Horde of Kingham Hill Material Rediscovered

by
Mark Mitchels MA
Sheffield House 1960 - 1966

I recently came upon a horde of Kingham Hill material which had lain undiscovered for many years. As I sifted through the assortment of photographs and programmes I found myself back in another place and time. The power of pictures to summon up memories is well known, but on this occasion I remembered with extraordinary clarity a period of my life I had ignored for many years.

It was in my first term that I became involved in the school play. Mr Worrell, the English master was putting on a production of Julius Caesar , and wanted a few fanfares at key military moments. I had just been taken on as the CCF bugler, and so was asked to stand in the corridor and play stirring calls as directed. The system of communication was based on several people signalling to each other from the stage, to me, and I seem to remember there was a clearly evident delay. As a Roman general marched on to the stage, there was silence, but as soon as he started to speak, his words were forced to accompany a loud trumpet clarion call! It did not spoil the play, which was an epic school production.

Mark [Click to enlarge]

Click on the photographs in this article to see an enlarged
version and read Mark's hand written comment.

Bugler

Cast of Julius Caesar

CCF

The cast photo shows almost half the school crowded on the stage, with myself a tiny figure on the edge, as indeed I was. I think the costumes were hired as some of them were truly splendid, especially the central characters who appeared in the final acts wearing burnished Roman armour which attracted envious gasps from the rest who had to make do with tabards and sandals. As is so often the case, my involvement in the play ensured that I knew enormous chunks of the text, much of which has stayed with me to the present day.

I suppose I was in the Third Form when I was asked to join the cast of Iolanthe. For me the whole business of Gilbert and Sullivan (G and S to the initiated) was a mystery, but by this time I was a keen member of the choir, and regarded any invitation to sing as a chance to be seized. Even better, I soon discovered I was being considered for the part of the eponymous heroine, Iolanthe herself. In the 1960s, in an all-boys school, it was not considered strange or inappropriate for a boy to play a girl's role, complete with dress and make-up, so I was thrilled to be cast.

Photos from the KHS production of Iolanthe

As with all Gilbert and Sullivan, the plot really does not bear examination, and relies for its success on wit and tuneful music. The music was not a problem, and I can still hum many of the songs, but the wit was sometimes impenetrable, and if I am honest, I suspect many more of us said lines which meant nothing to us.

The rehearsals went on for months, with David Wetherill a hard taskmaster, but blessed with that indefinable quality which inspired confidence. If he tackled something, it would turn out right in the end.

David Wetherill

The dress rehearsal was the night I remember. After months of piano accompaniment, we had to perform with an orchestra - a very different experience, and one which caused chaos and panic at first. At the piano was an Oxford musician of considerable reputation, called David Kelly. He gained our immediate attention and respect because he appeared to be a rebel. He smoked all the time, peering through clouds of smoke to read his score, and he also swore. At the time teachers did not swear and so to have one who did was exciting and endlessly engaging. Eventually we came to terms with the orchestra, and the performances were sold out, and regarded as a great success.

The pupil to play the Fairy Queen fell ill shortly before the production opened and so Mrs Benson, the wife of the Games Master kindly stepped into the role - and the dress.

Several years later, when I entered the Sixth Form, a couple of pupils - Peter Morris was one of them - decided that they would like to produce a play themselves. Their choice was A Man For All Seasons, at the time a successful West End play, and soon to be made into an Oscar-winning film.

A Man for All Seasons

For pupils to direct a play was a big step, especially as Peter Morris was also to star as Thomas More. Throughout the Christmas Term we struggled to learn our lines, and master the complexities of Tudor politics. I was Alice, More's wife (another female, so my Iolanthe must have been reasonable) and I had a couple of big scenes when I had to plead with him to change his mind, and when he refused to do so, I had to burst into tears. This was a wonderful production to be in as it was in a way ground-breaking. It was directed by pupils, an experiment which worked triumphantly, and it ushered in a period of more serious, demanding drama.

As if to build on the success of the Thomas More play, the school decided to put on Ben Johnson's The Alchemist. It was the choice of the new English master, and had a fearsome pedigree. The play is spoken of as one of the most brilliant comedies in the language and praised for the high speed dialogue and stage action. In other words it is very difficult to do even moderately well. We managed to perform it and there were some outstanding performances.

KHS production of The Alchemist by Benjamin Johnson

Peter Rozycki was the central character, Face, and his ability to learn lines was a source of envy to us all. I played a minor part as a Puritan fanatic, which gave me the opportunity to over-act in search of cheap laughs, and on reflection I should have been told to stop! But we got to the end, and perhaps the audience understood more than we did. Only many years later, when I had occasion to teach it to A level, and saw a production at Stratford, did I realize what a marvellous play it was - and how much of it we had missed! Still, being in the cast was the true benefit, I suspect.

There were other plays during my time, and a lot of music. The Winslow Boy was done in my Fifth Year, and that was much admired and enjoyed. Rattigan was a master of the "well made play" and perfectly understood how to introduce and build up characters, and work towards a strong conclusion. There is a very difficult balance to be struck between a school play which is basic, and a guaranteed success, and one which stretches the pupils and gives them a chance to do something exciting and challenging, but involves risks too. I think KHS got it about right, and my love of drama can be traced to those first experiences.

What is Mark doing now?

I emerged from UEA with a Master's Degree in English and spent most of my career as a Schoolmaster at Woodbridge School in Suffolk. There I taught English and History as well as being responsible for Drama and lately Cultural Studies. The latter was a dream job as it enabled me to focus on Literature, Drama, History, Music, Art and more besides. I wrote and produced evenings of cultural material.

I married and have three children.

With my wife I have written and photographed a number of travel / heritage books which are largely centred on East Anglia.

For many years I have travelled and lectured to all sorts of societies, on subjects as varied as Elizabethan theatre to the Lost City of Dunwich, and from Dickens to the Bayeux Tapestry via Mozart and Crippen. I have now retired from teaching and have been invited to take my lectures on cruise ships so that is something I know I shall enjoy.

A few more photographs from the Mitchels archive (part 1):