Ron Drew's Music Page -
Activities
Chapter
4 - Personalities
[Acknowledgement
is given to the compilers of biographical notes in the
annual Show Programmes for many of these entries.]
Stewart BLENKINSOP, or 'Stew' as he was affectionately
known, joined the Society in 1953 and after three years on
stage was appointed joint Secretary and Musical Director, (as he joked '...to stop me
singing in public!'). For thirty three years he served 'The Amateurs' in various official capacities and
in honour of his service to the Society he was made a Life Member in 1980.
Stew
not only
directed the music for fifteen shows for the 'Amateurs' but also for several presentations
by other groups in the area including the South
Shields G & S Society and the Georgian
Singers. Many local folk will recall with affection,
the Grosvenor
Singers
founded and, for over fifteen years, directed by him.
Stewart's vocation was always to encourage
talent in others, particularly the young. He wrote and
directed school musicals and was
instrumental, together with Rene Dearden (qv), in the
formation of of the Society's
Junior Section,
conducting their first show, "THE WIZARD OF OZ", in 1979.
At the time of
his death in 1989 Stewart
Blenkinsop was the Society's Honorary President.
Claire Bowler
seen at the tender age of 14 years in the chorus o
f
the 1989 junior SSAOS production of "BYE
BYE BIRDIE" has progressed from leading parts in the Juniors,
to leads in the major productions held
at Sunderland Empire.
With the Seniors
she played the part of Minnie Fay
in "HELLO DOLLY" followed by Liat
in "SOUTH PACIFIC" in
1993 and Peggy Sawyer the
following year in "42nd STREET"
It was dancing, however, that brought Claire
into the limelight at a very early age. She joined the Ethel Hardy School
of Dancing in South Shields at the age of three and started
competing when she was four. She traveled all over the country and won a
number of championships.
Claire
has taken part in pantomimes at both Newcastle and Sunderland,
has done many shows with the Tyne Theatre Stage School and was in the
touring professional productions of the "WIND
IN THE WILLOWS" and "ANNIE"
Alan DAVISON, a well known member of the
police force in South 
Shields,
began his amateur
operatic career in his home town of Darlington
in1977 when he joined DARLINGTON AOS. Since
then he has played leading roles with many societies
in the region as well as doing concert and oratorio
work. Alan has appeared in over 12 productions
with the SSAOS and played a principal part in every
one.
His first role
was as 'Mordred' in "CAMALOT" in 1980 following that up with 'Benny' in "THE DESERT SONG", 'Freddie Eynesford Hill' in "MY FAIR LADY", "HELLO DOLLY"s 'Cornelius Hackl'
and 'Joseph Cable' in "SOUTH PACIFIC". After many juvenile and comedy
parts, Alan's first straight leading role was as 'Julian Marsh' in "42nd STREET"
Val DAWSON
is a member of a number of Societies in the
North-East, playing leads in all the major theatres. Her
early roles with the Society, first as 'Lalume'
in "KISMET"
(1964) and 'Wanda'
in "ROSE MARIE",
are well remembered. Her recent roles with SSAOS include 'Phyllis' in
"FOLLIES"
and 'Aunt
Alicia'
in "GIGI"
(1998 was the third time she has taken this role with various
societies.) With Sunderland AOS
she has played 'Dolly
Levi',
'Calamity Jane'
and 'Bianca'
in "KISS ME KATE".
A seasoned club artiste, Val
remembers singing, at the tender age of 9 years, with the Five Smith
Brothers in panto! She has also been seen on television in plays and commercials as
well as providing voice-overs for the local radio station.
Irene DEARDEN started her amateur theatrical career during 
the
1939-45 war with a local concert party - The Happy-Go-Luckies. Irene had her first role with the SSAOS in1950, the year she joined the Society playing 'Ethel Brander' in "ROSE MARIE" and over the following twenty years
went on to play several other character parts.
By 1955 she was a Committee Member and from 1968 to 1980 was the Society's Hon. General
Secretary. Her
last year of office saw Irene negotiating the move of the annual
production from the stage of the Regent Cinema in South Shields to the larger and more theatrical Sunderland Empire with its much more daunting stage.
Rene's life-long dedication was promoting
the Amateur stage. The Junior Section was initiated by Rene and Stewart Blenkinsop (qv) 'getting their heads together'
in 1979 to find a training ground for the future members of
the Society. She was a Northern Area
Representative for the National Operatic and
Dramatic Association (NODA) for 20
years. Rene died in 1989.
Ron
DREW joined the Amateurs
in 1951after having 14
years experience with Scout Gang Shows
followed by a spell with the
Westovians. (see Theatre
Pages - Amateur
Reminiscences
The period with the South
Shields Amateurs perhaps provided a more suitable vehicle for his love of Amateur Theatre
for it involved all aspects of theatre. This included singing, dancing (in
his case the simplest of steps!) and a small amount of libretto to learn, but
his ability to remember lines was not sufficient to ever consider leading
parts. However it was great fun and a challenge to craft a character of even
the smallest of parts.
