Sheffield Repertory-Geoffrey Ost & Patrick McGoohan

Hello.........

 

Having become quite interested in the background to the career of Patrick McGoohan, I have realised that his acting career was founded in the post-war Repertory scene in Sheffield. I have recently found this Forum and wondered if there are any members with personal/second-hand memories of those days.

 

There are several pages of my personal website(s) that deal with Mr. McGoohan's five years or so, working at the old Playhouse Theatre that was in Townhead Street. The Theatre Director was Geoffrey Ost who evidently became a great Sheffield man, receiving an honorary degree from the University in 1959 (I believe a small scholarship is still awarded in his name?).

 

Sheffield is often referred to, in the Forties/Fifties theatre literature, as one of the premier British theatrical cities and the Repertory Company was evidently highly thought of at a national level. Peter Sallis makes mention of its national reputation in his recent autobiography.

 

I was once assured by an old friend (sadly passed away) that the first word uttered on The Playhouse stage by Patrick McGoohan was 'Blossom'. I believe he (my friend) appeared at The Playhouse in Townhead Street. He most certainly was in some of the Saturday Night Theatre presentations on the radio.

I once saw Patrick McGoohan having a drink in The Stone House on Church St.I worked at Grahams Furniture shop next door in the accounts dept.and I can remember how surprised we all were to walk in and see him sitting there reading his paper.He had very ginger hair which you cant really see on the t.v. This was before The Prisoner, and is quite near to the theatre you mention,so he may have been in a play at the time.

I remember the days at the old Playhouse,me and a mate had permantly booked seats in the circle for many years for every fortnightly productions,the Playhouse was reckoned to be in the forfront to have the luxury of fortnightly productions,other repertory companies only had weekly plays.Patrick Mcgoohan had left the company when we began going, but other Playhouse old boys and girls are well remembered,Keith Barron,Margaret Tyzack,Philip Stone,Geoffrey(?)Whitehead,Angela Thorne,(To the Manor Born)all going on to bigger things.

Keith Barrons first appearance is well remembered,and he met his wife whilst with the company,and a feature of those days were the wonderful "Sets",having two weekly shows meant they were just that bit better than average,and we used to have coffee after the show with a member of the company,Kenneth Dight,and he told us Geoffrey Ost had been trained as a Architect,consequently this was a factor in their design,and in those days it was quite frequent for the audience to applaud the set when the curtain was raised before anybody appeared on stage.

Wonderful memories of plays and players.

Not exactly on topic but my second cousin was in the company at the Playhouse during the 50's - he sadly passed away a few years ago.

 

I think he was there for the last few months of Patrick McGoohans time as it was his first job after leaving RADA

 

His name was Peter Dixon and if anyone knew of him it would be great - I was just a small kid at the time

He most certainly was in some of the Saturday Night Theatre presentations on the radio.

I have read that segments of plays were broadcast on the radio. Your comment suggests that this was a regular Saturday event.... Would this have been an early regional radio service by the BBC?

 

Harlan - Keith Barrons first appearance is well remembered,and he met his wife whilst with the company

Mrs McGoohan was a fellow-player at Sheffield as well. I believe they married in Sheffield whilst still rep. actors. I would guess it was quite common for this to happen.

 

Patricia - He had very ginger hair which you cant really see on the t.v.

One or two of the pictures on my sites show him 'in colour' when young (early Sixties) and the ginger is evident. I've never been sure before how true to life those shots were. Pictures then were often 'colourised' to taste.

 

Harlan - Geoffrey Ost had been trained as a Architect,consequently this was a factor in their design,and in those days it was quite frequent for the audience to applaud the set

Mr. Ost's sets do seem to have been legend in the theatrical world of the day. A review of a 1948 performance by the Company in a London rep. festival pretty much 'slates' the actors but is ecstatic about 'the sets by Geoffrey Ost'.....

I got hold of a copy of a small 'Manual' Mr. Ost wrote in the Fifties about the art of Stage Lighting. It is like hearing him speak in some ways and he discourses about the general art of 'directing' plays and mentions that all actors should 'have a go' at directing as it will teach them a lot about their acting...... Peter Sallis comments in his biography that Geoffrey never told the actors how to act - he told them it was their job to find that out. His job was to get them on and off the stage at the right times.....

 

Harlan - the Playhouse was reckoned to be in the forfront to have the luxury of fortnightly productions

Yes there was huge debate about Rep. and the 'curse' of weekly rep. Fortnightly rep. was certainly regarded as 'a cut above'. Either seems 'impossible' by todays standards! . Even doing 26 plays a year would scare people to death nowadays I suspect. One ex-rep actress remarked that the problem wasn't 'learning the new play' it was 'forgetting the old one' !!

 

As a teenager Patrick went to my school (De La Salle at Pitsmoor) although that was well before my time. It must have been strange having an American kid in your class, but his heritage was Irish, same as most of the other kids, so I guess he was fairly settled.

As a teenager Patrick went to my school (De La Salle at Pitsmoor) although that was well before my time. It must have been strange having an American kid in your class, but his heritage was Irish, same as most of the other kids, so I guess he was fairly settled.

 

He did actually move to Sheffield as a young lad so his father could find work in the Steel works.

When he worked at the theatre on Townhead St he lived in the same house as Des O Connor lived (at different times) which belonged to th theatre and was near the Brocco Bank area.

McGoohan never actually liked Sheffield and was relieved when he had the chance to leave.

Rex Harrison also lived in Sheffield as a lad to, he described Sheffield as Grimey and left on his first chance.

A few mates and myself would occasionly meet up in the Stone House, this would be the late 50s. One of the lads did some work with the scenery at the Playhouse, and on one occasion he was in there with Patrick McGoohan. I seem to remember he told a joke, I laughed at it but I'm damned if I remember what it was about.

A few mates and myself would occasionly meet up in the Stone House, this would be the late 50s. One of the lads did some work with the scenery at the Playhouse, and on one occasion he was in there with Patrick McGoohan. I seem to remember he told a joke, I laughed at it but I'm damned if I remember what it was about.

 

I can't remember exactly were the playhouse was, but Mr McGoohan had a reputation for being difficult.