In David Gower who died on September 6th, after a long and painful illness, borne with courage and dignity, the theatre has lost a loyal servant and I have lost a true
friend.
David joined us from the Studio Theatre in Salisbury early in 1964, and for fifteen
years he was among our leading actors and directors. His productions included
Hamlet, King Lear, Mother Courage, Peer Gynt, Oedipus, Edward II, The Way of the World, and Heartbreak House. His performances included Othello, Oberon,
Mercutio, Touchstone Garry Essendine, Gayev, Dorn and Justice Shallow.
He was a man of intellectual honesty and artistic integrity, and was never afraid to
express his firmly held views incisively and wittily. As a member of the Committee of
Management for more than ten years, a former Chairman of the Plays and Productions Committee, Plays Adviser and Joint Director of Productions, he had
made a major contribution to the theatre's administration and his advice will be sorely missed.
In many ways he was a solitary person, and I count myself as fortunate in having
been allowed over the years to penetrate his sometimes barbed exterior to discover
the kindness of the real man. He was an excellent talker, and I shall remember him
best for so many evenings, relaxing over a quiet drink, listening to him revel in the
use of the English language which was always his greatest love.
Martin Bowley
Chairman