A THEATRICAL PHENOMENON
by Cormac Richards
A visit to the Manor Pavilion Theatre in Sidmouth is something of a step back in time. It is undeniably quaint and rather old-fashioned. This year the theatre has started selling tickets online for the first time, the antique chandelier lights still illuminate the 277-seater auditorium and coffee and a biscuit is just £1 (proceeds to chaity). No bright lights announce its presence. No big names hang over the door. However, behind the smart, discrete exterior a theatrical phenomenon takes place each summer.
THE MANOR PAVILION THEATRE, SIDMOUTH
Originally built as a dance hall it was developed into a theatre which has faced some serious ups and downs in its more recent history. It was not that many years ago that the failing theatre was under threat of demolition in favour of a block of flats. Happily, that did not come to pass, and the Manor Pavilion is thriving like never before. It is, though, the summer season of plays which offers theatre-goers and performers the most unique experience on offer in the UK.
Repertory
In days of yore, there was a local theatre repertory (‘rep’) company around almost every corner – a small company of theatre performers, pulled together to provide audiences with a season of plays. The actors would have to be versatile; not only playing a variety of parts – leading role in one play, small walk-on role in another and so on – they might also carry out backstage duties of one form or another into the bargain. Young actors would learn their craft in such companies and be provided with an experience which would set them up for the future. It was tough but rewarding.
As the commercial theatre grew, so repertory companies faded and dissolved….well almost. A few remain, but the biggest is at Sidmouth. Sleepy Sidmouth-by-the-Sea. Not so sleepy however, for in the Summer Play Festival, the theatre presents twelve plays in twelve weeks – with a short break in the middle to host some of the events for the town’s very well-regarded Folk Festival. Each play runs from Thursday to Wednesday, an unconventional theatre week, but deliberately planned to catch holiday-makers – they can come twice in a week and see two different productions.
The Manor Pavilion
For Theatre Manager, Graham Whitlock, seeing the Manor Pavilion thrive is something that brings him immense pride. Having visited the Theatre as a youngster with his parents he has overseen a rejuvenation of the venue and is proud to say that this year looks like being the most successful Summer Festival in its 40+ year history. Graham’s love for the theatre saw him attend drama school and enter the notoriously tough profession. As acting work dried up, he moved to Front of House duties in the West End and latterly at the Lewisham Theatre. Arriving at Sidmouth to manage the theatre in 2006, he was faced with a failing venue – there was no programming of productions, there were no staff, no box office, no marketing and, as mentioned, plans for demolition. Owners of the Manor Pavilion, East Devon Council, gave the theatre one last throw of the dice, appointing a manager – it was on its knees, the only way it could go was up!
SIDMOUTH SUMMER PLAY FESTIVAL 2019
THE KING’S SPEECH by David Seidler – Paul Lavers as Lionel Logue & Chris Casey as Bertie, Duke of York
When Graham took the reins, the Summer Festival was one of the few fixtures in the calendar and had been run for many years by the well-known theatre impresario Charles Vance. But there was a view that the Festival was getting tired; it needed refreshing and rejuvenation – audiences were drifting away. A re-boot was necessary, and so the event was put out to tender. Not expecting a great deal of interest, the Council were overwhelmed with the response, but one candidate shone through above the others; a young, enthusiastic, knowledgeable and exciting young man, not greatly known at the time, but now a figure of influence and respect in the industry. Paul Taylor-Mills presented the interviewing panel with the hope they were searching for and so it was that he took over the production of the Summer Play Festival in 2013. The regeneration began then and the season has strengthened over the years as Taylor-Mills’ career has soared; formerly the artistic director of The Other Palace Theatre in London he has just opened the new Turbine Theatre at Battersea Power Station to great acclaim.
Taylor-Mills was able to bring a bit of West End to East Devon and add some pizzazz to proceedings; spruce the Festival up and increase the level of professionalism. Since taking over, he has always been able to surround himself with talented people who will add their own skills and quality to the whole event. Although he is no longer hands-on, he is still very much involved, but the day to day production duties were passed on to Stuart Burrows and Jonny Clines in 2017. Stuart had directed a couple of plays at Sidmouth previously and had known Paul for a number of years; his desire to move into production fitted with the need for a team who would be able to give a full commitment to the Festival.
Creating the Festival
2019 is the third season run by Stuart and Jonny and they feel they now have a real grasp of this extraordinary event. “We are learning all the time how to make the season better and more efficient”, says Jonny. One look at the Master Schedule spreadsheet reveals just how complex the Festival now is and how, as producers, they need to be entirely on the ball the whole time. “Although this Season has come to an end, we can never quite switch off as the thoughts and ideas for the 2020 Programme will be constantly occupying our minds”, adds Stuart, who also directed 3 of the 2019 productions.