He was honoured to receive a Certificate
at the 2001 AGM of the SSAOS acknowledging 50 years membership since joining
the Society at the age of 29 in 1951.
(readers may also wish to refer to page Highlights, News and Gossip
for fuller
information of his amateur theatrical career)
Alec FORRESTER
joined the SSAOS
in1937 and .jpg)
played a succession of leading roles culminating
in the ultimate character 'Doolittle'
in the 1968 production of "MY
FAIR LADY" for which he is best
remembered.
Alec was an Executive Committee
member for 25 years and for a time held the office of Vice - Chairman. In
recognition of his service to the Society
he was made a Life Member
in 1980.
Outside the SSAOS
he was a Headmaster and a great
raconteur.
His knowledge of local Geordie songs and humour made
him a popular entertainer as an after
dinner guest speaker and performer at charity concerts.
He made a 7", 45 rpm vinyl EP recording in 1958 with Charlie Routledge
(qv) at the piano. It contains Geordie classics of song and recitation
such as "THE NEIBORS DOON BELAA", "THE TATTOOIST" and
"OH, HEH YE SEEN WOR JIMMY?" Alec probably perfected his
Geordie accent whilst performing with the local amateur theatre group, 'The
Westovians' (qv)
Alec died in
1991.
Jim GREY was well established in amateur
theatre long before 
he joined the
Amateurs . He started off in the 'Happy-Go-Lucky
Players' (see Chorus
Lines August 2000 for a list of the 1966 cast) following this with a
spell with The
Westovians. One of the many parts Jim
played with them was as Willie Mossop
in "HOBSON'S CHOICE" with Ron
Drew(qv) and Ted
Forrester(qv) playing the two drunks. But he was, unforgettably,
a celebrated panto dame, usually in
outrageous costumes made by himself.
Jim joined the South
Shields Amateur Operatic Society in 1963 and was in the chorus of
that year's production of "BRIGADOON"
and the following year took the part of Hassan-Ben
in "KISMET". Two years later,
in the 1966 production of "FLOWER DRUM
SONG". he played Wang
Chi Yang with a quiet but strong portrayal of the Head
of the Chinese Family Association. After
that he was in many principal roles and will be remembered for his excellent
performances.
Jim Grey was on the Society's
committee for may years and was its Chairman
from 1988 to 1992. He was highly regarded in amateur circles
and was for a number of years the regional representative for the northern
area of the National Operatic and Dramatic Association.
A stickler for detail, Jim had great
artistic flair, but that didn't prevent him from taking on other duties and
he served the Society as a props man or in any other way needed.by the Society
at the time.
In 1996 Jim retired to Easingwold, near York, and died there in 2002
aged 66.
Harry HALLIDAY has been connected with Stage
Management through-out his 'Amateur' career. Stage Management was in the hands of the Halliday family since the days of the Queen's
Theatre in South Shields, the home
of the 'Amateurs' from its inception until it was
destroyed during the war. Harry joined up as Stage
Carpenter in
1950, the year of "ROSE
MARIE"
and graduated to being Stage
Manager when
he took over from his father for "FLOWER DRUM SONG" in1966.
For ten years Harry served on the Executive Committee and the Society owe a lot to him for the smooth
transition from South Shields Regent to Sunderland
Empire in 1981.
Shireen HAMLANI started
in the Junior
Section
of the Society in the
early 1980's and then progressed to the Seniors.
During this period she took principal parts in the 1994 show "42nd
STREET" (Annie),
in 1997 "SINGING IN THE RAIN" (Kathy
Selsen) and in the 1999
production "WEST SIDE STORY"
she played Anita. Shireen
has also played leading roles for other societies including Maria
in "THE SOUND OF MUSIC" at the
Theatre Royal, Newcastle. She has also had leading roles in "GIGI"
and "HALF A SIXPENCE" Her aim
is to turn professional and she has already had a few short TV appearances
Patricia HAWS was
encouraged by her mother to
take to the amateur stage. First it was with St.
Gregory's Players, then South Shields G&S Society and then
the SSAOS.
During this time she has played a number of lead roles:- Hedy
La Rue in "HOW TO SUCCEED",
Babe Williams in
"THE PAJAMA GAME", Hope
and Bonny in "ANYTHING
GOES", Fiona in "BRIGADOON",
Daisy in
"DAISY PULLS IT OFF",
Hodel
in "FIDDLER ON THE ROOF"
and Genevieve
in "THE BAKER'S WIFE" -
which was the north-east premiere.
In the 1997 SSAOS
production of "SINGING IN THE
RAIN", Patricia
played the part of Lina Lamont
Ernest Forsyth HEDLEY (and although he was 
always officially referred to as E. Forsyth Hedley, he was known to members of the Society as 'Ernie'). He started his amateur career in
the back row of the chorus
in "MIKADO", the 1923 production of the SSAOS, and ended
his career with the Society as its
President until his death in 1986 at the end of a remarkable service to
local theatre.
