1942

In 1942 the Allertonshire Players were born. In Wartime Britain there clearly wasn't enough to be getting on with, and the urge to put on a show could no longer be resisted! Well, I for one am very glad that those brave souls decided to act for the war effort and that nearly 65 years later the group they started is still putting on plays. Jolly good show! 1943 Juno and the Paycock by Sean O’Casey The Players' first ever production - 19 parts and not much doubling up. Well, there wasn't the telly was there? Interestingly all the actors are known purely by their surname and initial in the programme - very formal. The play ran on the 4th and 5th June 1943 and was presented at the Northallerton Evening Institute. I am extremely grateful for the loan of this programme and others from the 1940s, including some excellent photographs.

1943 - 1976

There are no specific dates recorded for some of the following productions - if anyone knows exactly when they were, please let me know! Thanks

When we are Married by J.B. Priestley

Candida

Nine Til Six

Quiet Wedding

Walking down the High Street

February 1946

Pride and Prejudice by Helen Jerome Dramatised, of course, from Jane Austen's novel, this play is described as 'a sentimental comedy in three acts.' Act 2 contains a rather major change of scene between Aunt Gardiner's home in Cheapside and the Drawing Room at Lady Catherine de Burgh's home at Hunsford, Kent. Programme courtesy of Colin Narramore

November 1946

Mystery at Greenfingers by J.B. Priestley The Scene throughout is one of the Staff Rooms at the large Greenfingers Palace Hotel, in the Peak District. The play was put on aid of the Northallerton War Memorial.

February 1947

Ladies in Retirement by Edward Percy and Reginald Denham The scene is laid in the living room of an old house on the marshes of the Thames Estuary some ten miles to the east of Gravesend. A newspaper clipping states the following: 'Set in an old house on the marshes of the Thames Estuary in the last quarter of the last century, this play escapes classification as a melodrama by a narrow margin. It calls for a talented company to put it over convincingly, underlining the tragedy of a strong-willed woman fighting for the well-being of her simple-minded sisters against the selfish obstinacy of her dishonest nephew.' Thankfully the Players rose to the challenge and 'avoided the many pitfalls which the play offers and kept its course on the thin edge of reality clear of farce and melodrama which lay on either hand.' Praise too for stage management - 'It was attention to detail which made this production a success. The set was excellent. I had not realised that old furniture could be grouped with such taste or that bricks and plaster and old beams could be counterfeited to such advantage. The lighting was beyond reproach, the atmosphere just right.' Programme courtesy of Colin Narramore

1947

The Confederacy by Sir John Vanbrugh This play, written by Sir John Vanburgh, the architect of Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard, was first played at the Haymarket in 1705. The critic, Hazlitt, said of it: 'It is a comedy of infinite contrivance and intrigue, with a matchless spirit of impudence.' The play takes place in and around the house of Gripe, a rich money-scrivener. I particularly like the sound of Mrs Amlet who is described as 'a seller of all sorts of private affairs to the ladies.' The programme notes on the back that: 'The Annual General Meeting of the Allertonshire Players will be held at the Allertonshire County Modern School on Wednesday, the 30th April next at 7.30 pm. Past and present members of the Society and all members of the public interested in any aspect of play production are cordially invited to attend.'

January 1948

First Annual Drama Festival This festival of four plays - 'The Dear Departed' by Stanley Houghton, 'Joint Owners in Spain' by Alice Brown, 'The Illusionist' by Philip Johnson and 'Still Life' by Noel Coward - was put on, according to the programme for the following reasons: 'This Festival was originally intended to be a festival for Youth - the under "twenty ones" - but the abolition of the basic petrol ration made this impossible and only four Youth societies entered. At short notice the Allertonshire Players decided to put on four plays of their own in order to make a small festival and not disappoint those Youth societies which had entered teams. It is hope, if this first effort is a success, to hold further drama festivals annually. This must depen, to a large extent, upon the support which is given by the public.' I have no record as to whether further festivals were held. Mr Pim Passes By by A.A.Milne This play takes place in the Morning Room at Marden House, Buckinghamshire on a morning in July.