Planning has become even more complex with the relatively recent venture of taking some of the plays elsewhere in the UK following their week at Sidmouth. The Pomegranate Theatre at Chesterfield, The Landmark in Ilfracombe and The Theatre Royal, Windsor have all had their own mini play festivals. The influence of the Manor Pavilion advances across the country!
SIDMOUTH SUMMER PLAY FESTIVAL 2019
BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE by Leonard Gershe – Maisie Young as Jill Tanner &
Joseph Clowser as Don Baker
Over the years, a formula has been developed for what is successful and what the audience wants to see. As Stuart puts it, “we mix a cocktail of genres; farce, comedy, thriller and drama – from this starting point we build a list of possibilities – we actually have an on-going list of plays we would like to produce some of which are suggested to us by members of the Sidmouth audience – we are always open to ideas.”
Certain factors dictate what can and cannot be performed. The stage at The Manor Pavilion is not large and so casts of 30-40 are not likely to make it on to a short list. Titles and playwrights are important as the marketing of the Festival will depend on certain ‘bankers’ – Ray Cooney, Alan Ayckbourn and Francis Durbridge are all much loved by the Sidmouth faithful. However, added to the mix will be less well-known works which the producers hope people will take a chance on – variety is so important if the Festival isn’t to stagnate.
It is unlikely the Festival will become too radical in its programming for the foreseeable future – plays by the likes of Mark Ravenhill and Sarah Daniels are not going to move too far up Jonny and Stuart’s list! There is no point in rocking a very stable ship.
In the seven years since Paul Taylor-Mills took charge, the Festival has not repeated a play and the hope is that this will continue for some years to come – so, 84 different plays over 7 years – the audiences have been well treated.
Aside from the programme, where there is some advertising, the whole Festival is entirely self-funded. Where reliance on getting sponsorship and financial support can be a barrier to production, a model has been created at Sidmouth which looks after itself.
Casting the Festival
A core company has been created, and when the plays for the next season are chosen, casting takes place initially from this pool of performers with new actors being auditioned and invited to join the Festival to complete the process.
Stuart admits that casting is an enormously stressful part of his job; “until we have everyone in place it is very difficult to relax; ensuring the actors are available and can meet the requirements of a complex schedule can take a lot of time and patience. A huge collective sigh of relief greets the finalisation of the cast lists.”
SIDMOUTH SUMMER PLAY FESTIVAL 2019
DANGEROUS CORNER by J.B. Priestley
Tracey-Anne Liles as Miss Mockridge, Sabi Perez as Olwen Peel,
Chris Casey as Charles Stanton, Sally Lofthouse as Freda Caplan,
Owen Landon as Gordon Whitehouse, Jonathan Scholey as Robert Caplan &
Charlotte Haines as Betty Whitehouse
“Once casting is completed and the Festival starts in earnest, we have an important role in the pastoral care of the team. The whole company wants to feel valued and be looked after; it is our duty to ensure this is done. If those involved are happy and enjoying what they are doing, the chances of creating a successful series of productions are far greater.”
Returning Again
James Pellow has just completed his 16th consecutive Summer Play Festival at Sidmouth. “When I started, the Company were contracted for the whole season and if you weren’t acting you would be involved elsewhere in the production. In my first year, there were 13 plays and I was in 11 of them and you were only given your script and allocated role the week before the performance. There was no time to think about it or do anything else, you had two days to learn the lines followed by three days of rehearsal and the technical and dress rehearsals on the same day as the first performance.”
Nowadays, the cast are just contracted for the plays they are actually acting in and scripts and roles are distributed some weeks in advance, but the rehearsal period remains at just a few days. Concentration, collaboration and commitment are everything!
JAMES PELLOW
James has become a popular face in Sidmouth and continues to love the Manor Pavilion; “It has become a second home and I feel very blessed to get the opportunity to take on some wonderful roles here. I certainly never take it for granted that I will be asked back again, but while I still love it, I hope the offer will be there. The day I don’t enjoy it, will be the day I move on.” Among the many roles undertaken by James, his favourite has to be Lady Bracknell in ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ in the 2015 season; “it is a wonderful part and a complete joy to play.”
Dressing the Plays
So, 12 shows in 12 weeks. A massive logistical nightmare made more complex by the recent development of taking some of the plays on tour. The planning ahead is complex and demanding, no attempt is made to take obvious shortcuts – there isn’t just one set build or one set of costumes for the whole season!
Janet Huckle was called upon to take on the task of dressing all the characters in each of the plays; “I was inspired by the whole idea of being involved. Working with the directors and the stage designer to create a design and style which fits with their vision is very stimulating”. This season Janet will have put together over 170 costumes for the 12 plays. “I start by studying the script and considering the period and the arc the characters take in the course of the play and so design what is suitable”. Janet started life as a teacher and was always involved in the theatre, eventually moving into the work that has brought her to Sidmouth. “There are many challenges involved; the budgets are fairly tight and so you have to be resourceful. Specialist costumes have to be found well in advance; a Superman outfit for ‘Wife Begins at 40’ and the Royal formalwear for ‘The King’s Speech’ (her favourite of the 2019 season to dress) – oh, and there are lots of dressing gowns for the lead in ‘Present Laughter’!
