Rushen Players
History Committee Constitution
Trouble Ahead
| Perhaps
there is no amateur dramatic society in existence which has not at some
time experienced problems through a clash of personalities, differences
of opinion upon the choice of a play, strong feelings aroused through
the casting of roles and criticism of the work of the Committee or of
the methods of production and direction. Inevitably some thespians seem
to be over sensitive and hard to please. The Rushen Society encountered
problems such as these after little more than two years. Don Williamson was not aware of anything amiss until he was summoned to attend an extraordinary general meeting of the Society. Then he discovered that there was a serious rift in the camp. It would seem invidious to name names and to dwell too long on this dispute which occurred such a long time ago. Suffice it to say that there was a demand for a certain outspoken member of the Committee to be expelled from the Society. Strong views were expressed on both sides and a serious split developed, leading to the resignation of about a third of the members, including the Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. Those with opposing views were determined that the Society must not be allowed to die and they successfully set about electing a new Committee, finding a new, effective Chairman from outside the Society and enlisting the services of a new and experienced producer. Thus the demise of the Society, at a very early age, was narrowly averted and in the following years many very successful productions were staged. But when things are running smoothly members are sometimes inclined to become complacent and apathetic. More problems of a different nature can arise. One record which has survived is a letter dated 31st August 1967 addressed to the honorary Secretary by the Society's regular producer at that time, Orry Wrangham. This letter is reproduced in full below. Dear May, Last night was no improvement on the standard of attendance at play readings, rehearsals and even the A.G.M. this year. Three members who had been cast by the Committee for the play chosen by the Committee attended, Kathleen, Frances, and Geoff. I am afraid, as far as I am concerned, that this is the last straw and I would suggest that an extraordinary general meeting of the Society should be called as soon as possible, either whilst I am away or on the date we next have the room booked, Wed. 20th Sept., at which the future of the Society can be discussed. There seems to be no sense in carrying on as we have been this year when the majority of our members have shown a complete lack of interest in the well-being of the Society, when we have just wasted time and money at meetings which have been scantily attended, bought book sets which we have not used, at considerable expense and what is far worse, we have irreparably damaged our image with the public. I dislike seeing some of our keener members insulted by the lack of interest of others and dislike being made a fool of myself, as I have personally wasted hours preparing plays for production, to no result. It seems possible to me that I am responsible in some way for the lack of interest and therefore, I shall be prepared to hand in my resignation as producer at any time. This is a great disappointment to me after so many happy years and productions with the Society, to say nothing of the pleasant memories of the members it has been such an honour and pleasure to work with but there are limits beyond which I am not prepared to go. My thanks go to you all and especially the Committee who have always backed me so fully. With all good wishes. Yours sincerely, ORRY WRANGHAM Orry's firm handling of the situation seems to have achieved the desired result. Don Williamson describes Orry (real name Orestes!) as a man of great imagination who showed endless patience in developing hidden talent. A former Guards officer, he planned plays with military precision and his copy of the script was interleaved with coloured diagrams of movements but he certainly did not drill actors or stage staff. Indeed Don remembers him as normally soft-spoken. It was an advantage to the Society that, as the estate manager at the Nunnery, Orry was frequently able to tap the resources of the Nunnery for stage props. No doubt there have been other producers and directors since then who, from time to time, when things were not going well, might have been strongly tempted to give vent to their feelings in the same way as Orry. Some years later there was another crisis which almost led to the Society's dissolution. The play which was to have been presented in the summer of 1988 had to be cancelled because the leading character had to withdraw at short notice and it was too late to find a replacement. In any case there was no other suitable member of the Society available and it would have been necessary to try to recruit a guest player from another group. This was particularly unfortunate as this presentation, the eleventh of the Society's annual summer projects, would have coincided with the group's fortieth anniversary. By 1989 membership had fallen so low that it was quite impossible to stage a play and interest was at a very low ebb. At a meeting held the following year it was recorded that the current Committee was unanimous in the view that it would be in the best interests of the Society to take a complete break from any further activities for about twelve months. In June of 1990 the annual general meeting attracted an attendance of only seven members and a further extraordinary general meeting was convened for the express purpose of determining the future of the Society. Only seven members attended this special meeting and all but Stan Woollock felt that activites should be suspended for at least one year. Stan contended that in his opinion such a course would almost certainly spell the end of the Society and he urged the rest to continue with monthly playreadings and social events in the hope that new members might eventually be recruited and interest revived. Happily this time there was no serious split. All those who were inclined towards suspension and possible dissolution threw their weight behind the decision to try to keep the Society afloat. Virtually every existing member was hijacked to serve on the Committee! Slowly the situation improved. In the midsummer of 1992 a news letter was circulated to all past and present members and others who might be interested and eventually new members came along and the Society was successfully resuscitated. Minutes of the annual general meeting held in June 1993 record that " ... the Society appears to be coming out of the doldrums and on course for success. The chairman expressed the hope that with hard work and support from the whole membership, the Society will thrive." |
| The following pages are taken from Stan Woolock's History of Rushen Amateur Dramatic Society's written in 2001 and with some updates to reflect changes from 2001 to 2013 |
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