Introduction

In 1968 when The Playhouse closed its doors for the last time to make room for a large traffic island on the ringroad a souvenir booklet was issued to commemorate that event. The booklet contained, not only a record of the Nonentities' activities since its beginning in 1937, but also a history of that society's tenure of the theatre which they had purchased in 1946 as the Opera House and after renovation had re-opened as The Playhouse. The text of the booklet had been written by L.H. Williams, a local pressman.

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It seemed fitting that on the opening of The Rose the Nonentities should ask that same pressman to bring this theatrical story up to date.

As those of you who knew the Playhouse can imagine the loss of that lovely Edwardian theatre was a great blow to all members of the Nonentities.

But it was not seen as a defeat more of a challenge. The then chairman, Kenneth Rose, refused to accept the meagre compensation offered under the compulsory purchase order. Instead he decided to present a case to the Lands Tribunal for re-instatement value. He won the case. But that story is told elsewhere. Meanwhile the society in order to cover what they hoped would be a short period between the closure of one theatre and the building of a new one, decided to find a building in which they could continue to entertain theatrical audiences. At this time St. Oswald's Hall in Broadwaters came on the market and while neg-otiations for its purchase were taking place it was agreed that the Nonentities should hire the building.

So in September 1968 the Nonentities presented its first full length play away from the Playhouse for over 20 years. But St. Oswald's Hall did not provide the facilities available at the Playhouse. There was little technical equipment available to the performers and certainly few comforts for audiences. One remembers that there was insufficient seating available. Seats had to be hired and because the hall was used for other activities during the daytime, after each performance the seats had to be taken up and stacked to be replaced before the performance the following night. To ensure that the seats once placed in line did not wander about during performances they were tied together with string!

After that first season the Hall was purchased by the Nonetities and this enabled them to make some improve-ments. Better lighting and sound equipment was purchased. The auditor-ium floor was raked and theatrical seating was bought and installed. As it was not immediately possible to carry out much needed redecoration in the auditorium, as a temporary solution parachute material was purchased and draped around the walls giving the area a very theatrical look!

Shortly after Kenneth Rose heard that the Lands Tribunal had awarded the Nonentities re-instatement value he died. The hope that a new theatre would be built to replace the Playhouse became impossible because of inflation and the Nonentities decided they had to either find new premises or improve St. Oswald's Hall. Eventually the latter course was taken and in October 1980 work commenced.

Now a little over a year later work is complete, and the theatre is re-opened. It has a new name "The Rose" to honour Kenneth Rose who over many years did so much to ensure that theatre was available in the area and whose efforts in presenting the case to the Lands Tribunal and obtaining the re-instatement award made the extensionsand alterations financially possible.

No comments have been made here on the theatrical work of the Nonentities since it left the Playhouse. That has been left to L.H. IBilIl Williams. He has been a theatrical critic in the area for over 30 years and naturally has his own views on plays and players. Those views do not always co-incide with those of performers or audiences but they always make interesting reading.

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