February 1948

This Happy Breed by Noel Coward The action of the play passes in the dining room of the Gibbons' house, No. 17, Sycamore Road, Clapham Common. A three act play covering 20 years from June 1919 to June 1939. There is an age table in the acting edition which I have also been lent which details all the ages of the characters during each scene - a useful aide memoire. The fee payable to Samuel French to perform this play was 5 guineas and interestingly there is a reduction to 4 guineas for subsequent consecutive performances. What a good idea!

June 1948

The Bourgeois Gentilhomme by Moliere With music by Lully. The play is in five acts and the scene throughout is a room in Monsieur Jourdain's house. Apparently Moliere wrote it to celebrate the visit to Paris of an emissary from the Sultan of Turkey! Was Northallerton ready for such high culture - who knows? But never mind about that - look at the set!! In the programme the men are still only initials but the ladies have been allowed their first names. The back of the programme tells us that there are productions booked at the Northallerton Evening Institute for October and December 1948 and February and April 1949. How did they do it?

Sept 1948

The Poltergeist by Frank Harvey A three act play set in the Vicarage of Long Barrow near Dartmoor. This play was performed at the Allertonshire County Modern School on Friday 3rd Sept 1948 at 7.30pm, and on Saturday 4th Sept 1948 at 2.30 and 7.30pm. The men still haven't got first names.

To Kill a Cat by Roland Pertwee and Harold Dearden The scene is the lounge hall of Mrs Proust's house near London in the Autumn of 1937. A newspaper clipping says: 'Players triumph at Northallerton' and continues: 'The Allertonshire Players have become a welcome and one hopes, permanent feature of the life of Northallerton. No doubt they keep a record of their productions. If so they may mark with a red letter - if not one of gold - their production of 'To Kill a Cat' which opened on Thursday night. I cannot imagine that the reviewer imagined such a record being kept on a website but it is nice to know that their comments have been kept for posterity. The review continues: 'For a reason which I have never been able to understand, the producers, with the stage manager and all the behind the scenes people who normally receive this courtesy, are omitted from the list of credits on the Players's programmes.' A good point and it does seem to have been the case that the actors were the only ones credited. The reviewer concludes, acerbically: 'They might conceivably fare better if they exhibited bills or lent stage properties.' And this photo shows what a good job back stage people did. What a staircase!

December 1948

Wasn't it Odd? by Kenneth Horne The action of the play takes place in the Lounge at Aston Hall at Christmas. So given that it was performed in December, very topical. Programme courtesy of Colin Narramore

February 1949

Quiet Weekend by Esther McCracken The play was set in the living room of the Royds' cottage in Throppleton in September. The Players' clearly hadn't quite decided what to put on for their next production when the programme was printed as it says on the back - "An announcement will be made in the Press, as early as possible, on the choice and date of our last presentation of the 1948/9 Season." Programme courtesy of Colin Narramore

October 1949

Saloon Bar by Frank Harvey The action of the play takes place in the Saloon Bar of the 'Cap and Bells', a public house in a triangle bounded by Shaftesbury Avenue, Charing Cross Road and Oxford Street. The review in a local paper said: 'It was busy down at the old 'Cap and Bells' last night. There was a baby being born upstairs, a bit of firting between the barmaid and the waiter, a crowd of Mayfairites to stare at, and, for full weight, a murder to solve.' Photo courtesy of Colin Narramore. The stage furnishings were lent by the Fleece Hotel.

February 1950

Les Foubieres de Scapin and L’Amour Medecin by Moliere Otherwise known as 'That Scoundrel Scapin' and 'Love's the best Doctor'. I am told that that producer of the Allertonshire Players' Moliere productions translated them himself from the French.

April 1950

Dear Octopus by Dodie Smith The action of the play takes place at the Randolphs' country house in North Essex, during a weekend in late Autumn. Coffee could be obtained after Acts I and II in the Entrance Hall, at Evening Performances only - so there was clearly at least one matinee. Programme courtesy of Colin Narramore

October 1950

Fools Rush In by Kenneth Horne The play was set in the lounge-hall of Angela Dickson's house at Ilcombe in Kent. A summer morning. The Telephone Manager, G.P.O., is thanked for the loan of the telephone. The play would appear to be about a wedding as among the characters there are Pam (bride), Joe (bridegroom), Millicent (bridesmaid) Angela (Pam's mother) and Charles (Angela's finance). I think the last one might be a typing error!(not mine though) Programme courtesy of Colin Narramore

November 1950

The Chiltern Hundreds by William Douglas Home The play takes place in the sitting room of Lister Castle in the summer of 1945. It revolves around the General Election and a subsequent By-election.

