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I attended Perth Modern School 1956-1960, and was in the cast of two G&S productions: The Sorcerer in 1959 and Patience in 1960.
The cast (without Michael Phillips) taking a curtain call.
This photo of The Sorcerer was sent to me by Michael Phillips, who played the title role. He is seen here with Geoffrey Michaels, who led the orchestra, standing in front of the wooden lockers in which we kept our books.
The program was a single sheet folded in two. This is the cover (above).
This is the left hand page of the inside of the program (above).
And this is the right hand page.
I'll transcribe the names mentioned above, in order to make available the first names, which might have been left out to save space. If I don't know them or can't find them, I'll leave them there with just the initial. (Some may have been in fifth year; I was in fourth year in 1959.)
Stage Director: Lex Watson
Sir Marmaduke: Denis McLeod
Alexis: Bruce Williams
Dr Daly: Garry Gillard
Notary: Murray Campbell
J.W. Wells: Michael Phillips
Lady Sangazure: Merilyn Bosworth
Aline: Lois Achimovich
Mrs Partlet: Janice Mitchell
Constance: Margaret Poole-Johnson
Page: T. Little
Understudies: Valda Brodie, N. Carter, G. Cornish, E. Clark, Rod Mason, Basil Potts, Lex Watson
Musical Director: Marjorie Taylor
Orchestra
Leader: Geoffrey Michaels
First Violins: Sue Cullity, Geoffrey Black
Second Violin: Ian Brownfield
Flute: Patricia Kretchmar
Clarionet: Herbert Ottaway, John Modra
Trumpet: David Norgard
Drum: Max Page
Piano: Patricia Wrightson
Among the Chorus of Villagers, I know only a few first names: Marie Bonds, Valda Brodie, Jenny Chessell, Val Kerruish, Sue Lawn, Pamela Rowe, Elizabeth Sanderson, Terri Woolf, Rod Mason, John Modra, Basil Potts
Villagers of St Mary Axe: Terri Woolf, ? , ? , Marie Bonds, Sue Lawn (front)
Marie Bonds and Basil Potts, villagers
Cast principals
Patience: Joan Clarke
Lady Jane: Merilyn Bosworth
Lady Angela: Janice Achimovich
Lady Saphir: Valda Brodie
Lady Ella: Alison Jones
Reginald Bunthorne: Bruce Williams
Archibald Grosvenor: David Ellis
Duke: Garry Gillard
Colonel: Frank Mills
Major: Rod Mason
Solicitor: Lex Watson
Chorus of Rapturous Maidens and Dragoons:
Fleur Price, Val Kerruish, June Kelly, Wendy Dowsett, Vivette Hughes, R. Thomas, S. Ewers, Fay McCulloch, G. Cooke, Francine Carroll, Barbara Hunt, Shirley Jones, S. Glenister, B. Noske, E. Turnbull, W. Fergie, M. Gibbons, Muriel Adams, C. Temby, Max Page, B. Armstrong, K. Parker, C. Carter, Basil Potts, D. Cook, Graham Cooper, L. Kirkham, G. Hitchcock, J. Mott, R. Wright, P. Dougherty, Sue Lawn, Pam Rowe, Rosemary Page, Elizabeth Sanderson, Marie Bonds, Heather Olds
Orchestra
Musical Director: Geoffrey Michaels
Patricia Wrightson, Glen Bridge, Susan Cullity, Ian Brownfield, John Modra, David Norgard, Gary Bishop, Robin Woodhams, Elizabeth Cameron, Herbert Ottoway, Heather Shean, John Johnson, Pamela or Patricia Champion, Leonard Welch
Scenes from Patience.
Geoffrey Michaels was the Secretary of the Music Society in 1960 and wrote these notes in the School magazine, the Sphinx (spelling my name wrong and giving me the first (and worst) review I ever got! :)
... With respect to this [the production of Patience], our thanks must go those staff members who worked so hard and so willingly to achieve the resultant success, as much as to those students who actually took part in the three performances. Mr MacDonald, as usual, did a magnificent job training the singers and organising the stage; one cannot imagine a future production succeeding without his tireless efforts. Miss Casey's wide dramatic experience was put to valuable use instructing those on stage into the intricacies of acting. Miss Murphy and Mr Watkins were responsible for the excellent sets and constumes, while Mr Lindsay's efforts (his re-orchestration of the overture was model of balance and clarity) were vastly apreciated.
The soloists, too, were a very skilful group. Bruce Williams and Joan Clarke as aesthetic poet and prosaic milkmaid respectively, sang and acted well. Archibald Grosvenor, the miraculously beautiful young man was given an hilarious performance by David Ellis, while the efforts of Merilyn Bosworth, Jan Achimovich, Valda Brodie and Alison Jones as the ladies Jane, Angela, Saphir and Ella, together with Frank Mills and Rod Mason as the Colonel and Major respectively were deliciously comic. The part of the Duke was assumed by Gary [Garry] Gillard.
Full praise must go to the choruses, both male and female (are there so few boys in the school that we must have feminine dragoons?) for excellent singing, whilst the orchestra did a very competent job considering the minimal amount of time available for rehearsal. For this our thanks must go to Patricia Wrightson, the pianist, and to Sue Cullity and Glen Bridge, co-leaders, who gave unstintingly of their time and talents. Geoffrey Michaels vastly enjoyed his position as Musical Director and is unable to comment further, and for the excellent production we are indebted to Lex Watson. ...
In a scene from Patience, from the left: Rod Mason, Valda Brodie (Pitman), me, Janice Achimovich, Frank Mills.
Rod, Garry, Frank, trying to look aesthetic.
Thanks to Michael Phillips for the photo of the sorcerer (the character, not the show). And thanks to Marie Wapnah (Bonds) for the other Sorcerer photos, and the first two from Patience. The othere two photos of scenes from Patience are in my collection.
Garry Gillard | New: 27 April, 2017 | Now: 1 December, 2023