"The first time I ever stepped foot in the old Rep was on Monday 3rd February 1986. I was seventeen and studying at Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College at the time. One of my Drama teachers was a certain Peter Dutton who was Chairman of the Players. He must have been the one who pinned the Rep playbill on the college notice board which caught my eye. Having enquired about the company he suggested seeing the public dress rehearsal of the next production 'Under Milkwood'. These performances took place on the Monday night of the first week of a two week run and were usually attended by members and invited senior citizens. These 'theatre-goers' were regarded by Rep Players as being an interesting crowd. As a cast member there was no other audience quite like them. They would react differently than any paying house. They were unapologetically noisy with their sweets and were unafraid to voice their opinion on what they were seeing. Loudly. During the show.

 

As an onlooker I didn’t realise any of this at the time. I thought all Rep audiences behaved this way. My over-riding memory of this particular evening is ‘Sir’ Ken Lowe entering the stage and projecting those immortal opening lines "Time passes. Listen, time passes." I was hooked.

 

I signed up to be a member immediately afterwards and was delighted to be involved in the next Rep production, 'Filumena'. My role was grandly described in the programme as Stage Assistant. In reality it meant acting as Prompt during rehearsals and for some performances. Heading the cast were two Rep juggernauts - Joan Bennett and Brian Hadley. To follow the six week journey to stage a Rep production was fascinating and this particular one was captured by Edward Iwanczuk who was a photography student at Staffs University. He gave permission for some of his images to be used in the programme. They illustrate key points such as Peter Dutton giving his director notes and the building of the set over a number of weeks. A lovely record to look back on.

 

As much as I enjoyed the responsibility of being a prompter I was desperate to secure an acting part. An opportunity came about when the Rep held auditions for the final play of the 1986 season, 'Forty Years On'. This Alan Bennett piece is set in a public school and the script calls for a number of young male performers. The production, directed by Ken Lowe, was peppered with set pieces. I remember Ken repeatedly drilling the schoolboy ensemble over and over, putting us through our paces until the scenes ran like clockwork. It was fascinating to watch and exhausting to be involved in! This professionalism was a common theme that ran through the many layers of the amateur company. Acting alongside the likes of John Walley, Louis Sassi, Mary Bartholomew and George Slater was a lesson in itself. These Rep stalwarts modelled the behaviour expected of members old and new.

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Within a year of joining I had secured my first title role - playing Ronnie in Terence Rattigan’s 'The Winslow Boy', which I also designed the set for. The play opened with me kneeling downstage right holding a letter that is integral to the plot. One night the curtains opened and a round of applause rippled through the audience. I had no idea what was going on, but I knew for certain that my static performance was not the cause of this reaction. I had to wait until I exited after the scene when one of the more experienced members explained that they were clapping the set!

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As time went on my involvement at the theatre included working as part of the stage crew, selling programmes and serving behind the bar. I was also assistant director on a number of shows which prepared me for one particularly satisfying role in the 1990s - director of The Young Rep. This experience would hold me in good stead later for a career in teaching. 

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But for me the opportunity to act in an incredible range of productions and play parts some professionals could only dream of was the best thing about being a member of The Rep. Over the years I appeared in over a dozen plays and had the chance to work with some incredible people. 

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The social side of the Rep cannot be underplayed either. I forged some amazing friendships. Sadly, many have now passed on to the green room in the sky, but the memories of Beresford Street and beyond remain. I remember annual summer parties at Shelley Burke's house where she would always serve the very best fresh salmon, dinner parties at John Cooper and Gordon Toon's house where I was often asked to bring along a mix tape for the evening (the Pet Shop Boys were a particularly popular choice with Gordon at least!), we organised cinema trips to the Film Theatre further down College Road, meals out to local restaurants and mini breaks to the likes of Rome and Florence!

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I remember Dave Finn and Norma Davies inviting myself and Brian Hadley to accompany them to see a production at the Hall Green Little Theatre in Birmingham (another excellent amateur society) to see a studio production of Hugh Whitemore's 'Breaking The Code'. Little did we know that they were sounding us out for a potential casting opportunity the following season and so it happened that Brian was given the lead role in what I think was his greatest performance. My character of a Greek boy only appeared briefly right at the end of the play which meant I (amongst others including Ken Lowe) could marvel at Brian's interpretation of mathematician Alan Turing. The Evening Sentinel review described his performance as 'peerless'. I couldn't agree more.

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By 1994 I felt I had earned my acting stripes and was extremely pleased to be offered the part of Richard Rich in Robert Bolt's historical drama 'A Man For All Seasons' which gave me the chance to act alongside the legendary Ken Lowe.  

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The cherry on the cake for me personally was landing the part of Captain Stanhope in R.C. Sherriff's 'Journey's End' (the final adult production at Beresford Street) in May 1997. I had originally been cast as Raleigh but the original Stanhope, Tim Churchill, was unable to commit to the production after being offered a professional job in the West End. Ken Lowe was the director and the cast of Rep stalwarts included Derek Yeomans, Brian Hadley, Richard Morrey, Craig Wood and James Freeman. The attention to detail was as high as it had ever before with an exceptionally realistic set that included a trench that was required to collapse as part of the finale every night for two weeks! Needless to say the stage crew did a faultless job, although the pyrotechnics on the last night seemed to be louder and longer than ever. The Rep was literally going out with a bang.

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'Journey's End' wasn't quite the final Beresford Street show. The following month I designed and directed The Young Rep in Labiche's 'The Italian Straw Hat' which means the youngest members of the company hold the record for being the final performers to grace the old Rep stage. Quite right too.

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That summer the Players made their move to their brand new purpose-built theatre on Leek Road. Again, I had the honour of being cast in the very first production 'Noises Off'. The experience was markedly different - the audience were now a wall of faces staring back at the performers, the backstage area was spacious and the dressing rooms were modern and included showers! That first season included my final Young Rep production ('Twopence To Cross The Mersey') before I handed over the reigns to Brian Hadley who took the youth company to new heights. It really was a new chapter in the story of the Rep.

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