Drama

MEMBERS OF ORCHESTRA: 1st Violin: P. G. Fender, D. N. C. Pemberton, A. G. Whipp, R. D. E. Bro C. R. Bronk, T. A. Kaner. 2nd Violin: R. M. Craig, D. R. Kaner, S. J. Mawby, J. R. C. Taylor, G. J. M. Winder, A. J. Nichols. Viola: R. M. Addinall, A. P. Copley, J. R. Oglesby, A. F. H. Hjort. Cello: P. V. Aagaard, A. D. Leckenby, F. A. Craig, L. G. Bleasdale. Piano: N. C. H. Pemberton.

ASSOCIATED BOARD OF THE ROYAL SCHOOLS OF MUSIC

The following have been successful in examinations during the past year:

Name Grade Initrument

A. R. Aagaard P. V. Aagaard O. J. Bird F. A. Craig P. G. Fender M. P. G. Haslam T. A. Heap A. F. H. Hjort T. R. W. Jones D. R. Kaner W. P. Ledger S. J. Lewis J. C. Neal J. R. Oglesby M. Pearson D. N. C. Pemberton

N. C. H. Pemberton R. N. Sabey B. A. R. Skrentny A. G. Whipp

4 Clarinet 4 Piano 5 Piano Merit 5 Cello 6 Piano Merit 3 Violin 6 Piano 3 Viola 7 Piano Distinction 6 Violin 4 Clarinet 1 Piano 6 Piano 4 Viola 5 Clarinet 8 Piano Distinction 8 Violin 8 Cello Distinction 5 Clarinet 3 Piano 2 Piano 7 Violin R. C. Young 4 Trumpet

M. J. Heywood, S. J. Mawby and M. Pearson passed the Grade 5 Theory Examination.

N. C. H. Pemberton passed the Associate examination of the Royal College of Organists and was awarded the Diploma A.R.C.O.

ANTIGONE

It worked so well, this odd fusion of the work of two great playwrights. Here were two interpretations of the same dilemma, contradictory but somehow complementary. The first interpretation, by Sophocles, saw Fate

and the Innate Wilfulness of human nature pre-determining the result of an irreconcilable clash between Duty and Duty. The second interpretation, by

Anouilh, saw Idealism as a mere cloak for pragmatism, where compromise and a 'cover-up. are what sensible people settle for.

This production of Ian Lowe's sought to combine these two interpretations: the eternal Greek, and the cynical French.

Impossible ? Well, yes in a way; but it worked. Its inconsistencies were in a sense its strength.

John Healey played Creon as a complete pragmatist, a politician of our own times, a wheeler and dealer: Anouilh's Creon. I On the other hand, Janine Tapp's Antigone was almost all Sophocles, with moral questions seen only as Absolutes; an Antigone of bloody-minded 1 wilfulness.

So John and Janine should have been acting each in his/her own vacuum.

We should have been witnessing two plays simultaneously, hardly related to each other.

What we did see were indeed two plays simultaneously, but not at all unrelated. John and Janine were good enough to do it. Add a sexy vitality to

the calculated coldness of a martyr, and you have Janine's Antigone. Take a

careworn, responsible, avuncular figure, respected as a keeper of the peace, warm-hearted up to the limits set by worldly values—that was John's Creon; and we can all sympathise with him.

What hope had such a fallible, such a human and reluctant leader in a

clash with that inflexible female will ? Antigone suffered her cruel fate, of course, but that in itself was her victory, and Creon's defeat, for he wanted it to happen less than she did.

Creon's terrible punishment was the self-destruction tion of Haemon, his own Antigone's lover. Christopher Bronk as Haemon spoke his lines con- fidently, but more intensity would have made his self-sacrifice plausible.

For making the whole bizarre plot plausible, even credible, we must thank

Tim Raylor as the Chorus. With a perfect rendering of long and difficult passages, almost expressionless, pitiless as eternity, he exposed the pathos we i all have to face in life. Poor Antigone . . . Poor us .. .

As Ismene, Wendy Dalby was surprisingly good: most ordinary of

ordinary mortals; ineffectual schemer; winsome, emotional, and dedicated to

self-preservation. So unlike her sister, Antigone: so like most of us.

As Eurydice Ruth Addinall had to be passive, until she was cornered and became desperate, or perhaps just resigned. The hunted look was just enough to leave us uncertain.