After his first seven years as an active member on the stage, Ernie
was elected in 1930 as the Treasurer of the Society,
a post he held until 1933. This was to be the start of his reign in official
posts with the S.S.O.S.,
for he was to progress without break through its main offices
right through to being the President of the Society
- a measure of the esteem in which he was held through the years.
In 1933 he took over the duties of Secretary, a post
he held until 1949. It was during this period that he, together with his
close friend and the Society's Chairman,
Harold Clunie, led the South
Shields Amateurs to the heights of the musical scene in South
Shields until the 1939-45 war stopped shows from being produced.
The committee had continued to meet during and after the war and in 1950 Harold Clunie and Ernie Hedley changed posts and Ernie was now the Society's
Chairman, [The other officers
in 1950 were Harold L.
Clunie, the Hon. General Secretary, J.R.Pilbin was Hon.Treasurer and Maurice Pyle the Hon. Assistant Secretary, a team that would be difficult to
surpass today.] However Ernie did not forget his first love -
being on the stage - and he was to be seen quite regularly in supporting
roles and in the chorus of many
productions for the rest of his career in the 'Amateurs'.
In 1975 Ernie was elected President
of the 'Amateurs' a position he held until his death
in 1987. In his will left £1,000 for the Society to be used as the Committee thought fit. A similar amount was
taken from the General Account and the E. F. Hedley Memorial Fund was set up. The aim was to assist
members who may require financial assistance to attend
instruction courses in the Arts through such avenues as the NODA
Summer Schools.
Ernie well merited being known as 'Mr. Society' for his invaluable service to the South Shields Amateur Operatic Society for over half a century. In his first year as President of the Society he wrote in the programme for the 1975 production of "LISA" his President's Message which indicated his affection for
the SSAOS. Here is an excerpt:
"Firstly,
let me say how deeply honoured I feel at being elected President
of this Society,
an organisation that has been part of my life for the past 52 years. It
never crossed my mind, as a back row member of the chorus in 1923, that I
would one day become its President.
As most of our patrons and members know, I consider that this Society
is second to none in its achievements over the years and its record of
contributions to charities since the beginning is a proud one. My fervent
wish is that it continues its excellent work to bring entertainment and
pleasure to the people of this area."
Beryl HENDERSON
has been a keen member of the
Society
for over thirty years. She has played a number of supporting
roles, including 'Queenie'
in "SHOWBOAT"
and 'Morgan Le Fey'
in "CAMELOT".In
1998 Beryl played her first
principal role as 'Mamita'
in "GIGI"
Her theatrical interests include South Shields' 'WESTOVIANS',
where her acting skills have won her many leading roles in
their plays. Beryl is
also in demand as a Director. As a member of South
Shields' G & S SOCIETY she has played many
supporting roles and is a past Chairman of that Society.
With her recently won Equity card Beryl
played in the "FIFTEEN
STREETS" at the Customs House,
South Shields and has recently appeared in "COLOUR BLIND"
on TV.
George HETHERINGTON
won a place in
Durham Cathedral Choir as a
boy and received much of his early musical training there
with up to ten services each week for five years.
He joined SSAOS in1987 for "THE KING AND I" and
was their resident Musical
Director until 1998
George now
spends much of his time in a variety of musical activities
and arranging for Amateur Operatic Societies
as well as computerised composing. George
is also well known as the organiser of many celebrity concerts throughout
the region by local singers.
Alan HOGARTH became
involved with the Society
in the
1979 Junior
production of "WIZARD OF
OZ", helping backstage with the props. He went on to
join the Seniors
serving his backstage apprenticeship under the guidance of the then Stage Manager,
Harry HALLIDAY(qv),
and since then has been involved in all the Junior and Senior productions.
In 1986 Alan
was appointed Stage Manager for Junior productions
then held in the South Tyneside College Theatre and in 1989
took over as Stage Manager for both the Junior and Senior arms of the Society. He has also
acted as Stage Manager for the South
Shields G & S Society
Meg
(Margaret) HOGG, joined the Society in 1960 and made her 
first appearance with them in "OKLAHOMA". As an alto Meg enjoyed the halcyon days at the Regent (and a few at the Sunderland Empire) appearing in almost every production.
Also with her twin sister Madge
(qv) she 'strutted her stuff' and enjoyed a good weep at
those wonderful sad finales - she particularly remembers "CAMELOT"? Her
late husband Ken (also an enthusiastic member of the Society) used to say
" If the twins can cry it's a good
one!" Meg
has been a Westovian
for almost 50 years with which she and Madge have been
involved in display and programmes. She is also a member of
the G & S Society and until the turn of
the century used to regularly appear with them on the stage.
