Theatre
Connellan, Patrick (4 of 9) An Oral History of Theatre Design
- Add a note
Log in to add a note at the bottom of this page.
- All notes
- My notes
- Hide notes
- Add to playlist
Log in to add this item to one of your personal lists.
- Add to favourites
Log in to add and display this item in your personal list of favourites on the right hand side of this page.
The British Library Board acknowledges the intellectual property rights of those named as contributors to this recording and the rights of those not identified.
Legal and ethical usage »
Type
sound
Duration
01:59:33
Shelf mark
C1173/09
Recording date
2007-09-20, 2007-11-30, 2008-01-11, 2008-02-15
Recording locations
Interviewee’s Home, Coventry
Interviewees
Connellan, Patrick 1961- (speaker, male)
Interviewers
Wright, Elizabeth (speaker, female)
Abstract
Part 4: Singing in a punk band during sixth form with David Strawn [DS]; James Blueitt [JB] and “Bebop Ben” [BB] who played the drums; dissipation of the band; song writing; DS’s role in the band; his subsequent career at the BBC; friction in the band; feelings about treatment of JS; rehearsals at DS’s house; noise; problems at gigs; reports in newspapers about the band; name of the band, The Deadbeats; stage costumes; BB’s success in a rockabilly band called Restless; mention of continuing to wear a rockabilly or teddy boy style of dress since this time. Song titles; teenage subject matter; political themes; influence of The Clash on the band; PC’s preference for The Damned. [0:09:16] Feelings about art foundation course initially; art school building; equipment; the adjoining Ipswich Museum; second year at ISA; continuing to pursue interest in theatre lighting at Essex University theatre. Story about visit to see David Mattman, Head of Design at the newly-built Wolsey Theatre [WT]; his invitation for PC to come and assist with painting at the theatre; meeting Fran Thompson [FT] for the first time on that occasion, then Associate Designer at WT; first impression of FT; mention of subsequent relationship. Painting instead of doing coursework; moving to Ipswich and renting a room in the house where FT lived; working at Bogart’s nightclub; relationship with punk barmaid. Being required to stay for an extra year at college; starting a relationship with FT; doing more work in theatre mainly painting; friends at college including Alison Bolton; mention of being thrown off the course; applying to theatre design courses; positive influence of FT. [0:20:18] Disastrous interviews at Central Saint Martins School of Art and Nottingham Trent University; interview at Croydon College [CC]; mention that there were very few Theatre Design courses at the time; focus of CC course; conditions of grant from Suffolk Council; FT’s design career; mention that she had moved to live with her sister in Wimbledon; reasons for not moving in with her at this time and living with Aunt Gunval in Crystal Palace whilst attending CC instead; others staying at Gunval’s her house including a Norwegian theatre design student on the Motley Theatre Design Course; mention that he died of AIDS; not living the student life whilst at CC. [0:25:23] First day at CC; Sue Adams who ran the course; mention of being in the last year of the three-year Diploma course; interest in props and costume amongst the group; Ian Trow who went on to be a good friend; his appearance; tedious aspects of the course in the first year. Moving in with FT in Wimbledon; visiting her in Southampton; meeting real theatre people and helping out there; becoming more interested in carpentry; type of plays that the Nuffield Theatre was presenting at the time. Reconnecting with friends from the band who were at Sussex University in Brighton; feelings about seaside towns; house; being introduced to politics; reading Socialist Worker newspaper; reasons for initially being resistant to joining the Socialist Workers Party [SWP]. [0:37:03] Further comments about course at CC; projects including ‘The Tempest’; not knowing how to go about designing; later realisations about beginning with ideas rather than in the model; feelings about naturalism; being influenced by working with FT; SA’s comments when FT came to help with his graduate exhibition; scenic art course and tutor, John Turney. [0:41:19] Joining SWP in Croydon; trying to build a group in college; mention of joining in around 1983; attending mass picket of Eddie Shah’s print works in Warrington; reasons for the dispute; joining branch of SWP in Brixton; arriving in Warrington by coach; violence. Description of being arrested and spending time in a Police cell; returning home via Manchester on buses provided by the National Graphical Association and Society of Graphical and Allied Trades. FT’s views on PC’s politics; mention that she joined the SWP for a while during the miners’ strike; mention that she was Head of Design at Watford Palace Theatre at this time. [0:50:13] [Pause] Setting up SWP groups in Croydon and at CC coinciding with the miners’ strike; becoming known for this around college; PC’s rockabilly style at this time including a gravity-defying quiff; Billy the barber in Colchester; shopping for American style 1950s clothes at Robot on the King’s Road; silk trousers, shirts, American-style brothel creepers and custom-made leather jacket based on a photo of James Dean; evolving towards and English Teddy Boy look; having jacket made in Brighton; mention that sister probably has it; being recognisable in college; combing hair often; using Black & White Pluko Hair Dressing Pomade; mention of using Brylcreem instead now [0:53:58] Visiting pits during the miners’ strike; feelings about meeting miners; becoming involved in Socialist politics at a difficult time; SWP’s realistic view of this period; emphasis on reading and ideology; format of SWP meetings; influence of this period on PC. Different kinds of SWP meetings; other strikes at the time, including British Telecom; hearing from striking workers; becoming friendly with comedian, Mark Steel, at Croydon SWP; going to a gig in Liverpool with him. Story about organising a meeting at CC with visiting miners. Parents’ opinion of PC’s politics; mention of going on Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament [CND] demonstrations with mother; parents’ feelings about the Labour Party.
Description
Life story interview with Patrick Connellan (1961-), theatre designer.
Metadata record: