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an ante-room which doubled-up as the ‘green room’ and the girls’ boot room - one could say that the Old Gym was very intimate! I’m quite sure that
my own love affair with amateur dramatics which endured for many years began at Sibford, and certainly the ‘smell of greasepaint’ never left me. My first major venture into the acting world was to take part in Ted Langford’s Year Seven production of ‘Treasure Island’ in the summer of 1950. Ted was a teacher of English and Drama for the Junior department. I had the role of Long John Silver and must have been one of the shortest John Silvers on record!
The dramatic skills of the legendary Gladys Burgess, who was Deputy Head and taught English and Drama to the rest of the school between 1930 and 1963, was a major influence in my progress as an amateur thespian.
Despite her
somewhat dour countenance, Gladys came alive with the theatre and it was quite clearly her forté. She produced many memorable productions such as ‘Toad of Toad Hall’ (1941), ‘Victoria Regina’ (1950) and ‘Abraham Lincoln’ (1951). The productions in the Old Gym were magical. Theatrical mystique was in abundance and the adrenaline flowed in bucketfuls. The intimacy of that hall created a theatre of dreams.
Pictured above, Michael Finch as Widow Twankey in the Sibford Drama Group production of Aladdin in 1984
48 / The Sibfordian
In that period the make-up was always done by
Jessie Johnstone, wife of the then Head, the enigmatic Arthur Johnstone. Again the influence of her amazing skill fired my own interest in theatrical make-up which in later years I was able to put to good effect when I came back to work at Sibford in 1982 and looked after school productions for several years. I was privileged to appear in the very last play to be
performed in the Old Gym in February 1953. It was one of Gladys Burgess’s favourites called ‘Mr Sampson’ and I appeared as the love torn Mr Sampson. I also hold the distinction of being one of the first boys to act in the new school hall (now the Oliver Studio). It was at General Meeting in June 1954 and the play was ‘Dinah’s Master’ written by a much loved Quaker historian Beatrice Saxon-Snell whose speciality was in lecturing with dolls dressed in historical costume dating back to Saxon times (interestingly these dolls have now been donated to the school and are on display in the Textiles department). The Old Gym however, was not just an important place to the school, it was also important to the village as it was the only sizeable place in the community where residents could meet. Neither the ‘Ferris’ nor the ‘Gower’ had village halls until their present one at Sibford Gower was opened in 1957. The Old Gym housed political meetings and was used as a polling station during national and local elections. It was also the place that Sibford villagers heard a radio transmission for the first time. The Main Hall was built in 1975 and added a vast
new arena to house an ever expanding school. Its current refurbishment, with a new stage and tiered seating, promises to be an exciting development – but I wonder if it will ever capture the magic of the Old Gym? Being an optimist I’m sure it will!
Michael Finch School Archivist and Historian
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