The others had to be stereotypes to emphasise the central characters:

Jeremy Markwick-Smith as the Messenger, trying hard not to become involved, then barely concealing his panic; Bill Barnish as the Guard, a timeless caricature of the 'fly' soldier, convincing and not overdone.

We, the audience, could identify with these last two characters, for, while

the Nobs were destroying themselves, these two were looking after Number

One. Of course.

THE CAST

Creon John Healey Antigone Janine Tapp

Chorus Tim Raylor Ismene Wendy Dalby

Haemon Chris Bronk Eurydice Ruth Addinall

Guard Bill Barnish Messenger Jeremy Markwick-Smith

with Anna Sampson and Richard Collingwood-Gittins

BACKSTAGE

Terry Wallhead Simon Shilleto Brian Macdonald Avril Lowe and members of the stage option

PRODUCER

Ian Lowe

THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD

Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 7th, 8th and 9th December, 1978, in the Memorial Hall.

Before the production of 'The Yeomen' one couldn't help but wonder whether the whole project was too ambitious. Notoriously one of the most difficult Gilbert and Sullivan operas, it seemed hardly likely that a school could do it justice given the time available for rehearsal. Yet with the School's first opportunity to use its girls in a major Gilbert and Sullivan opera, the extra versatility should give more chance of success. Having seen other schools bite off more than they could chew and providing nothing better than embarrassment, it was with not a little apprehension that I sat through the overture, wondering what was in store. In fact I need not have worried at all; once again Edmund Field, the producer, provided us with a highly polished evening's entertainment.

Initial thoughts concerning the new potential in the sixth form girls were well founded. Jill Gillett played the part of Elsie Maynard both charmingly and competently. Miggy Biller represented the female staff as Dame Carruthers and managed to create exactly the right blend of critical, overpowering authority, with that hint of fragility. That left only one Olavite to be found to play a major female role. Matthew Wise's facial expressions as Phoebe Meryll were certainly some of the highlights of the evening for me, and so the age-old problem of the female cast was well solved.

As usual, the set and costumes were of a very high standard; congratuladons to all involved, especially to those who worked on the scenery, as it was prepared by the stage 'option' with almost no staff supervision, Stephen Lister and Tony Miller taking the lead.

As for the rest of the major parts, Don Hamilton was well cast as the authoritative Sir Richard Cholmondeley. Nick Wilson seemed to be really living and enjoying the part of Assistant Tormentor (what on earth do they get up to in St. Olave's ?). Paul Aagaard was suitably heroic, and Timothy Heap both responsible and scheming.

By far the most difficult character in the production to my mind must be Jack Point. The need to be comic and yet tragic in the same scene is not easy, yet Kit Bird handled the role very convincingly indeed. Unfortunately, there was no natural comedian in the cast to steal the show as has been seen so often in the past. Instead the atmosphere was much more one of elegant humour with the occasional more hilarious moments.

The cast found it difficult to be convincing in the more romantic scenes, but otherwise the acting was of a very high standard. I was impressed with the degree of commitment of the cast to get such a long production so well polished throughout.

Altogether it was a thoroughly enjoyable and highly entertaining evening— well done all. It did, however, leave me with one unanswered question : surely someone can tell me why a cook's brain pan is like an over-wound clock ? Answers on a postcard .. .

D.J.R.

ST. PETER'S SCHOOL AND ST. OLAVE'S SCHOOL present THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD

or THE MERRYMAN AND HIS MAID

by

W. S. GILBERT AND ARTHUR SULLIVAN

Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 7th, 8th and 9th December, 1978, in the Memorial Hall

