Rattigan on Screen at the Cinema Museum

Christmas Event: Saturday 3^rd December, 2016

2 Dugard Way (off Renfrew Road), London SE11 4TH

Rattigan on Screen

2.30 p.m..  The Cinema Museum

Guest of Honour:  Liz Fraser

London’s Cinema Museum is devoted to keeping alive the spirit of cinema. Set in historic surroundings in the former Lambeth Workhouse, Kennington, close to the Elephant & Castle, the Cinema Museum houses a unique collection of artefacts, memorabilia and equipment that preserves the history and grandeur of cinema from the 1890s to the present day, including items relating to former Workhouse inmate, Charlie Chaplin.

Clive Montellier will open the event by interviewing our Guest of Honour, Liz Fraser. Well known for her many appearances in British films, Liz Fraser has a number of connections with the world of Rattigan. In 1970, she appeared opposite Telly Savalas in a TV production of Man and Boy, and she has also appeared on stage in Flarepath. In addition, one of her early cameo roles was in Wonderful Things, opposite our President in her film debut.

Our featured film for the day will be ‘The Sound Barrier’ released in 1952 with screenplay by Terence Rattigan. Epitomising the groundbreaking work of the British aviation industry, this was the film highlighted by Simon Heffer in his address to the Birthday Dinner as one of the shining examples of post-War British film-making. Our day will also include a tour of the museum for those who have not already had this experience.

Tickets cost £12 to include refreshments.

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Day-long Event: “Rattigan Returns”

In Depth: Rattigan Returns

Thu 15 September, 10.30am – 4.30pm
Running Time: 6hrs approx

Clore Learning Centre: Cottesloe Room

Terence Rattigan’s work has seen a recently resurgence in theatres across the UK. Playwright, teacher and academic Dan Rebellato will lead this day-long event which explores the renewed interest in Rattigan’s work. Rattigan was one of the most successful playwrights of the 20th century, with many of his plays receiving long West End and Broadway runs, numerous revivals, and transfers to screen. Until recently, he tended to be dismissed as a lightweight, class-bound, conservative and even emotionally dishonest writer of mere ‘well-made plays’. This event is an opportunity to look again at his plays and his reputation, revealing the extraordinary precision and subtlety of his craft, and the bold, emotionally rich, socially questioning aspects of his work. The day will look at The Deep Blue Sea, which currently in repertoire at the National Theatre, and consider works like After the Dance, The Winslow Boy, The Browning Version, and Separate Tables, as well as other, lesser-known plays.

With Michael Darlow, author of Terence Rattigan: the Man and his Work, and Sean O’Connor, producer of the film of The Deep Blue Sea (2011). Extracts from Rattigan’s plays will be read by members of the NT Company, directed by Rosemary McKenna.

Tickets £45/£34

https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/depth-rattigan-returns

Rehearsed Reading of ‘Follow My Leader’ Dinner and A.G.M.

Award-winning director and friend of Terence Rattigan, Adrian Brown, will be directing members of the Society (VOLUNTEERS PLEASE) in a rehearsed reading of ‘Follow My Leader’, written in 1938 but banned by the Lord Chamberlain until 1940. Members who attended the Oxford Conference will recall the extracts from the play performed as part of Michael Darlow’s unforgettable final conference session.

The evening will begin with drinks and the rehearsed reading, followed by dinner during which our Annual General Meeting, will be conducted (professionally but with brevity) by TRS Secretary Clive Montellier. The event will be hosted by Denis Moriarty, a member of the exquisite Oxford & Cambridge Club through whose auspices we shall have access to this unique venue.

The foundation of the Oxford and Cambridge University Club dates from a meeting of members from the two universities held at the British Coffee House, 27 Cockspur Street on 17 May 1830, with Lord Palmerston in the chair.  The meeting resolved that a club consisting of members of both universities should be formed “for the association of individuals educated at those universities and for promoting and continuing a mutual interest and fellowship between them.” This remains the Club’s ethos.  Denis Moriarty will be happy to escort members on a tour of the club during a break in the proceedings.

Please fill out our form here to express your interest.

Previous Members’ Event: Rattigan on Screen

Rattigan on Screen

2.00 p.m. a tour of the Museum and film screening

London’s Cinema Museum is devoted to keeping alive the spirit of cinema. Set in historic surroundings in the former Lambeth Workhouse, Kennington, close to the Elephant & Castle, the Cinema Museum houses a unique collection of artefacts, memorabilia and equipment that preserves the history and grandeur of cinema from the 1890s to the present day, including items relating to former Workhouse inmate, Charlie Chaplin. Our visit will include a tour of the Museum collection, followed by screening of a Rattigan-related film (either an adaptation of one of his plays or one of his screenplays) with a ‘supporting programme’ of material from the Museum’s collection. Tickets cost £12 to include refreshments.

