2017 Events

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SATURDAY 18^th NOVEMBER, 2017.  Play Reading, Pre-Christmas Buffet Lunch & AGM, at Doggett’s Coat & Badge, Blackfriars

Fifty members and guests attended our final event of the year, which began with a rehearsed play-reading of ‘Going Back’ by Roy Chatfield.  Roy Chatfield took second prize in The Terence Rattigan Society Award  and as well as receiving a cheque for £1,000,  the other half of the prize was a rehearsed reading of the play for members of the TRS and their guests.    Adrian Brown, who was a close friend of Terence Rattigan directed the reading with an all professional cast of actors:-  Giles Cole, Natasha Alderslade, Emily Laing, Sean Garvey and Tayo Elesin.

This was followed by a buffet lunch and our Annual General Meeting, chaired by the Secretary Group Captain Clive Montellier, OBE., RAF.

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TUESDAY 26^th SEPTEMBER, 2017.  Awards Ceremony.  Harrow School.

The Terence Rattigan Society Award, for a new play for the theatre was launched in January 2016 at the Jermyn Street Theatre.  One hundred and ninety one eligible scripts were received, each of which was read by at least two readers.  The selection process has taken much time and the final judges – Julian Fellowes, Dan Rebellato, Thea Sharrock and David Suchet were given three months to make their joint decision.

We reached a shortlist of 17 scripts and each of the writers of those scripts attended our Awards Ceremony at Harrow School.  Julian Fellowes announced the three winning scripts in reverse order.  Third place: Wrong Move by Peter Briffa.  Second place: Going Back by Roy Chatfield and the winner was The Onion at the End by Roy Kendall.  The ceremony was hosted by Giles Cole and the speakers were Adam Cross, Director of Drama Harrow School, Barbara Longford, Chairman TRS, Michael Darlow, Vice President TRS, Julian Fellowes (Baron Fellowes of West Stafford, DL) Vice President TRS and Michael Wheatley-Ward.  Mr Wheatley-Ward is the producer of the winning play.  The Onion at the End will be performed in Broadstairs in February 2018.

Some 50 members of the Society attended the ceremony, which was followed by a drinks reception in the foyer of the theatre.

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WEDNESDAY 5^th JULY,  2017.  Annual Birthday Dinner at The Garrick Club

Each year the Society commemorates Terence Rattigan’s birthday (10^th June, 1911) with a birthday dinner, to which we invite a guest speaker.  We try to arrange a date as near to the birthday as possible and on this particular occasion we usually dress in style (Black tie) to reflect a dress code with which Sir Terence would be familiar.  This year we returned to the Garrick Club, hosted by our Vice President and Garrick Club member, Geoffrey Wansell.  The guest speaker was the celebrated biographer Hugo Vickers DL who spoke about several of the prominent figures who were Rattigan’s contemporaries, such as Vivien Leigh and Chips Channon.  Our Vice President, Greta Scacchi, attended the dinner and Editor, Giles Cole, presented her with the scroll of honour, marking her Vice Presidency.  Fifty members attended a memorable evening in the Milne Room and the circular tables were each given the name of a Terence Rattigan play.

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SATURDAY 25^TH MARCH, 2017.  Visit to Brighton.

At the invitation of our member, Luke Jeffers, who is the owner of Terence Rattigan’s former Regency house in Brighton, thirty five members visited on 25^th March.  Luke allowed us to wander freely around the house and he had placed articles in each room to tell us how they were used and what they looked like during Rattigan’s time there.  After a buffet lunch, we were taken by minibus to New Venture Theatre for a wonderful production of The Deep Blue Sea, directed by Pat Boxall.  Pat was congratulated by many members as having directed a more enjoyable version than the recent one at the NT.  Emmie Spencer was perfect as Hester and we thought she looked and portrayed the part as Rattigan would have wanted.  The day concluded with a meal at the nearby Lion & Lobster pub.  We had a private room, table plans and place cards.  Members agreed that this was one of our most enjoyable events.

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SATURDAY 4^th MARCH, 2017.  A Party for the Script Readers at Terence Rattigan’s birthplace

Thirty five TRS members were readers for ‘The Terence Rattigan Society Award’ and the Society gave them a party on 4^th March, to say thank you.  We gathered at Sir Terence’s birthplace, 100 Cornwall Gardens, courtesy of our member Mrs Junko Tarrant who owns the apartment which houses the English Heritage plaque on its balcony.  Two of our Vice Presidents (and third stage readers of the scripts) attended – Michael Darlow and Geoffrey Wansell as well as Sir Terence’s close friend Adrian Brown and third stage reader John Scotney.  From the Committee were Chairman, Barbara Longford, Membership Secretary Diana Scotney, Treasurer Andrew Kenyon and webmaster Steve Bradley.  Barbara thanked all the readers for their thoughtful appraisals of the scripts.  Their help had been invaluable as 191 eligible scripts were received.  We are still working to reduce the final scripts to three, to be sent to the final judges.

Click the images to enlarge.

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