A very warm welcome to our production this evening. This is the third Smart
Alex Production in this theatre and I have had the privilege of playing dame
in their 2nd Christmas pantomime King Arthur and now their director of
Enter A Free Man.
Many people
have asked whether Smart Alex is some sort of breakaway group, but in actual
fact it is basically a way of drawing members from local groups together to
stage productions purely for the benefit of the theatre. In these very
depressing times when there are constant rumours about the demise of the
theatre, every bit of help is needed.
This play has
leading members from numerous local societies including The Bognor Regis
Drama Club and BROS Musical Productions.
It was a great
blow when BROS had to cancel their November production of The Mikado
at this theatre, but at least The Mikado (Clive Curtis), Nanki Poo (Damian
MacDonald) and one of the the Three Little Maids (Karen Robinson) can
entertain you with this play whilst BROS plan their next production of ‘Scarlet
Pimpernel’ in the coming year.
As for me, I
have a lot to be grateful for after many years treading the boards in this
theatre. I first appeared here in May 1981 in ‘The Happiest Days of Your
Life’ with the BRATS and in October of that year did ‘Salad Days’
with the Bognor Regis Drama Club.
There are so
many to thank in helping to stage this production - a truly wonderful cast
and also the tremendous help provided by Ashley House veteran John Hayward
and his cousin Bob Barnes (the latter for the amazing grandfather clock and
props), Bruce Stewart (the roof for ‘Riley’s Sponge Principle’), Karen
Robinson (continuity) Kate Whitmill (continuity and Stoppard research) my
wife Elaine Green in so many ways and last but not least the Alexandra
Theatre staff including Ray and of course Mark (staging and advice on just
about everything) and Natalie (lighting and sound).
It is a timely
reminder when putting on a show in this theatre of the enormous amount of
tireless voluntary commitment that Mark, Natalie and Ray put into this
building.
I just hope
that in out tiny way we can remind people that ‘regeneration’ is so much
more than building more flats or more shops and things - if future
generations are to be able to use proper theatre facilities like all those
wonderful youngsters did in West Side Story last week, then we need to act
quickly to safeguard and ‘regenerate’ our cultural heritage.
Anyway, the
grandfather clock is about to make its patriotic chime and take us into the
life of hapless inventor George Riley, his family and his pub friends as he
tries to free himself from ‘dead domesticity’ and start a new life on the
prospects of his latest invention - the reusable envelope.
The title of
the play is drawn from the quotation of French philosopher Jean Jacques
Rousseau - "Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains" and in
the hands of that remarkable writer Tom Stoppard I hope you will now have a
wonderful evening of entertainment and help in some way to save our
theatrical facilities.
Peter Green, Director
