OSAmag81

T h e O l d S t a t i o n e r - N o 8 1
this production the part of Private Attercliffe was played by
Stephen Jeffreys, 1961-1968; Bludgeon, the Bargee by Martin
Lawrence, 1963-1970; The Constable by Tim Westbrook, 1962-
1969; The Mayor, Nigel Dant, 1963-1971; Officer of Dragoons
by Graham Hobbs, 1962-1969; Design by Keith M. Hewett;
Communication and Painting, by Geoffrey T. Dent; Lighting
and Sound by John Leeming; Front of House, Daniel J. Bone.
1969 HOBSON'S CHOICE December 1969
1970 THE SERVANT OF TWO MASTERS December 1970
1971 THE HAPPY APPLE December 1971
1973 OF MICE AND MEN April 1973 by John Steinbeck
took place on the 4th,5th, 6th April, 1973. In this production
Carlson was played by Dave Fuller; Lighting and Sound, John
Leeming;
“It's gonna be nice there. Ain't gonna be no trouble, no fights.
Nobody ever gonna hurt nobody, or steal from 'em. It's gonna be
– nice.”
The place across the river which George and Lennie, his simple
travelling companion, hope to reach is familiar, in one form or
another, to the dreams of most men. The play is set in the 1930s,
but its theme, and the timeless quest involved, retains, perhaps
more than ever, today.
John Steinbeck was born in California in 1902 and educated at
Salinas High School and Stanford University. His first book,
Cup of Gold, was published in 1929. He wrote several articles
about the injustice suffered by the displaced persons of California,
the migratory agricultural workers, and in 1939 'The Grapes of
Wrath' was published. Controversial feeling reached such a pitch
that Steinbeck had to leave the United States for several years,
including the war period, and he travelled extensively in Europe
as a war columnist. His later novels include, Of Mice and Men,
from which this play is adapted. In 1940 he was awarded the
Pullitzer Prize and in 1962, the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature.
1973 PASSION, POISON and PETRIFACTION July 1973
1973 SWEENY TODD December 1973. A Victorian
Melodrama by Alan Rosser was produced in the same year, on
the 12th,13th, and 14th December , 1973. Dave Fuller, 1967-
1974 acted the part of Mark Ingesgrie. Michael Morrison, 1967-
1974 was the Stage Manager; Ian Morrison, 1970-1976 in the
Stage Team. Sound by John Leeming and Raymond Borella,
1968-1975; Make-up, Mary Pryor. Hot pies will be sold in the
interval!
1974 THE GHOST TRAIN by Arnold Ridley took place on
the 11th,12th and 13th December 1974. Teddie Deakin was
played by Richard Griffiths,1968-1975; Herbert Price by Richard
Comerford 1968-1975; John Leeming and Raymond Borella,
1968-1975, Sound and Lighting; Mary Pryor, Make-up.
The Ghost train was first performed at the St. Martin's Theatre
in London in 1925 and its author was a young actor named
Arthur Ridley, better known now as 'Godfrey' of 'Dads Army'
on TV. One might ask why 'The Ghost Train' has lasted when
so many other plays of that fragile theatrical era have vanished.
For at first sight 'The Ghost Train' is just another example of
that popular twenties artform – the comedy thriller. But 'The
Ghost Train' has outlived the rest because of its superb situation
and the sheer suspense of its plot. Who could think of a more
tense situation than to have six people stranded for the night in
a deserted Cornish station haunted by the ghost of a train which
crashed twenty years previously! Linked with the situation, have
traditionally gone the sound effects that are now part of the
play's reputation. In 'The Ghost Train' it is the drama and
comedy of the situation that has carried the play along for three
generations,
1975 ERNIE'S INCREDIBLE HALLUCINATIONS by
Alan Ayckbourn took place on the 10th,11th, 12th December
1975 followed by THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND.
Members of the OSA today who took part in the first of these
productions are Andrew Devon, 1972-1979 acting the part
of'Mum'. In The Real Inspector Hound, Ian Morrison, acted the
part of 'The Body', and was Stage Manager and helped out on
Business Management. Michael Morrison,1967-1974 was in the
stage team. John Leeming was on Lighting and Sound. Peter
Maddigan, 1969-1976 was on Front of House.
1976 CRACKERS, A Christmas Revue, took place on the
15th,16th, and 17th December 1976. Mary Pryor and Michael
Fitch sang in the Opening Chorus. John Leeming was again on
Sound.
1977 ANDROCLES AND THE LION by George Bernard
Shaw, and LITTLE BROTHER LITTLE SISTER by David
Campton, took place on the 14th,15th and 16th December 1977.
In this production Charles Zarb acted the part of Ferrovius;
Michael Howell, 1973-1980, acted the part of Spintho.
The Stage Crew included, Michael Morrison, Keith Roberts,
1971-1978, and Glen Catlin 1971-1978. John Leeming on
Sound. Mary Pryor on Make-up.
ANDROCLES. The central theme of Androcles and the Lion is
that men must have something worth dying for to make life
worth living; in other words, an end outside oneself is essential
for human existence. Shaw regarded religion as something to
30