A Murder has been Arranged by Emlyn Williams

May 1951

Wives and Daughters by Margaret Macnamara This is based on the novel by Mrs Gaskell and is described as an intimate comedy in three acts. There were intervals of ten minutes between acts during which coffee was served. Definitely a money spinner having three acts! Programme by courtesy of Colin Narramore.

December 1951

You Can’t Take it with You by Moss Hart and George Kaufman The play was set in the home of Martin Vanderhof in New York on a Wednesday evening in 1937. A chance to test out the American accents?

April 1952

The Happiest Days of Your Life by John Dighton This was a farce set in the Masters' Common Room at Hilary Hall School for Boys, in Hampshire. The posters for this play were apparently produced by the North Riding County Council Staff Arts Club. Programme by courtesy of Colin Narramore

January 1953

Treasure Hunt by M.J.Farrell and John Perry The action of the play passes in the drawing room of Sir Philip Ryall's home, Ballyroden, in the south of Ireland. A newspaper review said: 'The efforts of a young impoverished Irish baronet to improve his fortunes by taking English paying guests into his ancestral home in face of opposition from equally poor elder relatives porvided plenty of material for comedy...It was a happy choice of play for the company after a too-long absence from the N'teron stage.' Strange abbreviation for Northallerton. I wonder what happened in 1952?

Without the Prince

1954

A Phoenix too Frequent

1954

Twelve Pound Lock by J.M Barrie

1954

Waltz Time

1954

Relative Values by Noel Coward

March 1955

The White Sheep of the Family by L. du Garde Peach and Ian Hay The action of the play takes place in the living room of the Winters' house in Hampstead. A newspaper review said: 'With good bookings and an unusually large first night audience the Allertonshire Players were practically assured, at the outset, of a success with their current production and the performance has added to the already considerable prestige of the Players. It is pleasing to see the increased patronage for amateur drama and it would seem, in Northallerton at least, that the lure of the television set is on the wane and the public interest in the amateur stage restored, particularly when the choice rests on light comedy, which is now finding so much favour in the town.' That television eh? New fangled nonsense. Not all was well with the production though and the reviewer goes on: 'After a hesitant and somewhat subdued start on the opening night the Allertonshire Players settled down to give a competent performance. Brilliance was rare.' He or she went on to complain that it was hard to hear some of the actors and that the settee was far too low to see from the back of the hall.

1955

The Shop at Sly Corner

February 1956

The Blue Goose by Peter Blackmore The action of the play takes place in the Portals' lounge. A note in the programme announces: 'Prizes will be presented to the winners of the Poster Competition after the final curtain on Saturday.' And yes, that is a fish being held up in the photo!

April 1956

Iron Curtain by Val Gielgud The action of the play takes place during the Autumn of 1946, in a schoolroom in a small Austrian town on the border of the British and Russian Zones of Occupation. There is a detailed background to the play in the programme, as follows: 'More than ten years after the end of the Second World War there are still large numbers of refugees who have not settled down. Many of them have been living in the same camps since their first arrival a number of years ago; old people have died in these camps; children have spent their entire lives there. The scene of the play is set in Austria, a country which, occupied until 1955 by four powers, has had to cope with hundreds of thousands of refugees. The exhibition in the foyer, made up of material supplied by the United Nations Refugee Fund, the Adoption Committee for Aid to Displaced Persons and British Council for Aid to Refugees, gives some slight indication of conditions in the camps and shows the need for the continuation of their work. The Allertonshire Players, therefore, in presenting 'Iron Curtain', felt that the background to the play was so vital that they have departed from their usual type of display in the foyer in order to assist the work, and any donations, which may be placed in the box in the foyer, will be divided between the organisations represented.' For the first time, back stage and front of house people are mentioned in the programme.