DRAMATIS P ER S ONIE

Sir Richard Cholmondeley (Lieutenant of the Tower) .... Don Hamilton Colonel Fairfax (under sentence of death) Paul Aagaard Sergeant Meryll (of the Yeomen of the Guard) Timothy Heap Leonard Meryll (his son) James Hewitt Jack Point (a Strolling Jester) Kit Bird Wilfred Shadbolt (Head Jailor and Assistant Tormentor).. Nicholas Wilson The Headsman Marcus Tyson First Yeoman Stephen Lister Second Yeoman John McGrath First Citizen Timothy Kaner Second Citizen William Stancer Elsie Maynard (a Strolling Singer) Jill Gillett Phoebe Meryll (Sergeant Meryll's daughter) Matthew Wise Dame Carruthers (Housekeeper to the Tower) Miggy Biller Kate (her niece) Andrew Hjort of the Guard, Gentlemen Jeremy Taylor David Marsh Andrew Whipp Matthew Nixon Richard Chilman Duncan Rayson Graham Dickson Martin Robards Jane Harrod Matthew Scott Tom Hewitt Mark Stanley Nicholas Hopton Adam Stone Philip Kelly David Sweetman Costumes: Once again we should like to express our gratitude to Mrs. N. C. Forbes Adam for her continued generosity in lending us costumes. We should also like to thank the following for help with dressing and the making of costumes. Mrs. Bird, Mrs. Blissett, Mrs. Craven, Mrs. Dench, Mrs. Field, Mrs. Gardiner, Mrs. Harding, Mrs. Kirby, Mrs. Nield, Mrs. Nix, Mrs. Nixon, Mrs. Rayson, Mrs. Robinson. All the Yeoman Warders' Costumes were hired from William Mutrie & Son Ltd., of Edinburgh. Wardrobe Mistress and Assistant Producer: Noreen Gypson Make-up: Mrs. Bird, Kit Bird, Peter Gardiner and Tony Miller Stage Management: John Gaastra, Stephen Lister and Tony Miller

With thanks to the 'Stage Option' whose names are displayed in the Dining Room. Lighting: Stephen Lister, Tony Miller and Terry Wallhead Dances: Arranged by Mrs. P. J. Bird Orchestra: Friends and Members of the School Repetiteur: Nigel Pemberton Director of Music: Keith Pemberton Producer: Edmund Field

Chorus of Yeomen and Citizens: Roderick Barron Oliver Bird Fergus Craig Roger Depledge Christopher Drury Paul McCarter Tony Miller James Neal

CORNEILLE'S `HORACE'

Then out spake brave Horatius, The Captain of the Gate: `To every man upon this earth Death cometh soon or late. And how can man die better Than facing fearful odds, For the ashes of his fathers, And the temples of his Gods ?'

Macaulay's stirring words made Horatius into a Victorian hero of the empire building type. Two centuries earlier Pierre Corneille saw Horace as an example of the triumph of gloire over amour within the austere setting of French classical tragedy. Denis Hirst's production of extracts from the play with members of the Sixth Form brought the strength of the original over to an audience many times removed in language and expectations from seventeenth century French aristocrats.

Denis Burton had the thankless task of playing a hero who is not only prepared to fight his sister's fiancé to the death, but is glad to do so: Avec une allegresse aussi pleine et sincere Que repousai la soeur, je combattrai le frere. David Hinchliffe's role as Curiace, his unfortunate victim and friend, could more easily excite our sympathy, while Jill Gillett's Camille forcibly expressed the distraction of the sister and fiancée between them. Ruth Addinall gave Valere's report of off-stage action the clarity this convention requires, and Roderick Barron and Warren Carr played Father and King with a gravity well beyond their years. Between the tension of the scenes Katharine Denison's cool, crisp narration provided continuity.

Indeed the acoustics of the Drama Centre gave us the chance to appreciate the effort and accuracy of the actors' language. After the traditional trois coups and the equally traditional trac, or nerves, all the participants gave us performances of great clarity and feeling. This meant that an audience often struggling with '0' Level French, or even School Certificate, could identify the simplicity of passages such as Curiace's cry: J'ai le coeur aussi bon, mais enfin je suis homme. The action and the memorising of so much text seemed equally to enthrall the many younger members of the School present.

Without sacrificing classical austerity Terry Wallhead's ice-cold and blood-hot lighting and Robert Nield's design concentrated attention on the real issue, that old Roman tag that stared at us across the centuries and cultures, that slogan which is always topical and tragic : DVLCE ET DECORUM EST PRO PATRIA MORI. R. G.D .

Narrator CAST

Katharine Denison

Horace Curiace Camille Valere

Denis Burton David Hinchliffe Jill Gillett Ruth Addinall

Le Vieille Horace Roderick Barron

ROMEO AND JULIET

After all the production difficulties, Romeo and Juliet achieved a high standard of performance. I saw it on Friday evening: I am told that on Saturday it was even better.