Gwyneth HUNTER joined the Society in 1959 as a 
dancer. After a spell
at Teacher Training College she returned to
her home ground in 1964. Her first leading role was in 1966 ("FLOWER DRUM SONG") as 'Linda Low' and continued having many leading
roles with the Society. Amongst these shows were "THE VAGABOND
KING" in
1976 and 1986 in both of which she played 'Hugette'. In 1973 ("FIDLER ON THE
ROOF") Gwyneth was the daughter, 'Tzietel', and in the same show in 1983
played the mother,
'Golde'.
In the last production to be at South Shields Regent in 1980
she played her favourite part, that of 'Guineviere' in "CAMELOT".
Gwyneth's presence in the Society has, for many years, been
ubiquitous - fifteen leading roles, numerous supporting
parts, twenty years as a committee member (Vice-Chairman
in 1992 and Secretary in 1988 and 1989). She
had an even longer spell as a social committee member.
Gwyneth was the Director of many productions for the Junior Section at the Customs House, South
Shields and directed
two shows for
the Seniors at Sunderland Empire.
Madge (Marjorie) HUNTER, joined the SSAOS with her
twin s
ister, Meg (qv),
in 1960 for "OKLAHOMA"
and appeared in every
show each year until the 1983 production of "THE DANCING YEARS"
Happy in the alto section of the
chorus, Madge was delighted when, with Meg, she became a member of Stew Blenkinsop's (qv) "GROSVENOR SINGERS". Like other former members of the 'Grosvenors'
they remember with great fondness the concerts in the local College Theatre
by that group.
Madge joined the South Shields Gilbert & Sullivan Society
in 1982 appearing with them in "ROBERT
AND ELIZABETH" that year and continued to be a very active member of that
Society for 18 years, serving for 11 years on their committee.
As she said ... "There's no
business like show business!"
We were all saddened when Madge
died in September 2000. She had been an active worker in many aspects of
the Amateur Stage in South Shields for most of her
life and will be greatly missed from the theatre scene now that her final
curtain has fallen. In 2001 she would have celebrated half a century with
the Westovian Theatre Society.
Among the tributes to Madge
Hunter was this from Jim
Grey- a former Chairman of SSAOS.............."Madge
had many other unsung qualities which made her a very special person to us
all. She leaves a tender legacy because 'The
Colours of her Life were Beautiful and Bold'
("Barnum")
Ian JOHNSON joined the team in 1974 at the age
of 
15 and since 1981 has devised the lighting for all the Senior and Junior productions for SSAOS. In 1999 he became Chairman of the Society.
Ian is also a member responsible for
lighting to the South Shields G & S Society
and has given his services to the Westovian Theatre
Society .He is the son of Sylvia (qv), the Booking Secretary for Society.
Sylvia JOHNSON
has been Booking Secretary for the Society since 1981 when she took over from
the late Jennie
Smith. She brought to the Amateurs many years of experience. Sylvia had previously served in a similar
capacity with many Amateur Societies in the town. In 1952
she became Assistant Booking Secretary for
the South Shields G & S Society. Since 1974 until 2001 Sylvia was 'in charge' of booking for that society coping with such widely
differing venues in
South Shields such as the St. Aidan's Hall, Odeon
Cinema, the Regent Cinema, Pier Pavilion,
and the
South Tyneside College Theatre. From 1991 to 1999, she
handled the booking for SSAOS at the Sunderland Empire.
Preparing plans and tickets, standing by
the telephone for reservations and balancing the booking accounts for four,
sometimes five,
major productions a year by the Amateurs and the G
& S Societies keeps Sylvia Johnson, (the
mother of Ian (qv)), as busy as many a leading
lady.
Edith KEMP joined the Society about the same time
as Ron (qv) and they were married in 1964. She has played many leading parts
including 'Mrs.
Malloy' in "HELLO DOLLY", 'Katie Brown' in "CALAMITY JANE" and 'Laurie'
in "OKLAHOMA". Like her husband, Edith has also played many parts with
other Societies in the area ranging from Principal
Boy in Panto, 'Mabel' in "PIRATES OF PENZANCE", 'Nicki' in "SWEET CHARITY" and, one of her favourites, 'Kate' in "KISS ME KATE".
For many years Edith sang at concerts around the area
with husband, Ron , and they also were heard on local radio.
Ron KEMP joined the SSAOS in 1958, the year of
"CAROUSEL". During this
period he has played many parts. Among his favourites has
been 'King
Arthur'
in "CAMELOT", the 'Red Shadow' in "DESERT SONG" and in1986 'Francois
Villon' in "THE VAGABOND KING".
Ron has also played many parts for
other Societies in the area, including 'Robert Browning' in "ROBERT AND ELIZABETH", "THE STUDENT PRINCE", and his favourite 'Billy Bigelow' in "CAROUSEL", which he has played three times.
He is well known locally for entertaining at dinners and was often heard on local radio. In 1987 he joined Northern Opera
and has had great pleasure in singing with them as one of
their leading baritones at several operatic concerts
throughout the North East.
