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The first production at The Questors Theatre in Mattock Lane
DRAGON'S TEETH
by Shirland Quinn

The Questors Theatre
December 1933

Directed by Alfred Emmet
Designed by Ewart Shellshear
Lighting by William Chambre
Costumes by Audrey Perkins

Programme   Press
 
PHOTOS

 


Cast:
Cyril Box, Margot Brett, Marjorie Bywater, Kathleen Chambré, Agnes Copnall, Clifford Foreman, Betty Gray, Eileen Grigg, Mildred Hackett, Leonard Hackett, Keith Hall, Wilfred Haynes, Phyllis Hutchings, Marjorie Lees, John Libby, Philip Matthews, Raymond Mckenzie, Mia Mckenzie, Kenneth Mckenzie, Betty Mercy, Kennard Metcalfe, Audrey Perkins, Arthur Peters, John Ruck, Barbara Sharp, Ewart Shellshear, Evelyn Skelton, Christopher Spurrier, Phyllis Stephenson, Margery Stretton, Cyril Thomas,

Production Team:
William Chambre, Mabel Frere, Mildred Hackett, Audrey Perkins, Ewart Shellshear


Extract from A FEW DROPS OF WATER (The Story of The Questors Theatre 1929-1989
by Gwenan Evans and others):

The first production in the Mattock Lane theatre opened on 6th December 1933 and with the choice of play, The Questors served notice of things to come — by presenting the English premiere of an experimental new play by Shirland Quin, Dragons' Teeth, "undoubtedly the most experimental work done by a London society in recent months, if not years", according to The Amateur Theatre. This had an elaborate and expressionistic dream sequence in the last act, involving around 70 characters, which obviously meant doubling, trebling, quadrupling and even quintupling of parts. It was not staged without some considerable difficulties; Alfred Emmet, who directed, remembers particularly that two cast members, playing nine parts between them, dropped out actually on the afternoon of the first performance, necessitating furious re-rehearsal, even while the first act was in progress. There had been no time to rehearse costume changes, and several times, the actors discovered that by the time they had changed, the scene they had changed for had already finished! Despite all this, the show was very well received and is remembered by those who saw it as a most exciting production.