Staff Plays 1950-54
1950 Quiet Weekend
Here's some information supplied by Miss. Ward.
Cast in Order of Appearance
SAM PECKER ... W. FARRAR
MARY JARROW ... K. WIMPENNY
SALLY SPENDER ... D. HORSEFIELD
MILDRED ROYD ... M. BURN
ARTHUR ROYD ... R.W.HAMILTON
BELLA HITCHENS ... M. JACKSON
MARCIA BRENT ... B.J. WOODWARD
MIRANDA BUTE ... C.COPLEY
DENYS ROYD ... R.A.HAYNES
ADRIAN BARASFORD ... K. ALLAN
JIM BRENT ... W.J.LEONARD
ELLA SPENDER ... N.F.HARRIS
ROWENA MARRIOTT ... J.R.WHITWORTH
SCENE.
The Living Room of the Royds' Cottage in Throppleton.
ACT I.
A Friday afternoon in September.
ACT II.
Scene 1. Saturday Afternoon.
Scene 2. Six Hours later.
ACT III.
Sunday Afternoon
Music
Introduction.
Til Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks R. Strauss
Ist Interval
Hymn to the Sun Rimski Korsakov
Hindu Song Rimski Korsakov
2nd Interval
Chinese Dance Tchaikovsky
Dance of the Flutes Tchaikovsky
Dance of the Flowers Tchaikovsky
Producer ... J.L. Johnson
Stage Manager ... R. Foy
Assistant Stage Manager ... C.H. Owen
Business Manager ... L.N. Collette
Properties ... K. Ward, J.A. Swinbank, S. Close
Scenery ...J.D. Combs
Make Up ... W.J. Leonard
Lighting ... R. Gorton
Stage Staff ... J. Breedon, C. Stephenson
Personally, I consider this year's play - Esther McCracken's "Quiet Weekend" - is the most entertaining produced at HGS during the last seven years at least, even including last year's "Pygmalion".
Not one part was miscast, but I think that Miss Horsefield -(an astonishing transformation to the leggy gum-chewing schoolgirl), Mr. Allan (Upper 6th historians appreciate his unintentionally amusing "That, young woman, is a very sweeping statement") and Miss Harris deserve special mention. Mr. Haynes as Denys undoubtedly caused much fluttering of feminine hearts - other than Miranda's.
The play was excellently produced by Mr. Johnson - already firmly established as a producer, at least as far as School Dramatics is concerned, and he may justly be proud of himself and everyone else who made the play the success it was.
Gladys Alderman, U6A. Holgate.
1951 Without the Prince
The entire action of the play takes place in the living room at Hill Top Farm, the home of the Weatherheads, in the village of Upper Netherwick.
Act I 8-30 p.m. some time in April.
Act II 10-0 a.m. the next morning.
Act III 5-0 p.m. the same evening.
CAST
(In order of appearance)
Mary Weatherhead - M. P. Austin
Robert Weatherhead - G. R. Burnett
Rev. Simon Peters - K. E. Revill
Ezra Weatherhead - K. Allan
P. C. James Hawkins - W. Farrar
Emma Weatherhead - B. M. Corfe
The Stranger - R. W. Hamilton
Wyndham Johns - A. W. Walker
Madeleine Lees - J. R. Whitworth
Mrs. Peters - N. F. Harris
Produced by W. J. LEONARD.
Interval Music
Overture to William Tell (Rossini)
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy (Tchaikovsky)
Danse Macabre (Saint-Saens)
Swan Lake Ballet Music (Tchaikovsky)
Business Manager - G. C Senior
Stage Manager - C. Dodd
Assistant Stage Manager - A. D. Taylor
Properties - K. Ward, K. Wimpenny
Wardrobe Mistress - M. Saville
Scenic Artist - J. Combs
Make up - W. J. Leonard, K. Wimpenny
Prompter - M. Smith
Electrician - W. Farrar
Assistant Electricians, Stage Carpenters, etc. - Manning, G. Schofield, P. May, E F. Wilkinson, R. G. Fisher, R. E. Ardron, B. Bywaters, G.