Kathleen KNOX (Choreogapher) started
dancing at 
the age of seven with the Elsa
Wilkins (qv) School of Dancing.
After being awarded Royal Academy and International Dance
Teacher examinations, Kathleen went
on to appear in many professional and amateur productions.
Her association with the SSAOS
started in 1975 when she danced in the northern premier
production of "LISA"
and continued as a dancer with the Society
up to the 1981 production of "SHOWBOAT"
In 1985 Kathleen
took over the Elsa Wilkins School of
Dance and has since choreographed
many of the Society's
productions.
Shelley LAMB
began dancing at the age of three at
The Valerie Shepherd Dance Academy where she studied
tap,
modern and disco. She also studied
Ballet with Kathleen Burden. In 2003 she completed her Degree
in Performing Arts Studies at Sunderland University. As a
dancer, Shelley has won many
competitions, representing the North East at the Miss Great Britain finals
in Sheffield when she was Seventeen, and also becoming the Stage Dance
Council's International senior tap Scholarship Winner.
No stranger to the stage,
Shelley has taken many lead roles in
local Operatic Society Productions In 2002
Shelley appeared as Nancy in
the SSAOS Production of 'Oliver'
In November 2003 Shelley will play one of the lead's, Raquel, in the
forthcoming SSAOS production 'Andy
Capp' to be performed at the Customs House, South Shields.
Shelley has appeared a number of times at
the Customs House for other groups - Christmas 2001 saw her in the
production of 'Cinderella' where she played the all singing and dancing
Dandini. In 2003 she played with the Boyle Yer Stotts
Company in their production of Ted Nasty's Parkbench of Mild
Surprise
With the 'Performers', which
was formed in 2001 by David Ducasse she has made her mark as their Head of
Dance, and was the choreographer for their 2003 performance of 'In the
Spotlight', a sparkling production given by this up and coming ner group on
South Tyneside.
Fred LAWSON
took the part of
Hard-boiled Herman
(shown here in typical character) in "ROSE MARIE"
the first SSAOS
production after the '39 - '45 war in 1950. He was already a member of the
executive committee and was to continue to be a worker behind the scenes as
well as performing many roles on the stage. A fine artist in his spare time,
he designed the souvenir programme front cover during most of his time with
the Amateurs.
He will be remembered for many leading roles -Benjamin
Kidd in "DESERT
SONG" and in "LILAC
TIME" played the lead role of Schubert.
This was a most apt role for Fred
for he was a practicing musician throughout
his life. A commercial artist at the local switchgear firm of Reyrolles,
during the war Fred
performed on their canteen 'stage' for the BBC programme "Worker's
Playtime". He would sing to his own guitar with a repertoire
ranging from local folk and 'Geordie' songs to romantic tunes of the
time and opera.
After the war Fred
would play and sing with the Reyrolle Choral Society and they raised
many thousand pounds for charity. His work for charity continued for many
years and Fred Lawson
was well known and appreciated for entertaining large audiences of
hundreds and perhaps a couple of a dozen at an old folks home. For
many years Fred
had a perhaps not so well publicised regular weekly singing and entertainment
spot with the local
hospital's mentally disadvantaged patients.
Fred did a
great job entertaining the townsfolk (and also expatriates in London
and other towns and cities) and worked hard for the SSAOS.
He died in 1996 and will be sadly missed by people in all quarters of life
in Shields society
Ann McLENNAN celebrated forty years with the SOUTH
SHIELDS
AMATEUR OPERATIC SOCIETY by playing 'Mrs
Mullen'
in "CAROUSEL" at the Sunderland Empire
in 1995
Her first show was "WHITE HORSE INN" in 1957 and since then has played a
variety of principal parts. Ann's particular favourites include the title roles in "HELLO DOLLY" (1974). "ANNIE GET YOUR GUN" (1982) and "CALAMITY JANE" (1978).
An Executive Committee
member for more than 30 years, Ann has been involved in many aspects of
behind-the-scenes work including publicity, Social
Committee, make-up and work for the Junior
Section.
Apart from her SSAOS commitments, Ann has been an active performer with
other companies and groups in South Shields,
being involved with pantomime, drama and cabaret.
Delia McNALLY played her first role in the amateur 
operatic scene
with the St. Gregory's Players as Jane in "Salad Days" in 1984
She moved on to the South Shields
Gilbert and Sullivan Society before joining the SSAOS
to play
Tzeitel in
"Fiddler on the Roof" at
the Sunderland Empire in 1989. Since
then she has played further leading roles with the Society
- Eliza in "My
Fair Lady", Mrs
Malloy in
"Hello Dolly", Maria
in the "Sound of Music" and
Nellie
in "South Pacific".
