IN FONDEST MEMORYALFRED EMMET OBE |
ALFRED EMMET, who died on January 16th aged eighty-two, was almost certainly the most important figure yet to emerge from the world of amateur theatre and one of the very few to achieve a significant impact in the wider theatre world.
For over sixty years his name was synonymous with that of The Questors. Without his leadership this theatre would never have survived the war years. Without his inspiration and unbounded energy the new theatre would never have been built. Without his vision our reputation for the encouragement of new writers would never have been developed. It was his enthusiasms which were the driving force behind the growth of our youth activities and the extension of our international activities, especially through our International Amateur Theatre Weeks to which, over thirteen years, he invited fifteen different companies from eleven different countries, many of them from Eastern Europe, long before "glasnost" or "perestroika".
But his influence was not confined to amateur theatre or to theatre architecture. As early as the mid-thirties he was experimenting with different stage-forms, breaking through the straitjacket of the proscenium arch and exploring an early form of theatre in the round. In the forties he was directing Ibsen and Chekhov at a time when the average repertory company had not progressed beyond Shaw. In the sixties and seventies he made sure that we played our part in the development of new writing for the theatre. Among the writers he encouraged in a very personal way were Rodney Ackland, Dannie Abse and James Saunders.
He was one of the founding fathers of the Little Theatre Guild of Great Britain, serving as Secretary for its first nine years and later as Chairman, and of the International Amateur Theatre Association, holding the offices of Vice-Chairman and Chairman. In 1967 the Little Theatre Guild recognised his services by making him an Honorary Associate, and in 1971 he was awarded the OBE for his services to amateur theatre. His was a unique contribution, not only to our theatre, but also to the wider theatre, amateur and professional, nationally and internationally. If we are rightly described as "the National Theatre of amateurs" it is because of his life and his work. Above all else he was a perfectionist who was never satisfied with the status quo. Throughout his life he challenged us all to greater achievements. He was rigorous in his criticisms of everything we did. He was always opening our eyes to wider horizons. There is a favourite Shavian quotation of mine which, I believe, sums up his contribution to the theatre: "You see things and you say 'Why?' But I dream things that never were and I say 'Why not?"' For over sixty years that was his message to us all. Our theatre will always remain in his debt. We will only begin to repay that debt and to honour his memory if we remain faithful to his creed. MARTIN BOWLEY |
A LIST OF PLAYS DIRECTED BY ALFRED EMMET |