SIDMOUTH SUMMER PLAY FESTIVAL 2019
TABLE MANNERS by Alan Ayckbourn – Mark Laverty as Norman, Jessica Kent as Annie,
Neil Smye as Reg & Ellen Butler as Sarah
Although Janet has a store of costumes of her own, she often trawls through vintage and charity shops for specific items; “I frequently get given clothing and accessories and put them away only to find a need for them many years later.” This is Janet’s second season at Sidmouth and she has been thoroughly taken by the excitement of ‘rep’ and the dedication of the actors and the production team; “The theatre and players create a friendly environment and there is a real respect from the performers for their audience – it is a strong community event.”
Building the Plays
As with costumes, so the sets are an undertaking which is not for the faint-hearted. Andrew Beckett has been responsible for the design of all 12 this season – as well as directing two of the plays himself. During the course of the Festival, a play will end its run on a Wednesday night and the set dismantled and a new one erected in time for technical and dress rehearsals the next morning and the first performance on that evening. It’s pretty punishing and relentless! But with a selection of plays from various periods and genres, the designer has liberty to create a series of eye-catching constructions to place before the audiences who await the results with bated breath – ready to applaud as the curtain rises.
So, from the grand, wood-panelled library of ‘Dangerous Corner’ to the Art Deco themed ‘Present Laughter’ and the run-down New York apartment in ‘Butterflies Are Free’, there is great variety – the multi-venue creation for ‘The King’s Speech’ offered a huge challenge, but the clever, somewhat abstract designs made for fascinating viewing. As mentioned earlier, some of the sets have to be adaptable to go on the road to other theatres and some pieces will be used in more than one play, albeit well disguised. It is a real artform. In true repertory style, performers are also involved in the construction and decoration of the sets; so, one of the actors works alongside Andrew as a builder and another is a dab-hand at wallpapering – and there is some fiendish paper to hang! And on the changeover night, it will be all hands on deck to remove the old and build the new set. The performers know well in advance what they are signing up for. Teamwork at its best.
SIDMOUTH SUMMER PLAY FESTIVAL 2019
PERFECT WEDDING by Robin Hawdon – James Parkes as Bill & Jessica Kent as Judy
Tradition
There are some conventions at the Summer Festival productions which you will rarely find elsewhere. After the curtain has fallen on a performance, one of the cast members will step forward and address the audience – the ‘curtain speech’ – thanking them for coming and supporting live theatre in Sidmouth and encouraging them to tell others about the theatre; a ‘Rep’ tradition. Then, as the audience leave, the cast will be by the doors to greet them and wish them well on their journey home. Yes, it is rather old-fashioned and unusual, but it is just this tradition which helps engage the audience and remove something of the snobbery about theatre which can be seen as a barrier to potential visitors. The audience are not backward in giving their views on the production and the actors have no idea what they will hear! After the first performance of ‘The Kingfisher’, the actors were greeted by the daughter and grandson of the author, William Douglas Home – there was no forewarning – luckily, they loved the production.
The Launch
Some weeks before the Festival starts proper, the Theatre holds a Launch Night for it. This packed-out event is a chance for Paul, Stuart and Jonny to introduce all the plays in the forthcoming season, and so whet the appetite of the audiences.
The next day, the box-office opens, prompting huge queues as regulars wait – sometimes for a number of hours – to book their tickets and ensure they get to sit in their favourite seats!
Season tickets for either all 12 or for 6 of the plays are offered at a discount and it is these ticketholders who form the very backbone of the support for the Festival.
The Audience
Although the major part of the audience for the Summer Festival is made up from local residents, holidaymakers definitely make an impact and, as stated above, the schedule capitalises on the visitors who love theatre. But the attraction reaches beyond the boundaries of the town with people travelling from Exeter, Exmouth, Tiverton and Honiton and beyond. The audience profile is undeniably in the more senior age group category and there is a concern that this may lead to declining numbers. “Not so’, insists Graham Whitlock. With the prospect of record ticket sales in 2019, over the years he has been only too well aware of the need to introduce the theatre to different audiences. “As soon as you get people to visit the Manor Pavilion once, they will look to see what else is happening here.”
So it is that Graham has broadened the appeal of the programme at the theatre. “It was suggested to me that I should set up some comedy nights – something we had never included before. I was astounded at the result – the theatre was packed. The average age of those who came along to the first night was in the early 20s – a whole new audience – the comedy nights have continued and proved a huge success. “Offering a broader programme of events at the Theatre has widened our demographic and that is now having an influence on the audiences who attend the Festival.”