Her talent are in great demand and she has
taken many roles with the Durham Amateur Operatic Society and also
appeared in principal roles with the Newcastle West End Operatic and
Dramatic Society. This web site editor would also add the appreciation of
Ron
and Evelyn Drew
for, together with Peter Charlton,
entertaining the guests at their Golden Wedding celebration in 1996.
Delia,
who teaches chemistry at St.Wilfred's RC Comprehensive School in South
Shields, has been studying singing with Anne
Ward in Sunderland
for many years.
Pat
MEEKS
has always been a hard working, loyal
member of the Society
and for many years took part in the annual show. It was sometimes as a
principal but she was always ready to take the smallest role or enjoy
working in the chorus.
It was through the Society
that she met and married the late Ted,
another stalwart performer during his life with the Amateurs.
In later life Pat
was to be seen doing other jobs away from acting on the stage. For many
years she helped many new (and some not so new) members of the cast with her
efficient work in the prompt corner. She would help with costumes,
programmes and many things that other members couldn't or wouldn't do. Her
years on the committee were greatly appreciated as was her enthusiasm and
encouragement to the Junior Section.
The two sons of Pat and Ted
Meeks, Philip and
Dale, had early training with the Juniors and went on to a career
on the professional stage. Philip,
went on to be a fine performer and playwright and now works in television,
whilst Dale
progressed from acting on TV in Byker Grove and small parts in the
series of Cookson TV adaptations and The Bill.
(see also his later career in the News
page)
Mora MILBURN joined the Society in 1962, and has 
taken leading
roles in
"FLOWER DRUM SONG" and "FIDLER ON THE ROOF".
As well as being an active
member on stage, Moira has also served as a member of the Executive Committee with a spell as Secretary
and Vice Chairman during which she organised
party bookings and arranged much publicity for the Society
Maurice POWELL was introduced to SSAOS
as a boy
when
he was taken to the Regent Cinema to see their production of "Desert
Song" in 1952. Immediately hooked, he went on to see every
subsequent show until former president Ernest
Hedley asked him to be in the dancing team for the 1958
production of "Carousel"
He became a member in 1960 and was appointed honorary
assistant secretary four years later, a position he held for 17 years
until he was elected secretary. Maurice
served on the committee for many years and and made a valued contribution to
many productions as honorary accompanist and chorus master.
On the stage Maurice
played numerous minor roles in the Society's
productions, his most memorable being that of Motel
the tailor in the
1973 production of "Fiddler on the Roof"
Steven RAE took
a B-Tec at South Tyneside College in preparation for entry to University.
He joined SSAOS in 1999 and has played
with the Junior Section in "TIN
PAN ALI", following this with the parts of Captain
Tempest in "RETURN TO THE
FORBIDDEN PLANET", and Curly
in "OKLAHOMA". Steven
has also appeared in "WEST SIDE STORY"
and "SCROOGE" with the Senior
Section, as well as singing in the Irving Berlin concert
"THE MELODY LINGERS ON".
In 2001 he took the part of Hero
in "A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE
FORUM".
Steven has also
performed in local shows at the Customs House - playing the Recruiting
Officer in "KELLY", a musical about the
famous warship, written by Tom Kelly and Alan Price. At the
same venue he also played Jim Daley
in "TOM AND CATHERINE" by Tom Kelly, Ray Spencer and
Alan Miles.
All together Steven
has made excellent progress towards a career in the theatre in three short
years.
Charles ROUTLEDGE
started with the Amateurs
playing
as deputy accompanist for rehearsals in 1954. He became the principal
accompanist in1956 for "ANNIE GET YOUR
GUN", with Stew Blenkinsop taking over as the deputy
pianist. Charlie was to continue as an
accompanist until "FLOWER DRUM SONG"
in 1965.
Charles was know as a
talented accompanist for many soloists in the town and played the piano accompaniment
for Alec Forrester
(qv) on his record of Geordie songs.
Charlie was also known
to be a keen cricketer being a superb spin bowler, playing for a time with Durham
County. His father was Sam Routledge who
acted as auditor to the Society for many
years.
Craig
SHEPHERD joined the Society
in 1992, and was first
seen in the 75th Anniversary
Production. However he had performed on the stage must earlier -
in "THE NUTCRACKER SUITE" with
Scottish Ballet when he was just 6 years old!
His first lead was with the SSAOS
Junior Section when he played Fat Sam
in "BUGSY MALONE",
followed in the same year by his appearance in "42nd
STREET" - a part that required a great deal of tap dancing,
as did the character of Cosmo Brown in
the 1997 production of "SINGING IN THE
RAIN"
Craig started dancing at the age of three with the Valerie
Shepherd (his mother) Dancing Acadamy, where he studied tap, ballet and
jazz.
He studied stage work at the Newcastle Centre for
Performing Arts and went on to further his studies in London.
This led, at the end of 2000, to a part in the chorus of a touring
production of "GREASE"
at the same time being understudy to 3 principals in the show. Under his
stage name of Craig Armstrong his
ambition is to further his career in musical shows. His ultimate aim? To
play the staring role of Marius in a West
End production of "LES MISERABLES".
