Person: Rosemary Quin

The Sea

Set in 1907, The Sea depicts a small coastal village in East Anglia, sharply divided between ruthless order and rampant chaos. After a beloved resident of the village drowns in a storm at sea, the differing reactions of the villagers reveal a community torn apart by disputes and disorder. Willy Carson, the survivor of the tragic boating accident, stays in the village to grieve for his friend and finds himself entrapped within a hierarchical community presided over by the domineering Mrs. Rafi. Mrs. Rafi lives in the big house and represents order and respectability, surrounding herself with the twittering ladies of the village. Leading the official grieving, she finds herself at odds with the local draper, Hatch, who is continuously rebuffed and put out of pocket by the Grande Dame. Eccentric, or possibly even deranged, Hatch believes that aliens have infiltrated the village from another planet. He identifies Willy Carson’s sudden appearance in the village as proof of the aliens’ arrival and establishes a taskforce to spy on Willy and the wise village drunk, Evens. In a mad rage, Hatch feverishly attacks the washed up corpse of the drowned man with a knife, mistakenly believing it to be Willy sleeping on the beach. In the middle of this madness, Willy encounters Rose Jones, the fiancée of his dead companion. United in their grief, the couple begin to realize that their only hope of moving forwards is to escape from the claustrophobic community and make a life somewhere else. Evens tells Willy he will never find the answers he seeks in the village, and so Willy and Rose board a train and leave the chaos and bitterness far behind.

Edward Bond was born and educated in London. After completing his National Service with the Army (part of the occupation forces stationed in Vienna), and then various jobs, he joined the Playwright’s Workshop at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in June 1958, and his first play, ‘The Pope’s Wedding’, was staged in 1962. He has subsequently written ‘Saved’, ‘Narrow Road To The Deep North’ (presented by TWC in November 1970), ‘Early Morning’, ‘Lear’, and ‘Bingo’. His adaptation of Frank Wedekind’s play ‘Spring Awakening’ was staged by the National Theatre in May 1974 directed by Peter Hall. He has also worked on a number of film screenplays, including ‘Blow Up’, ‘Walkabout’ and ‘Nicholas and Alexandra’.

‘The Sea’ was first performed at the Royal Court Theatre on 22 May 1973, with a cast that included Ian Holm (as Hatch) Diana Quick as Rose Jones and Coral Browne as Mrs Rafi, and directed by William Gaskill. By special arrangement with the author, Theatre Workshop Coulsdon is the first amateur company to perform the play.

The Garden Party

In The Garden Party, Hugo Pludek is an initially inarticulate Czech youth. His parents despair of him, as he spends all his time playing chess against himself. In a desperate attempt to find their son a career, they arrange an appointment for him to see the influential Mr Kalabis, only to find that Kalabis won’t be there as he has to attend a garden party organised by the Office of Liquidation. Seemingly left with little option, they then take the hapless Hugo to the same party and there, strangely, he finds his feet, gaining fluency and reputation by parroting his father’s proverbial middle-class wisdom and the clichés of officialdom. Using his new glibness to climb the bureaucratic career ladder, Hugo meets a seemingly insoluble problem when he is placed in charge of both the Office of Liquidation and the Office of Inauguration. The latter is supposed to dissolve the former, but officials of the Office of Liquidation argue that only the Office of Liquidation can liquidate itself, which is a logical impossibility. And so a new bureaucratic behemoth is formed, the Office of Liquidation and Inauguration, with Hugo at its head. However, his rise in the world causes him to lose touch with his initial identity; and at the end of the play, Hugo undertakes a visit to his former self.

Václav Havel’s “The Garden Party,” first performed in 1963, is as a satirical exploration of life under communist rule in Czechoslovakia. The narrative follows Hugo’s rise through the ranks, highlighting the absurdities of bureaucratic life. Through Hugo’s journey, Havel critiques the alienation experienced in both communist and capitalist societies, suggesting that the communist elite often mirror the opportunism attributed to the bourgeoisie. The play employs elements of absurdism, reminiscent of Western dramatists, while incorporating a moral protest against the oppressive realities of its time.

The performance by Theatre Workshop Coulsdon at the Coulsdon Youth and Social Centre represented the play’s first performance anywhere in the UK.

Pygmalion

George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion is a satire of early 20th century British society. First staged in 1913, the play is an adaptation of the ancient Greek myth of Pygmalion and Galatea. Shaw refreshes the tale, using wit and humour to poke fun at the British class system. At its core, the story centres on Eliza Doolittle, a poor flower girl, and her transformation into a refined lady. The characters are complex, showcasing Shaw’s brilliant dialogue and keen social observations.

The plot unfolds when Professor Henry Higgins, a confident phonetics expert, makes a bet with Colonel Pickering. He wagers that he can train Eliza to speak like a duchess in six months. The transformation process begins with Higgins refining her speech and teaching her manners, aiming to showcase her at a high society event. At first, Eliza struggles, but she possesses an unexpected resilience. As her language skills improve, she surprises everyone with her newfound confidence. However, Higgins, in his scientific enthusiasm, fails to regard Eliza as a human being, his condescending attitude starkly contrasting with Eliza’s evolving self-worth. The audience watches as she breaks free from Higgins’ oppressive treatment, navigating her identity in society. This leads to comedic moments, often underscored by witty banter between the characters, including the lovable Alfred Doolittle, who frequently adds humour with his flawed wisdom.

Finally, Eliza expresses her anger and hurt to Higgins, asserting that her worth is not dictated by how he treats her or by her accent. No longer a mere experiment, she’s a strong, independent woman. Eliza rejects Higgins’ objectification and chooses to forge her own path, opting for a life with Freddy Eynsford-Hill instead of returning to Higgins’ bleak existence. Higgins is left bewildered by her departure, signifying his unexpected emotional attachment despite his prior indifference.

Given the experimental nature of much of the following decade, this opening gambit from Theatre Workshop – Coulsdon was a strangely conservative choice, possibly owing more to its predecessor, CYTO (Croydon Youth Theatre Organisation) than the aims and ambitions of the new group. We have only the review in The Croydon Advertiser to guide us here though, no programme or other records, and thankfully it namechecks a fair few participants. However, a number of the names involved in this initial foray are never to be seen acting with the group again.
 
Note that the name of the group is ‘Theatre Workshop – Coulsdon’, with a dash. Clearly there’s an aspirational thought toward somehow mimicking the success of Joan Littlewood’s Theatre Workshop, which showed ambition.