Questopics June/July 1971
Once again the new plays festival is upon us. This annual event, stretching the theatre's human and technical resources to the limit (last year the festival cast and crew looked something like the London telephone directory) sums up what the Questors exists for—to encourage new and original theatre, both in production and writing.
This year, as always, the plays are as different from each other as chalk and cheese: they provide Questors audiences with an opportunity to see theatre history in the making—the very first public performance of a new play, one which may go on to another place to break all box office records.
One man who has had his fair share of success from the new plays festival is James Saunders whose Next Time I'll Sing to You was first performed at Ealing in the 1962 festival. Subsequently, this and his other plays, have had successful runs in the West End and elsewhere. In 1969 his Borage Pigeon Affair featured in the new plays festival.
Who better than he to contribute his own thoughts about this year's festival and the plays which will be making their appearance for the first time?
"There was a rumour that one of the plays in a New Plays Festival was only there because they had to make up the threesome. Quite untrue of course, who'd run a theatre like that? The question is rhetorical. This year, happily, it doesn't apply; I think we have a vintage year, and I'm not just saying that. (Notes for expansion in Grapevine: Vitality of Theatre depends on keeping links with present; danger of becoming Arts Museum. Responsibility to new authors. Shakespeare was once contemporary. Etc.) Never mind that, theatre is entertainment."
THE LAST EMPERORS
(David Shellan)
JOHN
(David Mowat)
BLEACH
(Arnold Meyer)
POOR DUMB ANIMALS
(James Hepburn)
Fringe Events at this Festival included:
STEAM
A Late night entertainment
devised by Mike Green and Alan Chambers
Cast:
Kay Barwick, Mary Jones, Alan Drake, Don Kincaid, Bill Rudderham, Ted Scrivener
A nostalgic look at the early days of the railways, including dramatic utterances, poetic extravaganzas, musical offerings and an unparalleled account of a serious accident.
JOHN ROLFE'S JAZZMAN
A group of musicians gather together and look, with varying degrees of success, for the expressive string of notes which makes good jazz.
SHAW ROOM EXHIBITION
Paintings by Brian Benjamin
Theatrical personalities leading the after show discussions included:
Michael Billington, Kitty Black, E. Martin Browne, Martin Esslin, Peter Fiddick, James Forsyth, Owen Holder, John Kershaw, Walter Lucas, Frank Marcus, John Russell Taylor