1956

The Loving Elms

1957

Traveller’s Joy

1957

The Happy Prisoner

November 1957

The Paragon by Roland and Michael Pertwee The action throughout occurs in the study of Sir Robert Rawley's house in the Vale of Avalon.

January 1958

Jane Steps Out by Kenneth Horne

December 1958

The Whole Truth by Philip Mackie

The action takes place in London, during a single evening. The first and second acts take place in the Paultons' living room and the third act takes place in Inspector Brett's Office and then back to the Paultons' living room. From this it sounds like a thriller, but I have no further information currently.

March 1959

Lady Windermere's Fan by Oscar Wilde

This play has four acts and there were intervals between each one, but the programme cautions: "Please not that coffee and ices will be available only between Acts II and III and III and IV."

1959?

The Reluctant Debutante by William Douglas Home

1959?

Toad of Toad Hall by Kenneth Graeme and A.A.Milne

December 1960

Pink String and Sealing Wax by Roland Pertwee The play - a thriller - takes place in the sitting room of the Strachn family's Brighton house in 1880. A news clipping said "The Allertonshire Players have presented no less than 51 plays over the years, many of them with intriguing titles, and most of them with a great deal of proficiency. But their 52nd production, Pink String and Sealing Wax, must rank not only as the most diverting in title, but one of the most accomplished performances they have achieved." But the age old problem of lack of audience was again in evidence: "...it was unfortunate that on Thursday night all too few people went along to find out for themselves".

December 1961

When we are Married by J.B. Priestley The second time that the Players did this play - the first was in the very early days - so one which obviously stood the test of time! Maybe we should revive it. The newspaper correspondent berated his or her readers, thus: 'This production on Thursday was marred by a small audience. The hall was barely one-third full and this support is not good enough from a town the size of Northallerton." Consider yourself told. Another clip mentions that someone had phoned up the paper for the name of 'our Member of Parliament and the secretary of the Allertonshire Players' Let's hope they didn't want to complain!

March 1962

Flowering Cherry by Robert Bolt The action of the play passes in the kitchen and garden of the Cherrys' house in the suburbs. Jim Cherry is a man whose life is a pipe dream. Although for 25 years an insurance agent and likely to remain so for the next 25 years, he dreams of becoming an orchard farmer in Somerset. He is obsessed with this idea and even goes so far as to order trees. In the kitchen is a barrel of scrumpy and visitors are given a drink and treated to a long speech on the idyllic pastoral life he is about to get for himself and his family. The Darlington and Stockton Times judged it "another satisfactory performance by the Players who very seldom turn in a sloppy production.' More censure for the audience though: "One thing that was rather annoying on Thursday, and perhaps might have unsettled lesser actors, was that twice the audience tittered happily at what they thought was a humorous piece. Instead it was intended to be dramatic; this was not the fault of the players but of the audience's lack of insight. Perhaps the Players have spoilt Northallerton audiences with too many whimsical comedies."

January 1963

The Dover Road by A.A. Milne The scene is the reception room of Mr Latimer's house, a little way off the Dover Road. There was clearly a dip in numbers participating as the programme declares: " New members are urgently required both for acting and back stage if the Players are to continue to function. Anyone interested please come along to the school any Wednesday at 7pm., when they will be heartily welcomed." The play required the cast to eat steaks of turbot, grilled kidneys and chicken casserole on stage, all of which were cooked in the school ovens shortly before the play began, although as the newspaper correspondent lets slip the recipes were not strictly followed, indeed " the common potato was the basic ingredient."

March 1963

A Hundred Years Old by S & J Quintero English version by H & H Granville-Barker The action passes in the small Andalusian town of Arenales del Rio and in the room of Papa Juan's house there. "A play of unusual charm is being presented by the Allertonshire players this week" said the newspaper correspondent, "In this presentation the Allertonshire Players acheived somehting quite different from what has been seen before on the amateur stage in Northallerton, and present a deeply moving study" The usual homily follows: "There was only a small audience for the performance on the opening night, and the Players deserve better support from a town which is fortunate to have such a hardworking amateur dramatic society."