A little before the end of the Easter Term, the staff encouraged and advised by Mr. Leonard, the producer, performed "Without the Price" by Philip King.
The performance was preceded by certain unfortunate occurrences. Firstly, Mr. Burnett, who was to take the part of Robert, was taken ill and had to be understudied by Mr. Young. On the actual day of the first performance, Mr. Young had to be rushed home ill, and no one who knew the part was left. Mr. Leonard, with a producer's acquaintance with the part to help him, immediately set to work to memorise the lines, and managed to give one of the best performances which we have had from him in a Staff play.
Miss Harris, too, caused anxiety by developing a temperature on the day of the Wednesday show, but she managed to carry on, and, as usual, played her part beautifully. But why has this very able actress to he confined to the same type of part, year after year? We should like to see her given the opportunity to show her ability in different character studies.
We should especially like to congratulate those members of the staff who were acting on the stage for the first time; we think they did exceedingly well.
The play was a great success and a definite improvement on some of the more recent Staff efforts.
Thelma Robinson, U6A.
1952 "Busman's Honeymoon"
Once again we come to the staff play which, this year, was called "Busman's Honeymoon". It proved a great success and as the actors warmed up to their parts, the performances improved tremendously.
Mr. Allan gave a very outstanding performance as Lord Peter Wimsey and Miss Harris made a very attractive and charming Harriet, Peter Wimsey's wife. We congratulate Miss Harris on her new type of part which she portrayed with great success. Miss Austin gave a very fine performance as Miss Twitterton and Mr. Hamilton made a very typical country parson.
Mr. Walker, Miss Close, Mr. Combs, Mr. Owen, Mr. Collette, Mr. Farrar, Mr. Leonard, Mr. Young and Mr. Taylor played their parts with great gusto and enthusiasm.
Miss Wimpenny and Mrs. Owen can he proud of their production, especially when one considers that they had a difficult play to produce, a play in which conversation and not action was the domnant feature.
M. Dodsworth U6A Price
"Busman's Honeymoon", a comedy thriller by Dorothy L. Sayers and M. St. Clare Byrne was well presented on Wednesday, when the Staff of Hemsworth Grammar School opened a three nights run at the School Hall. Each player displayed evidence of a genuine understanding of his or her part, and the nuances of intrigue and drama, and the humour always held the interest of the large audience.
Central characters of the play were Lord and Lady Peter Wimsey, a couple whose honeymoon was marred by a killing. Mr. K. Allan excelled as Lord Wimsey, Miss. N. F. Harris gave a delightful portrayal of his young and attractive wife.
Miss. M. P. Austin was convincing as the fussy and somewhat whimsical Miss. Twitterton, a middle aged spinster, who had not given up the idea of marriage. As Bunter, the gentleman's gentleman (20 years with Lord Peter and never a harsh word), Mr. A. W. Walker was formidable, and the part of Mr. McBride - a Jew keen to recover his money - was capably handled by Mr. L. N. Collette.
Mr. R. W. Hamilton was well cast as the Rev. Simon Goodacre, the benign old vicar, while Mr. C. H. Owen did well in the part of Frank Crutchley, the aggressive gardener and Miss. S. Close did ably impersonate the gossiping hot-tempered Miss. Ruggle. Messrs. W. J. Leonard and W. Farrar competently handled the parts of Sellon and Supt. Kirk.
Most of the comedy was supplied by Mr. J. D. Combs, who made the most of the role of Mr. Puffet, the village handyman called in to sweep the chimneys. The brief but well carried-off appearances of Mr. A. D. Taylor and Mr. G. O. Young as George and Bill the broker's men, added to the humour. The production was a credit to the joint producers, C. J. Owen and K. Wimpenny. The play was repeated last night (Thursday) and the third performance will be given tomorrow night.
The article comes from Geoff Govier. Thank you, Geoff.
