FRIDAY 28th MARCH 1980

Stuart tells me that all is not well with South Pacific, apparently they have massively over reached themselves. Props not finished on time and the actors can’t handle the parts.

I like to think that part of the problem is the lack of Downham, Jones and maybe even Cook. Word is that Graham has been ignoring some of the actors who, quite naturally, have been getting worried about a play which is after all formidable in scope and showing signs of going badly wrong.

Many of the people involved have limited or no previous experience of acting especially in a Gaynesford production and with no older and experienced members to calm their nerves, fears about the possibility or certainty of making fools of themselves have been rife.

To compound the problem, Graham appears to have responded by telling them to get back to work and not be “silly.” This is a recipe for disaster, but our esteemed deputy headmistress seems unable to see this.

Editors note. Orme evidently concerned about how the show was developing sent Graham a note.

From: Helen Or me Headmistress
To: Patricia Graham Deputy
1/4/80
SOUTH PACIFIC DRESS REHEARSALS
Having watched with some interest the dress rehearsal for South Pacific I would be grateful if you would clarify some points for me.
1. Performance length: My copy of the script suggests a running time of approximately 140 minutes. I am therefore puzzled as to how our show appears to run for some 300 minutes, although I would suspect that the 20 minute scene change at the end of Act One and the 30 minute change for Act two were contributory. I am particularly puzzled about the latter since as far as I could discern no props were added or removed during this period. There did however seem to be some form of lively script meeting occurring which may have been contributory.
2. Dramatis Personae : Again some confusion here, my script indicates a total cast of around 30-40. I am intrigued to know why our show appears to have only 12 players with all the major roles shared between five pupils and perhaps more worryingly why not of them appear to befemale.
3. Music : Whilst I applaud innovation, the decision to have a non-musical version of this most famous musical is perhaps flawed. It is generally accepted that audience watch South Pacific for the music and not the dialogue. I would appreciate your urgent comments.
Helen Orme - Headmistress

Editors note. Fortunately for us Cook’s fascination with amateur dramatics continued for some years and an entry in his diary for 1987 made a reference to South Pacific during the course of a stint in pantomime1 in Wallington, Surrey.

No props, rehearsals a complete disaster and a cast who are so wooden that we may need to use creosote. One of our merry men (actually women) was wearing see through hose and had not been told that not wearing knickers was probably not a good idea!

Originally Todd was to be this workshop production which would not impact on the main show. What they overlooked was that all their decent actors were part of the Todd camp. They couldn’t move them because even in GHS, trying to take a child out of an exam for an end of year play would mean raised eyebrows - not to mention lowered wages. But even with that deficit they could have overcome the problem with the aid of a decent director.
Patricia Graham was manifestly not the ideal choice for that sort of thing. Brow beating the pupils into performing was simply never destined to work.

Raven for all his faults could coach and cajole far better performances out of the pupils. I think this may have been because he was prepared to make the same commitment and sacrifices as we made.
From what I recall, they handled the first week’s rehearsals badly as well. There was no feeling of confidence and no gentle easing into the production to give people time to come to terms with the enormity of the undertaking. Confident from what they had achieved from the previous shows they dived in at the deep end and were doubtless surprised when they started to drown.

Sweeney Todd must have put addition stress on the resources, especially when it became apparent that work shop production or not, we would need props and costumes

TUESDAY 2nd APRIL 1980
The work on the new sixth form centre has been completed...

One area is a sort of common room with soft furnishing, lockers, and a kitchen and the other is a study area, with a white board. It glows with an antiseptic whiteness truly terrifying to those of used to the grimy interiors of Gaynesford. The whole thing smells of new carpet and glue.

Orme summons all the prefects to the new centre and delivers the lecture we had been expecting. It's boils down to a threat that if a single mote of dust falls to the floor we will be evicted and never allowed into the splendour of the academic Emerald City again. Orme shanghais Steve and I at the end of the session to tell us that as the oldest pupils it will be our job to enforce her extended series of rules and regulations for the rooms.

Note the use of the words, oldest not most senior, oldest as in best suited to the role of caretaker and cleaner. Steve tells me that Diane, Beverley and Karen had already worked out a complicated rota for washing up and purchasing tea, coffee etc. I don’t object, apparently I am not involved!



WEDNESDAY 3rd APRIL 1980.
At the end of the day, Steve, Mark and I get the key and wander into the new SFC (sixth form centre). Steve appears to be taking his custodial role seriously. He suggests that we should be the first ones to arrive and the last to leave.

Editors note. Meanwhile concerns about the fate of the school’s major piece of publicity continued to be uppermost in the mind of the headmistress. We have reproduced here a series of memos from Orme to Pat Graham requesting updates on the progress of the show. It was clear that she was aware that at some point she would need to consider cancelling South Pacific.

7 April 1980
Memo
From Headmistress
To Deputy Headmistress
What is the progress on the musical score, have you begun?
H Orme - Headmistress

8 April 1980
Memo
From Headmistress
To Deputy Headmistress
I understand that several members of the cast have decided to quit. What is happening?
H Orme - Headmistress

9 April 1980
Memo
From Headmistress
To Deputy Headmistress
I am told that props will not be able to produce all the equipment you need, please advise what is happening?
H Orme - Headmistress

Graham responded to the these memo in writing…

MEMORANDUM
From: Deputy Headmistress
To: Headmistress
9th April 1980

Re: South Pacific

The difficulties with the show have arisen from a variety of different sources.

