KIDDERMINSTER PLAYHOUSE
1946 - 1968 A Souvenir
| History | Contents | Previous Page | Next Page |
ANOTHER CRISIS 1957 - 1958
Another crisis year, but one which began well enough with a new heating system installed, new carpets and trimmings and, most important, a baffled entrance at the rear of the house to try to keep in the heat.But business was worse than ever. The reduction of professional work, which cut the debt for the two previous years, failed in its purpose and the figure went up by £410 to £6,746, with the Nonentities, for the first time, showing a net loss of £115 on their six shows.
An appeal for support from industry was unproductive and the Town Council's grant only to £300.
At its annual meeting the society had to be reminded that at an emergency meeting earlier in the year it had agreed to close the theatre and wind up its own activities if there was another loss. Members pleading for just one more year were told that an offer of sufficient capital to carry on for one more season had been made - with two conditions attached.
The first was that the members should make themselves personally responsible for raising £l,500 in subscriptions (which meant selling another 400 cards). The second was that the society agreed definitely to close the theatre if it did not show a profit of £300. It was disclosed later that the Director had come to the rescue again; this time the conditions were met and he did not have to find the money.
The season made a good start on stage with Seagulls over Sorrento, but the Navy failed to repeat the Army's success of a year earlier in the box office.
Next came Simon and Laura with outstanding performances by Mary Southall and Tom Trewin. The Spanish play, The Kingdom of God, employed all available members, with Patricia McKellar and Margaret Cordwell as newcomers.
Teahouse of the August Moon was one of the most delightful shows the society ever staged, with Len Reeves in good form, a goat named Peggy which ate cigarettes and a miracle of timing which demolished and re-assembled the teahouse building on stage in 50 seconds. Neither this show nor an Agatha Christie, Spider's Web, came out on the right side.
A joint production of A. P. Herbert's The Water Gipsies was only a little more successful; the season ended gaily with My Three Angels.
Carpet Trades staged Carousel and the KAOS scored a special success with Chu Chin Chow, conducted, like so many memorable musicals through the years, by Harold Burgham.
There was no pantomime. Instead a month of Christmas plays got off to a disastrous start with Ambrose Applejohn's Adventure and hardly recovered, though this was no fault of the company, which included William Moore and Mary Dalley.
The season ended with the departure of Robert Gaston, whose great talent
had created for the Playhouse repertory company a reputation second-to
none in the Midlands. Under his direction, the theatre's professional work
reached its greatest heights.
SeafullsoverSorrento.jpg 37.51 Kb |
KingdomofGod.jpg 28.20 Kb |
MyThreeAngels.jpg 36.33 Kb |
RobertGaston.jpg 21.43 Kb |