1953 "When We Are Married"
The photo comes from Miss. Ward. Thank you, Miss. Ward.
The Staff Play this year was a Yorkshire farcical comedy by J. B. Priestley, entitled "When We Are Married."
The action of the play takes place in the sitting room of Alderman Helliwell's house in Clecklewyke, a town in the West Riding, during a September evening in 1908.
Exactly 25 years earlier, 3 young couples had been married at a local chapel and now they were met to hold a small celebration party in honour of their Silver Wedding anniversary. During those 25 years one of the husbands had become an Alderman, another had become a Councillor and all were known in the district. But the party atmosphere did not last for very long; the couples discovered that they were not really married, for the priest who had officiated at their weddings had not been authorised to perform the marriage ceremony. The Helliwell's housekeeper had been listening outside the door and had heard the story; she immediately left to go down to a local "pub" and, therefore, spread the unfortunate piece of news. As a result, a former lady friend of Alderman Helliwell arrived and put the house into further confusion. To complicate matters still more, the couples had arranged for a reporter and a photographer from a local newspaper to come to the house to write an article on the occasion and to take a few photographs.
Complication followed complication, until it was discovered that the photographer, who had called at a local "pub" on his way up to the house, was in the same position as the 3 couples. However, he had found out that the marriages had been legalised by the presence of the registrar, and, that, in fact, the couples were married after all.
The play was a great success and a credit to all the members of the Staff and the School who were concerned. The acting, stage settings, decor, "props," make-up, costumes and lighting were all first-rate. As with other plays, the producer is the person to whom the chief credit and honour must go; his interpretation of the play was excellent and we must thank him for three very amusing and successful performances.
The Cast:-
Alderman Helliwell - K. Allan.
Maria Helliwell - P. Kilner.
Councillor Parker - W. Farrar.
Annie Parker - N. F. Harris.
Mr. Soppitt - R. W. Hamilton.
Clara Soppitt - M. P. Austin.
The photographer-Henry Ormonroyd - A. W. Walker.
The reporter Fred Dyson - A. D. Taylor.
A niece of Ald. Helliwell Nancy Holmes - J. R. Whitworth.
The chapel organist and Nancy's boy friend Gerald Forbes - J. D. Combs.
The Housekeeper-Mrs. Northrop - K. Wimpenny.
Ald. Helliwell's lady friend Lottie Grady - S. Close.
The very perky young maid Ruby Birtle - D. E. Elliot.
Rev. Clement Mercer - E. G. Lock.
Producer - W. J. Leonard.
Ainge, J. A., L6A.
Geoff Govier sends us this review from 1953. Thank you, Geoff.
Hemsworth Grammar School staff made the most of the amusing situations in J. B. Priestley's "When We Are Married" which they have chosen as their current production. Fine acting, effective stage setting, costumes and make-up, combine to make "When We Are Married" a worthy successor to previous staff productions and a credit to producer W. J. Leonard. The six people whose equilibriums were somewhat upset by the thought that they had only been "living together" were admirably portrayed by W. Farrar, K. Allen, R. W. Hamilton, N. F. Harris, P. Kilner and P. Austin. In the remainder of a good cast were D. P. Elliott, K. Wimpenny, J. D. Combs, J. R. Whitworth, A. W. Walker, A. D. Taylor, S. Close and E. G. Lock.
1954 "An Ideal Husband"
The Staff this year presented "An Ideal Husband" by Oscar Wilde. Performances were held on March 31st, April 1st and 2nd.
The play was admirably and fastidiously produced by Mr. Walker and the costumes and settings were a tribute to long, arduous work by Miss Ward, Miss Metcalfe and Mr. Collins.
Miss Yates, as this year's Business Manager, was kept very busy but she must feel that her efforts were duly rewarded when she succeeded in selling, for the first time, every ticket for all three performances.
CAST.