They seem to boil down to the increasing reluctance of members of the cast to appear in the show. I have spoke to the major part players and they are worried about making a fool of themselves in public. I have pointed out that it would not be in public – only parent, local dignities and a few pupils would be present. No more than 600 or so people. But this does not appear to have been efficacious.

At this stage, I would not be too worried. I plan to speak to the entire cast.

P. A. E. Graham

Cook’s diary picks up the story.

FRIDAY 10th APRIL 1980.
Stuart tells me that there has been some kind of mass walk out of little was left of the cast of South Pacific. Apparently, Graham told them they were behaving like little children, which of course went down very badly with the 2nd and 3rd years.

After being harangued for about twenty minutes, several just pushed off, and it looks like a lot more will not be showing for rehearsals next week. Graham is said to be a very unhappy little bunny!

Later: There is some fall out from the “South Pacific” fiasco, there is no way we are going to have the all props we need for even the minimalist production that Raven envisages. In particular there will be no chair that falls backwards taking Todd’s victim to the cellar. Instead, Raven has come up with a low cost alternative at the point where Todd slices the throat of his victim, we will have a black out and the curtain will close…

I have had some experience of the ability of a Gaynesford production team’s ability to react to curtain close with speed and since I will be the bloke standing there when the curtain fails to come down and the lights stay on I am less than happy. But there seems little I can do.

I consider having a moan, but that would put me too close to the South Pacific camp and our group has been making capital of the fact that we are far more professional than our young colleagues.



SATURDAY 11th APRIL 1980.
Mark, Steve, Beverley, and I all share a birthday in April. We discovered this only recently with Beverley’s revelation that she will be 17 on 25th of the month. For some time now it has been our habit to booze every weekend of the month, now Steve – unwisely perhaps – extends the invitation to the members of the sixth form.

Editors note. We found this account of the evening in what appears any early attempt by Cook to write a screenplay. Our researchers could find no evidence of any other similar work and judging by the expertise shown here that is not that surprising.

“Down Da Pub”
A screenplay by Ron Cook
Mind camera zoom: to smoke filled pub in Carshalton. Pan around smoke filled tables.
Close up group of obviously under-age drinkers at furthest end of pub.
Cut to clearly worried mutant pub landlord.

Rapid dissolve to Nick: He has opened a small notebook and it writing in the slow careful hand of the semi-literate. Ron asks what he is doing. Nick explains that his English teacher has told him that he will improve his literacy if he reads a newspaper and keeps a diary.

Ron asks how the newspaper reading is going Nick explains that he expects to finish it in the next week or so. Nick goes on to explain that he is listing all the drinks he has had that evening and adds B-A-B-Y-C-H-A-M to his list.

Cut to: Stuart who demonstrating to Beverley how it is possible to undo a bra strap from the outside, there is an alarmed shriek and she rushes for the ladies, closely followed by Colleen.

Cut to: Steve he is looking angrily at Stuart and threatening retribution under his breath.
Cut to:The Landlord is about to challenge the drinkers when he notices the approach of the Misses Diane and Beverley, they request various alcoholic beverage exuding sweetness suggestive of the ability to melt butter. Faced with such an onslaught of feminine hormone the landlord relents his decision to kick this bunch of noisy bastards out and pours the drinks.

Back at the seats the girls grumble about being leered at by the potman but derive some satisfaction from the knowledge that he had given them too much change, Diane calculating they have actually made small profit on the transaction. There is some debate about whether they can get away with it again.

Cut to:Ash, he smiles at the collection of drunks and misanthrope and slowly falls asleep, pan to Nick crumpled in a ball in one corner, whether he is drunk asleep or even dead is not clear. Both casualties elicit little in the way of sympathy from the laughing group of teenagers.

Traverse: as several of the boys, including Mark and Stuart head for the toilets and Diane uses the opportunity to grab their drinks creating her own lethal cocktail, which she proceeds to drink in very short order.

Time elapse shot, pub clock.

Cut to: group exiting pub. It is clear that for many of the group this process has more technicalities than they can manage. Stuart and Lee head in one direction, Ron, Steve, and Mark in the other. It is not clear to any of them where the girl go, although their disappearance causes much in the way of adverse comment.

Cut to exterior of pub; There is the usual post drink analysis session conducted outside the pub. Lee and Steve are once more in deep cabal. Ron and Mark lean against the wall of the pub and watched the unhurried passage of the cars and occasional lorry. Eventually the trio makes their slow and unsteady way home, their journey is punctuated with several stops to use unofficial toilets and just before one of these they find Nick standing hopefully by a bus stop.
On being questioned is clear that Nick doesn’t know where he is going. He is bundled onto the first available 157 bus in the vague hope that his home is somewhere in the vicinity of Wallington.

Reverse shot of Cook, Johnson, and Powell Walking along Green Wrythe Lane. Mark suddenly turns left and ducks into an alleyway. The other two wait…

Fade to grey…