Catalogue

With the closure of Hanley’s Theatre Royal in 1961, both Stoke, and the North Staffs Amateur Operatic Societies found them-selves without a venue. The North Staffs went to the Queens Theatre, Burslem and Stoke Society to the much larger venue, the Gaumont in Piccadilly Hanley. Built in 1929 with silent movies only, the building was designed with small acts taking place on stage during the change of reels etc. once the curtain was raised. As a result, the society negotiated with the owners Rang to hire the theatre for their next major production. Prior to this the Gaumont had only staged the odd one-night stand just a few times a year. Despite initial problems at the Gaumont with no stage lighting to speak of, no sound equipment and no back cloths or tabs just a deserted stage with no facilities except a fly-tower. All had to be hired for every show would be performed.
As a result, the society took the huge decision to move across the road from the Theatre Royal to the Gaumont for the societies first production to be staged there – The Most Happy Fella in 1962. Despite fears and apprehensions about such a momentous decision in the societies history, in the end it was a near sell-out production.
However, for the following two years Mecca, owners of the Theatre Royal allowed the society to return for their annual production. Things changed in 1965 as Mecca declined to allow the society to return. So, with the previously tried and tested Gaumont which had proved finically successful, despite many problems in mounting a show there, the society returned with confidence having gained valued experience in making the stage fit for purpose for presenting live musical productions at the venue with the popular musical The Desert Song followed the following year by The New Moon, to a theatre that became their permanent home until it closed in October 1989.
All productions at the Gaumont were successful, both in their staging and the numbers attending for a week’s run proving to Rank that the venue was viable and the facilities backstage sufficient to present a full musical production for a week or more. It had secured a future.
So successful was the society at this new venue in 1967 for their production of the White Horse Inn, all 2234 seats were sold out for seven performances, two weeks prior to the opening night, a record never to be overtaken. In 1969, the society secured the amateur premiere licence to present My Fair Lady, sets were secured direct from The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane’s, production in London followed my many popular but challenging productions.
However, as a result of the miners’ strike of 1974 bought with it a four-hour blackout period on a rotation basis. Panic struck!!! as for the final Saturday evening performance the theatre would be in darkness from six to ten p.m. The society was presenting the Mikado and to overcome the problem members provided car batteries, candles and oil lamps and torches to illuminate the dressing rooms and stairways.
The opening was rescheduled to commence at ten-thirty, all agreed by the theatre management and the orchestra with doors opening for the public on the dot of ten with theatre staff in place ready for the crowds which had stood outside for nearly an hour and becoming more excited by the minute. It was almost reminiscent to a war-like atmosphere during black-outs until the lights were turned on and a huge cheer rose from the heights of Piccadilly like a pack of lions fighting over their latest kill from those standing outside.
More of this available in the document listed. Shows continued, even for the production of Annie for which I devised two conveyor belts secured in a newly laid floor to carry on the props etc. Packed out for seventeen performances! More stores to share in the article. The last show presented was in 1989, again to a packed audience – The White Horse Inn – and, as the curtain came down for the last time there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

Three x A4 pages

The 1920s was a decade known in North America as the “Roaring Twenties” while in Europe the period is sometimes referred to as the “Golden Age” because of the economic boom following World War I, but all this came to an end in October 1929 with the devastating Wall Street Clash.
Provincial Cinematograph Theatres, the country’s largest cinema chain at the time with over one hundred cinemas in the UK had secured the Hanley site as early as 1925. However, with issues with other properties next door it was 1929 before the largest cinema in the Potteries was opened.
Amid all this it was the picture-house which thrived for just a few pence you could leave all the stresses behind as be transformed twice a week to a world of make-believe. This would be created not just by celluloid projected onto a silver screen, but by the sheer splendour of the ‘Picture Palace’ and the new Regent in Hanley was going to be the best in the Potteries The cinema was operating silent movies when it opened. At the same time, a debate was being held between film directors and actors if to proceed with ‘talkies’ because of the costs and wondered if they would oust the silent picture or even rival the appeal of the theatre.
It was not long after that the very first ‘Talkie’ in the Potteries was shown at the Regent in July 1929 when “The Singing Fool” starring Al Jolson took to the screen filling the 2134 seats at four performances a day. At the end of the week the demand was so great with constant queues around the block that the management decided to run the film for a further week. This meant that around 26,000 people came to see history in its making at The Regent and to witness actual words and music coming for the first time from actors. A simply magical story of our lost years. two x A4 pages

The Struggle for a Live Theatre in the Potteries begins by attempting to save the old Gaumont cinema in Hanley against all the odds in a working-class economy. Yet it is from a background of despair and difficulty regarding the future of live theatre in Stoke-on-Trent with the almost daily issues of finance and management at the Theatre Royal that a new assessment had to be made with a fresh vision and a line drawn under the past– that of saving the then closed old Gaumont Cinema in Piccadilly, Hanley, and re-opening it as a refurbished working live touring theatre. It became clear to me and others “that live theatre should be seen in a wider context, encompassing a focus for re-generation and an elevation of the city’s profile to encourage much needed inward investment”. Yet there was a further dimension, it was to do with the appreciation and the involvement in the arts “unless there is a focus of top professional shows presented in a well-equipped, suitable and comfortable environment there would be no future for live theatre in North Staffordshire and little to which our young could aspire”. It is these two fundamental principles that became my driving force to save the Regent and to bring it into use as a live well-equipped theatre.

two pages

When the Theatre Royall in Hanley finally dropped the safety curtain on live in 1961 shows, it would have caused some considerable disappointment to families with young children as they would all lose out on the annual pantomime. Yet there was hope as the then Gaumont cinema practically across the road was built with full theatre facilities, dressing rooms, fly town, and a huge orchestra pit all standing empty. The thought I ponder over that for practically two generations of children would have only experienced for the twenty odd years last, Jonathan Wilkes playing the leading role at the old cinema, now greatly restored and back to its original name The Regent.
But it was the old cinema that came in and saved the annual Christmas Pantomime for the masses of children and families. With the silver screen raised high into the fly tower, productions once more commenced of the annual potteries pantomime.
Annual pantomimes at the Gaumont commenced the same year as the Theatre Royal closed to live shows.
So, with a re-decoration of dressing rooms and a general clean up, the first pantomime was staged in December 1961 with Robin Hood staring John Hanson known for his fine tenner voice and the character of the Red Shadow in the musical The Desert Song. All 2,334 seats were sold for each performance and the Sentinel report referred to it as a most colourful – well-dressed production and worth seeing if only for the singing, praising John Hanson as being on top form and engaging in fights and duels. Comedian Max Wall played the part of Martha, the children’s nurse was described as a likeable dame who showed himself as a versatile dancer.
This was just the beginning of the pantomime continues success for the potteries. The story contains stories of some of the top stars of the day, frequently playing the Dame.

Two pages x A4 Pictures