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| 'J. Pierrepont Finch' played here by Stefan Botha leads an all star Wynberg cast - photo courtesy Mike Leresche |
A search through the records of the Tasker Museum, shows that – apart from short one act plays - the first recorded major dramatic production at Wynberg was Shakespeare’s ‘Julius Caesar’ produced by Mrs Erica Tasker in 1942. Wife of the Wynberg legendary history teacher, Eric Tasker, it paved the way for a dramatic tradition at the school which has grown stronger over the ensuing 70 years.
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| Wynberg's 1942 production of Julius Caesar |
Those early years saw a number of Shakespearian and classical productions. I have no doubt that the aim then was similar to the aim today - to ensure that as many pupils gained a dramatic experience as possible. I wonder how many pupils of this school since then have gained the necessary confidence to speak in public because of the opportunities offered to them by innumerable producers on the Wynberg stage?
Cultural opportunities have always been a feature of Wynberg life with many pupils over the years acquiring a life-long love of music because of the passion and commitment of teachers like Arnold Lorie, Vetta Wise and latterly Brian Botha and Peter Catzavelos.
It was not only music. In a recent email to me from Rob Lumb (1960) he recalls Wynberg having its very own Billy Elliot in the 1950’s in Dudley Thompson who was awarded an Honours Award in the annual prizegiving for his feats in ballet. The Honours Award is awarded annually by the school to the pupil ‘who has brought honour to the school by an outstanding performance’. Who says that a boys’ school is only about sport?
In the 1970’s John Baxter revived the tradition of Wynberg producing Shakespeare plays. Hundreds of boys (and girls), who would not normally have volunteered to act on a stage, were introduced to the delights of the Bard with their involvement in Richard III, Hamlet and Macbeth. Two actors who were leads in Hamlet in 1977 donated cups to Drama and today we remember their contribution when we award the Chris Luman Cup for Contribution to Drama and the Greg Brown Cup for the Best Actor. Greg is still a loyal supporter of cultural events at Wynberg while Chris keeps in regular contact from New Zealand.
John Baxter, who now has an outdoor theatre at the school bearing his name, was well known for his wicked sense of humour. Who else would have dared to cast Michael Lewis, grandson of a Jewish immigrant from Russia, as the Archbishop in ‘Richard III’? Andrew Feinstein suffered the same fate when he took on the role of Becket in 1980. Wonderful! John was always ahead of his time in ensuring cross-cultural understanding!
When Gavin Povey produced ‘Royal Hunt of the Sun’ in 1981, it really established Wynberg as a dramatic force. It received rave reviews and Gavin’s production of ‘Joseph’ the following year was so good that it was invited to be performed at the Baxter Theatre. Fiona Chisholm in the Cape Times reported: ‘There is sheer joy and youthful freshness in this Wynberg production. It was a polished show which would have done credit to any professional company.’
Not to be outdone, Derek Wilson in the Argus said: ‘This production is not only a superb vehicle for inculcating a love of theatre at scholastic level, but going by its success, it has probably brought a whole new audience to the theatre.’
Hopefully we can say that about every production put on at Wynberg.
Certainly whole new audiences were brought to the Clegg Hall with a multitude of musical and dramatic productions over the years by the teachers. The first recorded Staff Play was ‘See How they Run’, a three act farce produced by John Baxter in 1978. The school magazine of that year records that I performed the role of a ‘diffident cleric’ (John’s penchant for finding interesting characters to play priestly roles continued unabated…) and the future Rector of Grey, Neil Crawford, that of a ‘bullying sergeant’…. The following year we were both, by chance, in London and noticed that ‘See How they Run’ was on at the Greenwich Theatre. Off we went to the matinee where Neil proceeded to keep the cast on their toes by reciting the words to the audience - before they were uttered on stage. Not everyone around him appreciated hearing the play in stereo and told him so in no uncertain terms. To the relief of all, he sank back into his seat, folded his arms and allowed the cast to get on with it.