To add a sense of audience participation, please vote for your preferences of film from the following selection:
Movies on 16mm film: The Browning Version. Movies on DVD: The Deep Blue Sea (1955), Separate Tables (1958), The Way to the Stars, Bond Street, The Yellow Rolls Royce, The Sound Barrier, The Browning Version, The Man Who Loved Redheads. TV productions: The Winslow Boy (1977), The Browning Version (1985), Adventure Story (1961), Heart to Heart (1962), Separate Tables (1970), French Without Tears (1976). We can’t guarantee to have every film available on the day, but these are the ones we hope to be able to choose from.

and an optional pre-event

Lunch at Brasserie Toulouse Lautrec
12 noon. 140 Newington Butts, Kennington, London SE11 4RM
Head Chef: Florent Regent

Download the Flyer Here

IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF RATTIGAN

CONFERENCE AT TRINITY COLLEGE, OXFORD.

Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th June, 2015

The Society is holding its first conference on Terence Rattigan next year at his former college – Trinity College, Oxford. Full details appeared in Issue number 11 of ‘The Rattigan Version’, our quarterly newsletter available for viewing on this website. For further details about the conference, please e-mail barbara.longford@ntlworld.com

Previous Event: V & A Archives

DO JOIN US:

For a unique event on Monday 8th September, 2014, when Society members will have exclusive access to the Rattigan Collection at the Department of Modern & Contemporary Performance of the V & A Archives Centre.

The V & A theatrical archives are housed in Blythe House, West Kensington, in a remarkably grand and imposing building, which also holds the archives and some of the collections of the Science Museum and the British Museum. This remarkable edifice was built between 1899 and 1903 as the Headquarters of the Post Office Savings Bank. Originally thousands of staff members worked in the building and some 1,000 of them were female; to avoid the risk of improper mixing of the sexes, females were segregated in the south block of the building with its own entrance. Today, the security guards take three hours to patrol the building. Blythe House has great attractions for film producers. Stephen Poliakoff filmed the hotel interiors there for his recent BBC2 series ‘Dancing on the Edge’ and the most recent film of ‘ Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’, with Gary Oldman used it for many scenes.

Kate Dorney is the Curator of the Department, which now houses the contents of the former Theatre Museum in Covent Garden and she and Barbara Longford have arranged a special day for our members. From 10.30 a.m. Kate will give a talk and tour of the Theatre and Performance Collection and we shall be able to view Terence Rattigan material from the Collection, which will be layed out in display form. Michael Darlow will host the event from our side and will try to answer members’ (and staff) questions arising from the items we see.

The collection of letters is rather moving. Some of the correspondence deals with the traumatic time ‘Terry’ had when he was asked, when at Harrow, to stand down from the cricket team who were to play against Eton, at Lords. The letters reveal the enormity of the blow for the young man. In one, written to his father, Terry says “I’m far more sorry for your sake than mine…….I’m so sorry that I’ve let you down”. And there’s a letter from the school to Frank Rattigan, saying “I didn’t believe that any boy in that position could possibly have conducted himself in such a gentlemanly way as Terry did. My task was made infinitely easier and I shall never forget his behaviour.”

There’s a letter Terry wrote to his parents with its original envelope to Frank Rattigan Esq, 19 Stanhope Gardens, postmarked Harrow 11th January, 1929. One can imagine the boy posting it in the Harrow postbox. It reveals how mature and stylish and witty the young man was. A letter written from Terry’s prep school, Sandroyd is written to “Dear Gran” and Signed “With love and kisses from Terry xxxxxxxxxx. There are two remarkable letters written to Terry’s brother Brian on his 21st and then 22nd birthdays and much more.

There are also production files, play scripts, photographs, posters, designs and tinsel prints and objects. For example, the production file for ‘After the Dance’ (1939) contains an enormous and fascinating collection of newspaper cuttings of reviews from ‘Romeike & Curtis Ltd’, in Shoe Lane, London E.C.4.

There’s a theatre programme for ‘First Half’ which took place at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket on 10th January, 1972, “to honour Sir Terence Rattigan and to aid the Combined Theatrical Charities”. ‘First Half’ included a performance of Harlequinade with Alec McCowen and Joan Greenwood and Table Number Seven, with Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson.

This part of our day will end at 12.30 p.m. and as no food or drink is allowed on the premises we shall go to a nearby pub for lunch. Barbara Longford hopes to arrange a pleasant and inexpensive private room for the group.

After lunch, at 2 o clock, we return to Blythe House for a private screening from the National Video Archive of Performance of the centenary year production of ‘Cause Celebre’ at the Old Vic, directed by Thea Sharrock, with Anne-Marie Duff as Alma Rattenbury. The day will end at 4.45 p.m.

The exact venue for our day is The Clothworkers’ Centre for the Study and Conservation of Textiles and Fashion. It is a brand new study and research area located inside Blythe House and is a wonderfully light space able to accommodate larger groups.

Blythe House is situated at 23 Blythe Road,London W14 0QX
Nearby underground stations within 10-15 minutes walk are:
Barons Court (District and Piccadilly lines)
Hammersmith (District, Hammersmith and City and Piccadilly lines)
Shepherd’s Bush (Central and Hammersmith and City lines)
West Kensington (District line)
Buses 9, 10, 27, 28 and 391 go to Olympia.

To Book: Click here for a booking form.