Ella
SHIELDS - A
Tribute written by Ernie Hedley. (from
programme note in "LISA",
(1975)
"It is with deep regret that we refer to the death on
2nd October 1975, at the age of 92 years, of one of our founder members, Mrs
Eleanor
Garbutt Shields.
"She remained
a member of the Society up to the time of her death and those of us
privileged to know her in her very active days in the Society, recall with
pleasant memories the many regular functions she organised to raise funds to
maintain the existence of the Society in the days we now refer to as the
"Thirties"
"It is through members like her, with the character and
willingness to work in the interests of the Society, that it is in its
present prosperous position.
"We shall always remember Mrs. Shields with affection, and
be ever grateful for her undoubted interest in the welfare of the Society."
Peter
SKEVINGTON was born in 1946 in Leighton Buzzard. He
sang in church and school choirs, but his main
interest was sport - rugby
and athletics,also a shot putter, discus thrower and occasional triple
jumper. He also acted in school plays, usually playing old men!
Peter
honed his acting skills with the South Shields G & S Society and
the Amateurs.
He has played several supporting lead roles including Big
Jule in "GUYS
and DOLLS"and Stewpot
in "SOUTH PACIFIC".
His favourite show is "WEST SIDE STORY" in which he played Officer
Kropke in the SSAOS
production.
Angela SZALAY
began her amateur stage career at the 
age of 15 when
she joined the Society's
Junior
Section in 1978 playing 'The Good Witch of the North' in "THE WIZARD OF OZ". This was followed by the role of 'Mme Dubonnet' in "THE BOY FRIEND" and 'Mrs Squeers' in "SMIKE".
She made her debut with the
Seniors in the 1980 production of "CAMELOT" and had her first leading part in
the title role of "DOLLY"
(1991). Angela
continued the following years playing the part of 'Sister Margaretta' in "THE SOUND OF MUSIC" (1992), 'Bloody Mary' in "SOUTH PACIFIC" (1993), 'Maggie Jones' in "42nd STREET" (1994) and 'Nettie Fowler' in "CAROUSEL" (1995)
Gerry
TROUGHTON has been involved in amateur theatre for over 40
years, but hastens to point out 
that
he began as a very young child performer!
A member of South Shields G & S
Society since 1959, he was a member of SSAOS
for 15 years, and also performs with the Westovians. He is a
member and vice-chairman of Washington Operatic Society. Gerry
has appeared in over 70 musicals, many plays, pantomimes and countless
concerts.
Roles he has played in recent times
include Ali Hakim
in "OKLAHOMA",
Nicely Nicely Johnson in
"GUYS and DOLLS",
EmCee in
"CABARET",
Monsieur le Marquis
in "THE BAKER'S WIFE", Francis
Fryer in "CALAMITY JANE",
Big Daddy in "SWEET
CHARITY", Fagin
in "OLIVER", Hines
in "PYJAMA GAME" and Billis
in the Washington OS's production of "SOUTH
PACIFIC". Gerry
will be also be remembered for his excellent portrayal of Lycus
in the 2001 SSAOS production of "FORUM"
Apart from his talents on the stage, Gerry
will also be remembered for his satirical poems and as a raconteur at
many after-show parties.
Alan WATSON
appeared as a soloist in a church concert in
the old Congregational Church Hall at the tender age of 10 years
old
when he was billed on a show produced by Ron Drew
as 'The Wonder Boy Accordionist'. He was soon to spread his
musical talents and is now a highly qualified professional musician, an
accomplished organist, accompanist, arranger and conductor.
He joined the SSAOS
in 1953 and appeared that year as the 2nd
barker in "SHOW BOAT".
After a number of appearances on the stage Alan's
musical talents were put to good use for the Society
and he became a Musical Associate for many shows. In 1966 he excelled as the
Musical Director for "FLOWER DRUM
SONG" and was to repeat his role as M.D. for a number
of the following years.
As well as helping other musical societies in the town, in
particular with the G&S Society, Alan has
been been M.D. for a number of choirs and societies throughout the
region. He also made an appearance as guest conductor for an edition of 'Songs
of Praise' on BBC TV
Fred WHARTON had an early love of the theatre and
as
a student joined the chorus of Hull Savoyards,
performing in a number of Gilbert & Sullivan operettas.
His real interest, however, lay in what went on behind the
scenes to make a successful production.
Urged on by George HETHERINGTON (qv) he moved on to directing and
has continued in that direction for nearly forty years. His
first production for South Shields 'Amateurs' was "HELLO DOLLY" in 1974 and has directed
almost every one of their shows up to the end of the century.
His skills extend further
than musicals for he has produced opera with the Northern
Symphonia Orchestra and pantomime at
Durham.