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| 'Barcelona! ...' |
Would anyone who saw it, ever forget Dave Schenck, a burly front row forward and Director of Discipline in the school, belting out Freddie Mercury’s ‘Barcelona’ in the 2001 staff production of ‘Twentieth Century Rox’? Or that incident in ‘Caught Napping’ reported in the 1996 magazine where Biology teacher Margie Fisher, with a carrot in her mouth, her hands bound behind her back was ‘hurled off the stage in a wheelbarrow and ended up at the feet of the astonished front row audience’. And it must be said, an equally astonished and concerned cast. To the credit of the acting ability of the teachers, most of the audience thought this was part of the play!
In conjunction with Daphne Jubber, John Baxter’s return to the school in 1995 immediately saw a revival in dramatic productions. Brian Botha brought his talents to a number of musicals which have become legendary in Wynberg’s history:‘Paint your Wagon’(1994),‘Magic of Broadway’(1998), ‘Grease’(2002),‘Guys and Dolls’(2004)and‘Chicago’(2008). John Baxter died in 2006 as he was about to embark on ‘Summer Holiday’ but the school was fortunate that Daphne Jubber volunteered to step into the breach and help out.
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| Paint Your Wagon, 1994 |
In 2000, there was an unexpected consequence during the rehearsals of ‘That’s Entertainment’. A Grade 11 boy, who had an hour’s detention ahead of him, was sent to help to sweep the stage one afternoon by the Backstage Manager, Leon Kruger. Bored with that task, he soon became so absorbed by the rehearsal on stage that he asked if there was a part for him. Brian Botha duly obliged (‘very reluctantly’ he admitted years later…) and the rest is history with Graham Watkins going on to realise a career in singing. In 2009, we were proud to support Graham in the National Finals of ‘Idols’.
In the spirit of all that has gone before, it was with great anticipation that we attended the opening night on Saturday 28 July 2012 of ‘How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying’. After nine months of preparation, actors and actresses from the Wynberg Campus put on this testing musical. Recently produced on Broadway with Daniel Radcliffe, this satirical look at the world of business was brought to the Wynberg stage by Keenan Oliphant and Kathryn Luyt - with Daphne Jubber once again overseeing the choreography and Justin Wardle taking on the role of Musical Director.
The first night audience was not disappointed. The casting had obviously been done with great thought, because all 80 actors and actresses on stage sang and danced and acted like seasoned professionals. It was a stunning production. Anthony Sparrow’s towers set the scene and all involved in the production rose to the occasion. The audience followed suit and spontaneously rose to their feet to applaud after the signature tune of ‘Brotherhood of Man’ concluded the show.
The cast deserved it.
It was not long before the first emails came in:
‘Definitely a "Gold"!’
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| Photo courtesy Mike Leresche |
‘I was not too impressed with having to go out on a Saturday night to school . I did not take too long to get up from that slump because I then enjoyed what I probably rate as the best school production I have had the pleasure of watching. To give you an indication of the high rating - I was awake for the whole show and enjoyed every minute. And this is from someone who slept through Cats in London, fell asleep at U2 at the Cape Town Stadium – as well as the Pink Floyd Concert….’
‘We really enjoyed the show and could not get over how professional it was.’
‘It blew me away’.
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| Photo courtesy Mike Leresche |
‘It made my evening. How did they get schoolchildren to perform like that?’
‘I just can’t get those tunes from the play out of my head!’
‘There was nothing like this in my day in the ‘50’s at Wynberg Girls’ High. We even had to act the boys’ parts!’
‘It was really heart-warming to see Sportsmen, Academics and Service boys all embrace the inner-Culture in true Wynberg style and take to the stage with such enthusiasm and energy.’
‘I was proud to be a Wynberg parent on Saturday night.’
So was I. And I am sure that Erica Tasker would have said the same if she could have seen what her school’s drama department was producing 70 years later.
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| Photo courtesy Mike Leresche |
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1 comment:
A masterful description of the progression of the productions through the ages....thank you for this. it is great to bring the long history of the rich cultural life of the school to the attention of the present generation. So many of the pupils who have been involved in the productions have said that this was the highlight of their school experience and have gone on to pursue careers in the performing arts because of this--my daughter and my son included. Thank you Wynberg!
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