There were flaws: some of the movements were wooden (though not the fight scenes: magnificent proof of Kit Bird's quality as a fencing coach); some cues were taken late (though at least one such was splendidly covered by Andrew Hjort); the second-half prompter knew the words but not the pauses (is this why they decided not to need any second-half prompts on Saturday ?); and the scene changers looked occasionally like stray devils from a production of Faustus. But to draw attention to these things is to carp and quibble—or to emphasise precisely how high are the standards by which one must judge the whole.

If it had not been announced, no one would have known how recently Tony Miller had taken over the role of Montague. As for Mandy Rigby and Kit Bird, for all the strain they had been and were under, they held together and dominated the evening. Ob them depended success.

For highest praise generally, I would single out the quality of the versespeaking. I have rarely heard third and fourth formers (to say nothing of others) speak Shakespearian blank verse with more natural rhythm and greater awareness of meaning. One couplet stands in my memory even now: Death lies on her like an untimely frost Upon the sweetest flower of all the field. Hearing that, one foresaw that Capulet's love for his daughter transcended the feud.

Gregory Lomas added dimensions to my understanding of the pathos of the play: Paris's love for Juliet is as powerful, as ill-starred as Romeo's. He could not win.

Barney Skrentny as the young Mercutio, still not knowing when to stop talking, died more brightly, more nobly, more disinterestedly than I had known before, explaining to me why Romeo killed and was banished for him. This gave dignity to Romeo's love for Juliet: though it was intense, it was not to the exclusion of all the world.

None of this comprehends the best feature of this production: the way it illuminated the play's explorations of maturity and the contrasts between natural wisdom and acquired or inherited experience. The young Romeo and Juliet show their older families the way to wisdom. In this production, their greater spiritual maturity was pointed by their being surrounded by younger actors. The contrasts worked symbolically.

The success of this depended upon the skill of the youngsters cast as elders. One had to believe, for instance, that Romeo, Juliet, Paris and Capulet would all seek advice and assistance from Friar Lawrence. Tim Kaner carried this off well: a trustable friend and mentor. One had to accept, too, that a whole city could be divided by loyalty to one or other of Montague and Capulet. Tony Miller and Craig Lawrence kept the necessary balance between their roles as 'Godfathers' and the potential for humility at the deaths of their children.

Kit Bird and Mandy Rigby helped this process: they deferred to those around them in a way that helped us to believe in the age and seniority of the characters. Kit, for instance, deferred to Mark Adeney and to Tim 35

Kaner; so Romeo was devoted in different ways to Benvolio and to Friar Lawrence. Mandy accorded just the right places to Andrew Hjort and Craig Lawrence; Juliet used the nurse she had once held in awe, and learned to live around the shadow of her father. Kit and Mandy did far more than say the right lines from the right places.

And so the production succeeded. If the only motive was to use the Drama centre balcony properly, then it was a good motive. Romeo and Juliet did that and very much more. D.J.H.

ROMEO AND JULIET

(Drama Centre, 6th and 7th July, 1979)

Romeo Juliet Prince Mercutio Capulet Lady Capulet Montague Benvolio Tybalt Friar Laurence Paris Nurse Balthasar Sampson Gregory Peter Abraham Kit Bird Mandy Rigby Fergus Craig Barney Skrentny Craig Lawrence Charlotte Semple Tcny Miller Mark Adeney James O'Farrell Tim Kaner Gregory Lomas Andrew Hjort Angus Aagaard Stuart Smith Peter Simpson David Clark Andrew McMeeking

Cousin Capulet 1 Robert Boocock

Page Friar John Rupert Smith

Apothecary Officer Paul Minnighan Ian Davie Stage-Crew: David Davenport, Andrew Figge, John Turner Lighting: Terry Wallhead, Iian McLeish, James Muirhead Set: by Studio Make-up: Tony Miller Costumes: Mrs. Bird, Mrs. Rigby, Miss. Gypson

Special thanks to Ian Lowe, without whom the production would not have materialised, and to John Gaastra, Michael Dawson and Alan Tooms. Produced by Peter Gardiner.

THE CHESTER SHEPHERDS' PLAY

(Drama Centre, Thursday, 14th December, 1978) (Adapted from the Chester Painters' and Glaziers' Play)

The play was performed before and after the Carol Concert in Hall, with the audience providing carol interludes. All the male parts were taken by third-formers.

It was obvious from the boisterous characterisations that there is a talented group of actors in the year that joined the School in 1979. P .D . R. G.