November 1963

The Cure for Love by Walter Greenwood The action of the play takes place in Salford towards the last stages of WWII. "This comedy production by the Allertonshire Players has a plot as uncomplicated as the kindergarten reading book and humour as broad as a bean," said a news clipping,"but in spite of this or, rather because of this, it is a roaring success. The audience on Thursday, refreshingly large for a first night, was content to sit back and let the simple dialogue flow over them...The change of policy in allowing some members of the usual back stage staff to take parts in the play paid off handsomely." Although our correspondent goes on to complain: "One glum note, unforunately. The set for the pub scenes was frankly hideous, and was well below the Players' pare. Surely they could have done better than this" That's what you get for letting back stage staff act!

March 1964

The Middle Watch by Ian Hay and Stephen King-Hall The play takes place on board H.M.S. Falcon, a cruiser on the China Station, in the twenties. The programme notes that Ian Hay was the pen-name of Major General John Hay Beith (1876 - 1952). He was born in Manchester and was Director of Public Relations at the War Office from 1938 to 1941. Sir Stephen King-Hall was a Commander in the Royal Navy until 1929 and an Independent National MP from 1939-1945. Clearly then the Naval detail would have been correct but it does not sound from the review that it was a rip roaring success as a play. "This comedy by Ian Hay and Stephen King-Hall could hardly have been better named. Until the middle it was not worth watching." Things did improve, although "as far as their lines were concerned, the whole cast were very well rehearsed. The same cannot be said for their entrance and exit cues. Too often on Thursday night, when there was a large first night audience, they were left staring at an empty stage."

January 1964

Autumn Crocus by Dodie Smith The action of the play takes place within 24 hours in a quiet valley within easy motoring distance of Innsbruck. "Autumn Crocus is not the easiest of plays for an amateur company," said the review, "It needs delicate handling to retain the sympathy of an audience with, and indeed their interest in, a love affair which never gets anywhere near the bedroom." Tut, tut - the gutter press eh? All they are interested in is sex. On the whole the review concedes that the production succeeded, although "the effect of the entertainment by the guests at the inn was spoiled because the singers came forward and sang to the audience as though they were at a village concert, instead of to their fellow guests." However, "the set was really good, attractive without being arty."

May 1965

Rock-a-bye Sailor by Philip King and Falkland L. Cary Presented at the Allertonshire Girls' County Modern school, as it was known, this play was 'one of the Players' biggest ever successes', 'a laugh a line comedy' - so said the newspaper reviews at the time. All the cast were praised, although the 'cockney' accents did come in for a bit of a battering!

December 1965

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier The action of the play takes place in the Hall at 'Manderley', the home of Maxim de Winter.

May 1966

Hobson’s Choice by Harold Brighouse

The scene is Salford, Lancashire and the period 1880.

A newspaper review made the most of this, as follows:

"Allertonshire Players Amateur Dramatic Society have to move home after 20 years - because of trouble in the kitchens. Stricter Ministry rules mean they cannot use the kitchens of Allertonshire Girls School for dressing and make-up. So next month it's Hobson's Choice - at Northallerton Grammar."

Ha Ha. Sounds like there was a good audience, however, for this well known play, as the leading actor received "the well deserved applause of an audience of some 300 patrons."

Autumn 1966

Shadow in the Sunby Maurice McLoughlin A newspaper review called this 'as far removed from the usual amateur drama material of drawing room comedy and whodunnits as it is possible to get.' A compliment indeed, you might think, although the reviewer also said: 'I would prefer entertainment pure and simple rather than watching a play whose topic is rather sour and moralises too much'! You can't please everyone! The subect of the play was apartheid in South Africa and it was set in a high school. No comments about the accents though, so maybe South African was easier to pull off!

Spring 1967

As Long as They are Happy by Vernon Sylvaine 'These players provide riotous fun for theatregoers in this current production. The modern play is good fun for stuffy conventionalists as well as for the "with it" types, for the playwright makes fun of the crazy situations and oddities who are so much in the news these days.' (Responsibility for any lack of grammar rests with the newspaper reviewer, not me) Ex-theatre girl Stella Bentley is married to a wealthy but serious-minded stockbroker, John, and is stepmother to his three "outrageously mod" daughters, two of whom are married to "odd fellows". The youngest has lost her heart to a crooner more than twice her age - one Bobby Denver. A slick farce, this play was presented at the Northallerton Evening Institute. Apparently, the little dog, "Mr Skeffington", was real!

