Society News 2019

Barbara Longford (above), the founder and Chairman of the Rattigan Society since 2011.  Barbara stepped down as Chairman at the recent AGM – read her Chairman’s Report which includes highlights of Society events since 2011 here  Chairman’s report – AGM

The Society’s AGM, play reading and buffet lunch was held on Saturday, 30th November at Doggetts Coat and Badge in London.

The AGM was the Society’s opportunity to thank Barbara Longford who stepped down as Chairman and celebrate the enormous amount of work, energy and dedication she has given to the Society.  She founded the Society in 2011 and since then has been planning and arranging most of the events over the past eight years.  Barbara reported on the highlights of the many exciting events that have taken place since the Society’s inception.

The play read was Wrong Move by Peter Briffa, directed by Michael Gaunt and performed by Giles Cole and Martin Amherst Lock.   Wrong Move was submitted for The TRS Award and was considered to be outstanding by our readers. It involves a chess-master, Temple, who is annoyed at what he sees as an unfair portrait in a new novel and so entices the author, Ogden, to a basement where he confines him with release only possible if he wins a game of chess. Through interminable games the relationship between the two is explored.  We were pleased that Peter Briffa was able to join us for the reading and lunch.

The Society has recently joined the Alliance of Literary Societies – do visit their website: allianceofliterarysocieties.wordpress.com and in particular the publications area where you will find newsletters and copies of the ALS journal ALSo.  The Autumn 2019 Newsletter from the ALS is now available on their website.

Two events were held at the British Library on Tuesday 17th September.  Both events were hosted by Society member Professor Dan Rebellato.

At the first event called ‘Show and Tell’ Professor Rebellato and a British Library Curator enabled Society members to see and handle some of the early drafts of Rattigan’s most famous plays, letters, cuttings files and more.

At the second event called ‘Craftsman at Work!  Secrets from the Rattigan Archive‘ Professor Rebellato, who has worked in the Rattigan Archive for over twenty years, gave an illustrated lecture with a glimpse into what the Archive can tell us about Rattigan’s process, his craft and his theatre.

Members’ Event: Saturday 12th May, 2018

The Richmond Theatre, Little Green, TW9 1QJ

THE WINSLOW BOY

2.30 p.m.  Matinee

This is a new production by Mark Goucher Productions Limited.  Directed by Rachel Kavanaugh, the leading players are Tessa Peake-Jones as Grace and Aden Gillett as Arthur. The play is touring the country, beginning at the Chichester Festival Theatre in February.  The Society has made a block-booking with a price reduction of £28 for best stalls seats.

The exquisite Richmond Theatre opened in 1899 with a performance of As You Like It and is one of the finest surviving examples of the work of theatre architect Frank Matcham.  The building, in red brick with buff terracotta, is listed Grade 11* by Historic England.  John Earl, writing in 1982, described it as: “Of outstanding importance as the most completely preserved Matcham theatre in Greater London and one of the most satisfying interiors.”

and an optional post-theatre

SUPPER at The Duke Public House (with a complimentary glass of prosecco)

5.p.m.  2, Duke Street, TW9 1HP

The Duke is situated just around the corner from the theatre and members had supper there in 2015, after a performance of Flare Path.  The food and service is excellent and good value.  The average price of a starter is £6.50 and a main course £15.  The house wine is £18 a bottle.  You will receive the menu choices later and we shall need to pre-order.  Members will pay for the meal individually on the evening.

Download the Booking Form/Flyer Here

First performances of the award-winning play ‘The Onion at the End’

THE TERENCE RATTIGAN SOCIETY AWARD FOR A NEW PLAY

The first performances of the award-winning play ‘The Onion at the End’ by Roy Kendall, took place in February 2018 at The Sarah Thorne Theatre in Broadstairs, directed by Michael Friend. Here is the cast (from Left to Right)

From Left to Right: Lainey Shaw, Edward Broomfield, Johanna Pearson-Farr (TRS President, David Suchet) Clive Greenwood, (TRS Vice President, Julian Fellowes), Stephen Martin-Bradley, and Edward Bloomfield (aged 14) making his professional debut.

Please Click Here for details of all seventeen final plays, which The TRS would like to recommend for future production.

Theatre Visit – Saturday 17th February, 2018

The Society has arranged a visit to the Sarah Thorne Theatre in Broadstairs, Kent on Saturday 17^th February 2018 to see ‘The Onion at the End’ by Roy Kendall.  The winner of the Terence Rattigan Society Award, this World Premier is set in a seaside town in the 1930s.  Two entertainers who share the same dressing room but otherwise little in common team up as a comedy act with resulting issues for them, their landlady and her son, plus a theatre producer always on the lookout for future stars!

Julian Fellowes (The Lord Fellowes of West Stafford D.L) presented Roy with a cheque for £2,500 at the ceremony at Harrow School and the other half of the prize was a professional performance of the play at the Sarah Thorne Theatre in Broadstairs by The Sarah Thorne Theatre Company.

We have made the following arrangements and hope that many of you will be able to join us in such an exciting and memorable event for the Society:

1.45-2.30pm: Join us in the theatre bar for a glass of prosecco before the play.

2.30pm: ‘The Onion at the End’ will be performed.

Approx 4.30pm: There will be an opportunity to meet the cast of the play and enjoy a buffet tea of sandwiches, rolls, savouries, meat platter, cheese platter and assorted cakes and a cup of tea or coffee. Alcoholic drinks can be purchased from the theatre bar.

The theatre: For further information about the Sarah Thorne Theatre kindly go to their website: http://www.sarahthornetheatre.co.uk

Please Download the Booking Form Here to find out more information and book your place.

Click Here to See the Poster.

Play Reading, Pre-Christmas Buffet Lunch & AGM

11.a.m. Doggett’s Coat & Badge, 1 Blackfriars Bridge, London SE1 9UD – Nearest tube Blackfriars

The Society has reserved a lovely private room, overlooking the river, on the second floor of Doggett’s public house on the corner of Blackfriars Bridge (South Side). It seats 90 theatre style, so do bring guests.

11.a.m. prompt. THE PLAY READING. ‘Going Back’ by Roy Chatfield.

Roy Chatfield took second prize in The Terence Rattigan Society Award, with his play ‘Going Back’. Julian Fellowes (The Lord Fellowes of West Stafford D.L) presented him with a cheque for £1,000 at the ceremony at Harrow School and the other half of the prize was a rehearsed reading of the play for members of the TRS and their guests. This play alternates between two contrasting worlds – utterly dysfunctional Africa and a cosy, claustophobic world of suburban middle-class England. After six years as the hostage of African rebels, Jules returns home determined to pick up his life where he left it, but his experiences have irrevocably changed him and his family appear not to be the people they were. It is a ‘Rattiganesque’ play in that its broad canvas is coltan mining, hostage-taking and politics, but in fact it is all about people and relationships. Adrian Brown, who was a close friend of Terence Rattigan, is directing and readers include Emily Laing, Giles Cole and Sean Garvey.

12.30/1.p.m. CHRISTMAS BUFFET LUNCH, large selection including turkey/stuffing & cranberry sandwiches, scampi and tartare sauce, cumberland pigs in blankets, chilly chicken skewers, salads, chips, cheese, mince pies and brandy sauce. There will be a private bar adjacent to the meeting room and house wine is £17.95 per bottle.

THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
This will take place at some point during lunch and will be chaired, with his usual clarity (and brevity), by our Secretary, Group Captain Clive Montellier, OBE., RAF.
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Please download the booking form here.