IN FONDEST MEMORYCatherine Grubb (d.2023)John Davey remembers Catherine
During those years at Questors she worked on many shows, sometimes as an actor, but was more prominent in costume and set design in which she excelled. A programme credit indicating that the costumes or set were designed by her was a guarantee of quality. She was also regularly commissioned to design programme covers – not necessarily for shows in which she was otherwise involved – and her distinctive style, usually featuring elegant line-drawings of characters and situations from the plays, was immediately recognisable. She was also a notable artist (and teacher of art) and regularly exhibited at The Questors. As I write this, I'm looking at an etching by Catherine hanging on my wall. It's of the lighthouse at Godrevy in Cornwall – the one which inspired Virginia Woolf to write To The Lighthouse. She sometimes created etchings based on Questors shows (I have another one by her showing Chekhov's Three Sisters.) Many walls of Questors members from that period will be similarly graced by her etchings. As well as being an extremely talented artist, she was an energetic and charming person - and her talent and charm were appreciated by all the teams and the individuals with whom she worked at Questors. Although it is some time since she was last seen at Questors, many of us will feel that she has been a constant presence as we look at those fine reminders on our walls. |
Catherine Grubb at The Questors (Actor) Catherine Grubb at The Questors (Costume Designer) |
Many older members, like myself, will have been saddened to hear the news of the death of Catherine Grubb. She was a very popular active member from 1976 (when she became a member of the Student Group) until 1993. She moved away from the area to live in Cornwall, with which she had had a connection for a good number of years. She was, in fact, born in Scotland, and gained a degree in Fine Art at Edinburgh University.