Music Prize Competition ... 35 Minster Play

On the 22nd and 23rd of May, the School put on a play in the Minster as its contribution to the cycle of history plays done in aid of the Minster Appeal Fund.

The subject of the play was the saving of the Minster glass by the Fairfaxes after the battle of Marston Moor.

From the actor's point of view it was the conclusion of many weeks of hard work : and, to most, a very satisfactory one. The first performance was partly marred by a lack of articulation and volume in the speeches: also, a technical hitch resulted in the cast having to fight against the 36

sounds of the workmen resuming work after their tea-break. The second performance came over much better.

Many of the people acting in the play found a major difficulty in not making the whole episode sound like a series of disjointed facts; this was especially hard for the Parliamentarian representatives who could not be flamboyant of speech like the Royalists but had to be stern, upright people and consequently their speech tended to be dull and uninteresting.

Five-hundred-year-old armour helped the actors a great deal in capturing the atmosphere of the play and also made many of them wonder at the apparently miniature size of the soldiers compared with the arms they had to wield.

It was a great experience doing this play and all the participants in it, especially the IV formers are to be congratulated on their efforts. Special praise should go to Mr. Bolton for his seemingly endless flow of historical facts and his production of the play. Also to Mr. Cummin, our historical advisor.

A.H.P.

THE CHARACTERS

THE ROYALIST SUPPORTERS

WILLIAM CAVENDISH, MARQUIS OF NEWCASTLE—Commander of the

Royalists in the North PRINCE RUPERT—Nephew of Charles I, Cavalry Commander SIR THOMAS GLEmHAm—Governor of York. SIR EDMUND COWPER—Lord Mayor of York

SIR ROBERT BET—Alderman SIR ROGER JACQUES—Alderman

JOHN MYERS—Alderman

BISHOP OF CARLISLE

THE PARLIAMENTARY SUPPORTERS

LORD FERDINANDO FAIRFAX—General of the victorious Yorkshire Troops SIR THOMAS FAIRFAX—later Lord General of England.

MAJOR FAIRFAX

HENRY MONTAGUE, EARL OF MANCHESTER—Commander of the Midland

Troops ALEXANDER LESLIE, EARL OF LEvEN—Commander of the Scottish Troops COLONEL OLIVER CRomwELL—Commander of the Cavalry of the Eastern

Association SIR THOMAS WIDDINGrox—Recorder of York

THOMAS HOYLE—later Lord Mayor of York Soldiers and Citizens with differing views

Those who have been involved in the production of the play: John Bavister, Richard Elsy, Michael Wheen, Peter Bleach, Richard HamiltonWilliams, Ian Blomfleld, Neil Bowen, Derek Brown, Stephen Harris, John 37

Craven, David Judson, Richard Hodgson, Derek Dempsey, Richard Houghton, Hereward Kaye, Michael Drucquer, Christopher Noble, Julian Les, Simon Ford, Andrew Powell, Anthony Lawrence, Philip Gooder, Richard Stansfield, Richard Oldham, David Grice, Ian Summers, Ian Raley, Brian Macartney, John Williamson, Derek Schofield, Timothy Young, John Sinden, Martin Bradley, Roger Stokes, Peter Bolton, Nicholas Brockbank, Robert Tulloch, John Bulcock, Peter Crossley, Neville Turton, Paul Nixon, Malcolm Dobson, Robin Walker.