Mrs. Marchmont S. Brogden
Lady Basildon N. F. Harris
Vicomte de Nanjac K. Allan
Mr. Montford W. Farrar
Mabel Chiltern (sister and ward of Sir Robert Chiltern) D. E. Elliott
Lady Chiltern (wife of Sir Robert Chiltern) M. P. Austin
Mason (Butler to Sir Robert Chiltern) A. Stewart
Lord Caversham (father of Lord Goring) R. W. Hamilton
Lady Markby K. Wimpenny
Mrs. Cheveley P. Kilner
Sir Robert Chiltern R. S. Johnston
Lord Goring C. H. Owen
Phipps (valet to Lord Goring) W. J. Leonard
Harold (servant to Lord Goring) A. D. Taylor
"How's my hair at the back? . . . . Are my lips red enough? "Have I too much powder on ? . . . . How's my eyebrows?" These were some of the remarks, heard coming from the dressing room; but they did not come from the ladies - they came from the men! It is a unique occasion when Mr. Stewart can be seen fussing around trying to "do" his hair whilst Mr. Owen is crowding him out, from the mirror. Grease-paint, powder, cotton-wool, and false hair were scattered around the Domestic Science room. Through the haze of powder and vaporous sweat, amazing transformations were taking place. In one corner, Mr. Leonard seemed to be taking sadistic delight in ageing members of the staff well before their time. In another corner, the Ladies' Chorus was giving gruesome "rendings" of popular "songs whilst Miss Brogden was busy chopping pieces out of herself with scissors through sheer nervousness and then collecting a crowd round when the blood started to flow. Near the door, Miss Austin was staggering around making a last minute attempt to become word-perfect.
At that moment Mr. Farrar charged in, exclaiming, "Lord! I've forgotten my eyebrows!" And then, catching sight of Mr. Hamilton in semi-make-up, suggested that if Mrs. Hamilton could see her husband now . . . .! Above all this was heard the plaintive cry in the wilderness....... "Has anyone seen my book?" Back comes the reply, "What do you want your book for?" "What the devil do you think I want it for; to re-write it?"
During the process of make-up, only four mirrors were available and, consequently, confusion reigned. Tempers frayed and biting remarks exchanged.... " Come on, whiskers, hurry up, man. You've had this mirror since five o'clock. It doesn't matter how long you spend here, you'll never be any better for it" ..... "Why don't you drown yourself, glamour clogs". The Ladies' Chorus, the sirens in the sea of confusion, retaliated swiftly when the men began hiding the greasepaints, by bursting into discord and torturing everyone within hearing distance.
During the actual play two masters at least showed themselves to be quite competent in obstacle races; Mr. Johnston gave a first class impression of the famous "Flying Scotsman", thundering down to the Physics Laboratory for a quick change. Mr. Owen took all the fences in flying style when his quick change came. He has the knack of taking a right-angled bend on one leg and one hand. Throughout the play, many members of the cast had the urge to scratch but, unfortunately, could not because of tile danger of damaging their make-up; some wanted to cough or sneeze; and at least two, on Friday night, wanted to be sick.
The job of prompting is not altogether a dull job as Miss Smith found out on Thursday night. Her book slipped down between the white facing of the stage and the stage itself. The intrepid Miss Smith squeezed down after it and found that she was "up to the neck" in trouble. The stage was so high that only her head was showing above the boards. She called for help and it took Mr. Allan's muscles to lift Miss Smith out.
One often wonders what the actors in the background talk about during a drawing-room scene. On Wednesday and Thursday nights they discussed the lighting arrangements, cursed unresponsive audiences, and cruelly discussed: 'Who will be first to forget his lines?"
Finally, when you see the ladies gliding sylph-like across the stage, stop and think what difficulties they are with difficulty surmounting. The ladies in this were walking in dread of their dresses failing apart. The bodice was held to the skirt only by press-studs and these kept unfastening. Miss Austin dared not sit down too often because of this and it is wondered whether her clasping of her hands in the waist region was a gesture of emotion or just a safety precaution!