Elsa WILKINS
was Choreographer
for the 
SSAOS
between
1960 and 1982. She was a true friend and inspiration to
members of the Society
who benefited from her tuition as well as all those around
her who taught and still teach dancing. One who is indebted
to Elsa's
teaching is Kathleen Knox
(qv), a contemporary
choreographer for SSAOS.
Elsa's knowledge of music and dance was immense, as
was her ability to pass this on to others. Elsa died in 1999.
Malcolm WOOD joined the Society for the 1958
production of "CAROUSEL". During the next 35 years he became
a dedicated and enthusiastic member of the Society, and for many years was the choreographer's rehearsal pianist. He performed a variety of
tasks including Musical Associate, Musical Director
of the Junior Section, and Stage Electrician. For a number of years Malcolm was Deputy Stage Manager
for Senior productions at the Sunderland
Empire. He died in 1995 leaving a widow, Margaret (qv), who also has been a leading
figure in the Society's organisation.
Margaret
WOOD,
widow of the late Malcolm Wood
(qv) first performed with the South Shields Amateurs in 1951 when they gave a concert
for the 'Save the Children' organisation in St.
Aidan's Church Hall. Her first Musical Show was "DESERT SONG" in 1952 at the Regent in which Margaret particularly remembers the 'Military Tap'! Her favourite show was "THE MERRY WIDOW" in which she played Lo-Lo one of the Grisettes.
As well as being a regular performer on the boards, Margaret has served
the Society for
many years in many ways. For 20 years she was a member of the Executive
Committee, 3 years as
the Society's Assistant Secretary and
elected Vice Chairman
for two years. Margaret
also compiled the Souvenir
Programme for 13 shows. The quality of
Programmes is reflected in the prizes awarded each year by
the Northern Area of NODA. In 1987 the
programme for "VAGABOND
KING" won the Bob Robson Trophy
- the Silver Bowl - which was received by Margaret on behalf of
the Publicity
Committee. (qv)
As well as being an accomplished solo singer at many
engagements in the town, Margaret
also found time to be a regular performer with the Grosvenor Singers and
for 13 years sang with the G & S Society. She was an
accomplished pianist and Margaret also formed 'The Dale Singers' whose
engagements raised £3000 for cervical cancer research at the
Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead.
Marjorie
WRIGHT made her stage debut in1953, when
she
appeared in the Sunderland AOS production
of "ROSE MARIE". Since
then she has been involved in over 75 amateur productions either as a dancer
or choreographer.
Her first work as choreographer was in a production
of "THE BIRD SELLER" presented
by St Benet's in 1970. She continued either as a dancer or choreographer
with a number of North East Societies until 1976 when she finally decided to
dance her 'last waltz' in a production of "THE
PAJAMA GAME" with the Newcastle West End AOS
Marjorie had a unique
talent as both an artistic creator and teacher. She has been
able to produce brilliant results with (in the case of some of our men) very
often limited resources. Nevertheless, she is a lady who likes a challenge
and since joining the Society in 1979 has shown that she can meet the challenge by
impressing both performers and audience alike with her skill and talent.
Jayne
Welch a pupil at St Joseph's Comprehensive
School, Hebburn took Music as one of her 
A
Levels.
Since the age of four she was a pupil at the Valerie
Shepherd Dance Academy and enjoyed taking part in local dance
competitions. At the age of ten Jayne
auditioned for the SSAOS Junior Section
and appeared in "PETER PAN" and
"OLIVER" before landing her first
leading role as Cairy in "BARNUM".
Since then she has had a real taste for the spotlight and
after taking part in her first Senior
Show "WEST SIDE STORY" in 1999
she has found it difficult to stay out of the 'spot'.
During this period Jayne
travelled extensively, singing and dancing in a show band, from Middlesborough
down to Devon. This experience improved her confidence as was seen in
her role of Phillia in the 2001 SSAOS
production of "A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE
WAY TO THE FORUM".
Chris
YOUNGS joined the Society in 1953.His first 
principle role was in the 1956 production of "CALL ME MADAM". Other roles followed in "OKLAHOMA", "SOUTH PACIFIC" and "DIE FLEDERMAUS". Chris was the 'Kralhome' in the 1962 production of "THE KING AND I" and he took the role of the 'Kralhome' again in the 1987 production of that show.
He studied singing and
voice production with Madam Ella Bird,
Gosforth. and had many successes in local Music Festivals. Chris was a member of St.
Michael's Church Choir, South Westoe,
for over 40 years and performed bass solos in many Oratorios.
(This page still under construction. Please help to make this page as comprehensive as is possible. )
Any contributions or comments would be appreciated. Contributions about members present and past would be
welcomed from anyone either self penned or otherwise.
Send E-MAIL to rondrew@iee.org
or POST to
Ron Drew
2 Nelson Avenue
SOUTH SHIELDS
NE33 2NJ
Copyright (c) 1999 - 2001 Ron Drew.
Last revised:
April 09, 2004.