October 1967

The Young Elizabeth by Jeanette Dowling and Francis Letton The reviewer obviously liked this one, although some do not seem to have agreed with him or her: "Superb Elizabeth - In 20 years of watching amateur productions in Northallerton, I have never seen anything to equal the perfomances given by Allertonshire Players in 'The Young Elizabeth' last night. Against startlingly effective scenes, all the bloody intrigues of mid-16th century Tudor England came to life. It was unfortunate that the quality of the audience did not match that of the players. A minority group in the nearly full house found it necessary to cover up its lack of appreciation of the drama by giggles and even sometimes laughter." Philistines.

April 1968

Listen to thi Mother, Lad by Alan S. Collinson This was a play specially commissioned by the Players from one of their members, school teacher Alan Collinson. The result was this Yorkshire comedy with a prominent local theme. It was his first play and its world premiere was in Northallerton in April 1968! The newspaper review notes that "On the evidence of the first night, Mr Collinson came out of it better than the Players." Ah, well. Interesting to note that there were 24 people in this play! Casts were certainly bigger in those days.

October 1968

The Proof of the Poison by Falkland L. Cary and Philip Weathers

"Old style murder a refreshing change from T.V. offerings.....The plot is far from original and stereotyped characters wade through some woolly writing. But somehow this hardly mattered. Within minutes of the curtain going up the plot has been spelt out and the audience are getting down to spotting their first clues and the whodunnit is on."

A good old fashioned whodunnit which clearly went down well with this reviewer.

April 1969

The Murder of Maria Marten or The Red Barn by Brian J. Burton

"Murder most boring..."

Not a particularly positive headline, and the review continued in the same vein:

'The sinister deeds in this Victorian melodrama may have satisfied the actors but the medium itself was depressingly poor entertainment.'

Another review opines: "Maria Marten is not up to Players' standard." 14 scene changes made it drag apparently.

October 1969

Celebration by Keith Waterhouse / Willis Hall

Sounds a bit like "4 weddings and a funeral" this one. Act 1 was the wedding of Christine Lucas to Bernard Fuller (at the Cricketers' Arms) and Act II was the funeral of Mr Arthur Broadbent.

It is described in the review as "A potboiler with the typical back-chat of a working class family in situations of perarations for a family wedding, and subsequently a family funeral. It provides something of the atmosphere of a two bit Coronation Street serial." A bit less posh than "4 weddings and a funeral" then.

It seems to have gone down ok though, providing the audience "with easily digestible fun and a pleasantly relaxing evening."

April 1970

The Matchmaker by Thornton Wilder The play takes place in the early 1880s in New York. One reviewer enjoyed it immensely: "the play ran with a hitch, seating was well planned, flower arrangements beautiful, and every little detail attended to, so that the audience could enjoy a good night out. I thought that the sets were attractive, especially the hat store. A lot of ingenious planning had gone into the conversion from the house in Act 1 to the store in Act 2. Anyone who watches and listens to our local amateur production cannot but marvel at the talented people we have in our midst. Year after year they entertain us, striving to keep up the high standard we have come to expect." Another reviewer was not quite so enamoured, although he or she was happy with the Players' performances, thinking that the play itself was "dated".

October 1970

Pickle in Paradise by Sam Bate The action of the play takes place in "Paradise", the home of the wealthy Fairfield sisters. "Right from the word go, "Pickle in Paradise" was a laugh," said one newspaper review, and another had the headline "Corny but a lot of fun". I'm not sure what the plot was exactly but one reviewer, having attended the Thursday performance, said: "I was pleased to hear that on the following two nights of the play, the ending was slightly altered. The one I saw left the audience with a sense of anti-climax, but Friday and Saturday audiences were pleased to see a new bachelor cleric enter just before the curtain came down, so the spinsters could start all over again." Someone must have had to take that part at a moment's notice!

With grateful thanks to Geoff Wall, Allerton Players Archivist and all those members of the Players who have provided photographs and other material