.

The year concluded with another war horse, Daphne Du Maurier's "Rebecca". This was originally intended to be directed by Winifred Atkins, but she had to withdraw on health grounds; June Jenkins took over. The Rother Theatre Company's staircase was borrowed again so that the second Mrs de Winter could make her impressive entrance wearing Rebecca's dress. Rachel Earnshaw in this role was praised for playing a character so different from Alison in "The Miller's Tale". After the furore over the critique of "The Forsyte Saga" in 1998, the Bexhill Observer critic was anxious not to repeat the mistake of finding fault with the adaptation, and found thought Clifford Williams' dramatisation "worthy enough, sticking faithfully to the story and making the unavoidable cuts and contractions smooth and graceful. Its only fault is that it doesn't give enough space for a subtle and gradual build-up of the suspense as the new bride is haunted by the memory of her predecessor". Sheila Harper was commended for her portrayal of the unforgiving housekeeper Mrs Danvers. As the critic pointed out, "a suspense yarn such as 'Rebecca' ... was bound to please Bexhill audiences" and a welcome attendance of 783 was recorded, bringing our season to a successful conclusion.

Waters Of The Moon, 1999:  Joe Belton, Vicci Jeffreys

Canterbury Tales, 1999:  Tamsyn Webb, Sue Butchers, Gordon Green, Stanley Bullock, Isaac Thornton, Matthew Clayton