Boys – for perseverance

When I was about 12, I attended drama classes run for children in the under-croft of Marian Street Theatre in suburban Killara, Sydney. It was a local institution and my mother thought it would be good for me. Quite why I’m not sure, but there were some fine instructors such as Alexander Archdale, Tony Yueldon and David Goddard. I duly attended and as the only boy present, I concentrated on learning about sound and lighting. I enjoyed all those technical things, and I got the opportunity to watch all those girls flit around the stage without having to remember any lines myself. Cool.

At the end of the year I was awarded a prize under the category ‘Boys -for perseverance’.

Many years later I returned to the theatre but then in the capacity of a director the the production company, Marian Street Theatre Limited, and more recently as a trustee of the Foundation that supported the Marian Street Young People’s Theatre which still continues to train youngsters years after the principal company had been wound up. Perhaps my mother knew more about the future than she realized.

Yesterday I attended a seminar in the city. It was held in a suite of training rooms in Collins Street which afforded a very nice view of the Rialto buildings.

Again I was the only boy present!