SIDMOUTH SUMMER PLAY FESTIVAL 2019
WIFE BEGINS AT 40 by Arne Sultan, Earl Barret & Ray Cooney –
Alec Fellows-Bennett as Bernard & Sally Lofthouse as Linda
The Manor Pavilion is also home to a number of amateur dramatic companies and it can only be an advantage to them to have the chance to witness great theatre in their own town and encourage them to scale new heights.
Graham has looked at all art forms to bring people to the theatre and, despite the limitations of stage size, the introduction of Ballet Theatre UK has been an enormous success – sold out with every performance they bring to Sidmouth. He will continue to look for opportunities to enhance what is already there.
The 2019 Season
When I was invited to see a friend perform in the 2018 Festival – a fascinating and riveting production of an adaptation of ‘Jamaica Inn’ – I was bowled over by the standards and artistry on show and decided I needed to return. Not content with just seeing one or two of the productions I felt I needed to see the whole arc of the Festival and so have attended and reviewed each of the 12 plays.
The standards I saw last year are very much evident, but on a grander scale. Three productions have stood out for me; ‘The King’s Speech’, ‘Dangerous Corner’ and ‘Butterflies Are Free’ – each have had special qualities, but all have been of the highest standard in every department. ‘The Kingfisher’, ‘Present Laughter’, ‘Table Manners’, ‘Perfect Wedding’ and ‘Tom, Dick & Harry’ have all been excellent productions, much enjoyed by the audiences. ‘Suddenly At Home’, ‘Wife Begins at 40’, ‘Double Death’ and ‘Dangerous Obsession’, not quite as successful in my book – but, gauged against many other productions I see, still very good.
12 plays, 37 actors and 5 directors and a small, but very talented backstage and technical team have combined to create theatre of the highest quality on a minute budget in a small, but warm and friendly venue. It is a huge achievement.
SIDMOUTH SUMMER PLAY FESTIVAL 2019
PRESENT LAUGHTER by Noel Coward
Paul Cleveland as Morris Dixon, Emily Outred as Monica Reed &
Christopher Lyne as Henry Lyppiatt
The Future
When asked why he thinks the Festival becomes more successful each year, James Pellow, says, “It has built up a reputation over the years; it is part of the town and as the quality of productions only improve, the word gets around.” Despite living in London, James will be back in Sidmouth later in the year to appear in a production of ‘Season’s Greetings’ by Alan Ayckbourn and, hopefully, in the Festival next year.
“We have a sustainable model for the Festival which works and succeeds and while we will continually monitor its functions and tweak where necessary, any changes to it will be gradual.” says Stuart, who knows that the Festival has to evolve; “we do take a few risks with some of the play choices, but it is so satisfying when they succeed. ‘Butterflies Are Free’ this year was a bit of a punt, but the end result was a beautiful and well received production.”
For Janet Huckle, it is time to move on to make costumes for a production of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ at the Wimbledon Theatre – after she has sorted through all the rails packed with the results of her work at Sidmouth.
Andrew Beckett is in demand as both designer and director and also finds time to be the Artistic Director of the Above The Stag Theatre in Vauxhall on the South Bank of the River Thames.
Graham Whitlock will continue to embrace the Manor Pavilion and seek new ways to engage with the audiences. His enthusiasm and amazing customer service skills will always be a plus for the theatre – reasons behind his being awarded Sidmouth Citizen of the Year for 2019.
Jonny and Stuart are packing their bags to take a well-earned holiday – mentally and physically exhausted. The Sidmouth Summer Play Festival is like a runaway train – once it starts going, it is impossible to get off until it comes to a natural stop. “The pressure is relentless. You can plan almost anything, but because so much happens at the last minute, you can never take your eye off the ball.” says Jonny and Stuart adds; “There is something addictive about the Festival. We will be back!”
There are signs around the country that the ‘rep’ formula is seeing something of a renaissance and with its 12-week season, Sidmouth has been leading the way for many years – there is no sign of it flagging. With the variety of plays on offer and the highest of standards, there is no reason why this theatrical phenomenon shouldn’t be around for many, many years to come.
Theatrical eyes should be drawn to what happens in Sidmouth and the Festival raised up as an outstanding example of what is possible with the most modest of budgets, but with commitment, imagination and a dedication to produce the best theatre possible. It has been a complete privilege to witness the whole Festival and meet those who are so deeply involved in it. Their passion and professionalism are patent and the desire to please their audiences unquestioned.
The outlook is incredibly bright for the Summer Play Festival at the Manor Pavilion in Sidmouth – may it thrive for many years to come.
For more information of the Manor Pavilion Theatre – www.manorpavilion.com
This article originally appeared in SARDINES MAGAZINE
