SEASON 20 (1948-49)
The Pastoral Symphony
The Tuscan Artist
Candida
Prophesy To The Wind
The Beaux' Stratagem
The Thracian Horses
Questors trivia: This was The Questors' first season as a Limited Company, preparing the way for buying the premises and building a new theatre!
September 1948
THE PASTORAL SYMPHONY
by Andre Gide, adapted by Millicent George
Directed by Abraham Asseo
Designed by Beryl Anthony
This was Abraham Asseo's first production at The Questors. He left a lasting impression as one of our most loved and inspiring directors, even though he was only with us for a few short years before directing professionally in this country and later returning to Israel, where he established a new drama school, directed occasionally with the Habima Theatre and finally became Head of Radio Drama.
Kit Emmet:
"Those of us who had the experience of playing in his productions, notably THE WINTER'S TALE (1950) and THIEVE'S CARNIVAL (1953) remember him chiefly for is hilarious (and initially very limited) grasp of the language, and the enthusiasm with which he used a word and made it (and the pronunciation) his own. "And then Fokkus!” would come the cry from the darkened auditorium, and we would all obediently freeze."
Alfred Emmet noted that, after a "strenuous" rehearsal period, the production
"... seems to have been generally well received and the Discussion was a particularly lively and interesting one. We were glad to welcome Tyrone Guthrie to the theatre when he came to see a performance and gave us a very valuable criticism of it.
I think we all were agreed that Abraham Asseo had thoroughly justified himself in his first production at The Questors."
November 1948
THE TUSCAN ARTIST
by Michael Kelly
Directed by Eric Voce
Designed by Norman Branson
A few weeks before we gave this theatrical premier of Michael Kelly's new play about Galileo, the BBC Third Programme broadcast a radio version of it under the title "Error in the Universe".
The producer of the broadcast, E J King-Bull, came to speak about it at a Club Night.
Alfred Emmet:
"The play aroused a lot of interest. Our President John Burrell came to one of the performances and gave some valuable criticisms. Michael Kelly is now revising the play in the light of the production."
The Unity Theatre, Liverpool, showed an interest in the play after they had received a copy without the author's knowledge or agreement. Michael Kelly gave his assurance that it would be impossible to allow them to put the play on before we had premiered it.
February 1949
CANDIDA
by George Bernard Shaw
Directed by Abraham Asseo
Designed by Nan Rowley
Another record broken in the Box Office and another extremely well received production.
Alfred Emmet:
"The play shows signs of what we are beginning to recognise as the Asseo touch. Decor is particularly interesting with a built-up forestage showing the broken "fourth wall". Abraham has dispensed with the use of the tabs, closing each act with a dim-out and during the action of each act the slight adjustments to props etc are made by actors themselves. I expect this strikes the "props" people as an excellent idea!"
April 1949
PROPHESY TO THE WIND
by Norman Nicholson
Directed by Barbara (Kit) Hutchins
Designed by Ernest Ives
A new verse play commissioned by the Little Theatre Guild.
There had been some animated discussion in the Programme Committee about the timing of this production, with a substantial minority voting in favour of THE WINSLOW BOY in its slot instead. A suggested compromise that THE WINSLOW BOY should replace THE BEAUX' STRATAGEM (see below) was rejected and disgruntled members of the Committee "asked to be excused and left the meeting."
The General Committee later resolved to put THE WINSLOW BOY on the recommendation list of plays for the 1949/50 programme "with a strong recommendation that this or a similar play of popular appeal be among those finally selected." In fact we didn't do THE WINSLOW BOY until 63 years later!
Alfred Emmet:
"Although audiences were not large, its reception left no doubt that the play [PROPHESY TO THE WIND] had been well worth doing, which fact was confirmed unanomously at the discussion. Norman Nicholson who came on the opening night and also later in the run says that he has been helped tremendously by seeing it in action.
Other distinguished visitors included T S Eliot, John Burrell and Martin Browne."
May 1949
THE BEAUX' STRATAGEM
by George Farquhar
Directed by Abraham Asseo
Designed by Marion Voce
Alfred Emmet commented:
"...on the whole proved very popular with audiences. It is of course unfortunate that, from a critical point of view, it had to bear comparison with the John Clement's production in the West End, but of course ours was planned very many months ago and a change was hardly possible after it became know that John Clements was producing in town."
July 1949
THE THRACIAN HORSES
by Maurice Valency
Directed by Alfred Emmet
Designed by Ernest Ives
Although Rena Rice enthused: "...what a grand show it was and how splendidly the whole team worked together", Alfred was less sanguine.
In his producer’s report on the production, he came to the opinion that the show had come to performance in a very unfinished state. This was partly due, he said, to his failure to make appropriate cuts to the script before rehearsals began, but was exacerbated by members of the cast dropping out, clashes with rehearsals for The Beaux’ Stratagem, the failure of one or two cast members to measure up to the work - and to “my own extreme irritability, occasioned (so it is alleged) by disposing with the soothing influence of tobacco!”