An Ayrshire Arts Archive
In 1954 founding members Bill Grierson, Allison and Harry Tudhope, Dorothy
Millar, Fraser Gunn, Douglas Boocock, Brenda Kennedy and Isobel Cummings
formed The Compass Club, which would present Ayrshire audiences with
two productions a year for many years to come. Addressing the audience,
in the programme of the very first production, the aims of the club were
declared -
“... to select plays by dramatists, both past and present, including
period and modern costume plays and ... some of the more outstanding
classics ... our name indicating our intention of presenting plays of
as wide a variety as possible – plays as varied as the points of the
compass.”
To Dorothy A Son by Roger MacDougall, a contemporary comedy, was the
inaugural production chosen and directed by Bill Grierson in October
1954. The most intriguing aspect of the play is that the female lead
actor never appears on stage, her role as the heavily pregnant wife being
entirely dependent on her voice from off stage. Played very successfully
by Allison Tudhope, she memorised the role and performed it from a bed
in the wings, appearing to the audience only for the curtain call, however,
criticism was made of cast member, Bob Saterfield, an American from the
air base in Prestwick, whose ‘poor’ American accent was lamented.
Back in the autumn of 1954, a report in the local press made theatrical
history in the town of Ayr. It was headed ‘HOUSE FULL’ and ran as follows:
“Ayr’s youngest drama group, ‘The Compass Club’, made its debut in the
Civic Theatre on Wednesday of last week. The occasion was the opening
of “To Dorothy A Son”. What was so exciting about the “House Full” notice
is that, as far as is know, this was the first time it had ever happened
at the three and a half year old theatre. Not only on Wednesday but for
the rest of the week, the theatre was packed out.”
To the Compass Club, a small group of dedicated players, this was encouragement
indeed and set the company on its way. Inspiration in those days came
from the innovative and talented director, Bill Grierson, whose gift
of imaginative theatre was widely acclaimed for many years.
At the time of the club’s conception, the membership of the club cost
£1, seat prices were 3s/6d and 2s/6d and programmes cast 6d each.
Any new drama group is always keen to have some constructive criticism
and in those early days, enormous encouragement was gained from Harold
Ballantyne, the Glasgow Evening Citizen’s theatre critic for the West
of Scotland. In one report in 1961, he wrote:
“For the last seven years, my visits to Ayr’s Civic Theatre have been
red letter days in my diary, thanks to the Compass Club which I now regard
as the most advanced drama group in Scottish amateur theatre. Under the
production guidance of William P Grierson, this club has gone from glory
to glory and today, could take its place beside any professional repertory
theatre in the country... Artistic determination and sincerity are common
stock in the Compass Club.”
These words were high praise indeed but although club members took their
hobby very earnestly, determination and sincerity were not to be confused
with seriousness as rehearsals and productions over the years had their
lighter sides.
A well-known theatrical saying is, “Never work with children or animals”.
In 1961 the company advertised for a young girl to play the part of a
10 year-old in Roar Like a Dove by Lesley Storm. The ‘ad’ was answered
by a 9 year-old Merlyn Gracie, who arrived unaccompanied to apply for
the part - an ideal choice for the precocious character. Merlyn went
on to steal the show.
The Compass Club always strove for perfection, however, thirst for realism
can be taken to extremes. In the 1963 production of Harold Pinter’s The
Caretaker, Bill Grierson portrayed a tramp and to create the authentic
visual impression of the character, he washed his kitchen floor with
the ‘costume’ vest for a fortnight before wearing it for each night’s
performance. The kitchen floor in question was then part of the rehearsal
studios, which now form the restaurant, Saffie’s, and a hairdresser’s
opposite the Ramada Jarvis Hotel in Ayr.
In complete contrast to the squalor of The Caretaker, tiaras were required
and hired from a London company for the opulent production Terence Rattigan’s
The Sleeping Prince (1963). Though only paste, these ‘jewels’ were of
considerable value and had to be well insured. Over the years, the club
was fortunate to receive many invaluable contributions of props, furniture
and costume from supporters but safe and affordable storage was an ongoing
problem. In the 1960s the Club had a workshop and scenery store at Overmills,
by the River Ayr stepping stones, however these premises were vandalised,
with scenery and many precious costumes destroyed and found floating
down the river.
On many occasions, elaborate period costumes were required and hired
from such companies as The Royal Shakespeare Company (A
Man For All Seasons by Robert Bolt, 1972) and Pitlochry Festival Theatre (She
Stoops to Conquer,
by the Irish author Oliver Goldsmith in 1987 – insured for £6,000). In
the 1971 costume production of The Barretts of Wimpole
Street by Rudolf
Besier, a real dog was required. A delightful black and white spaniel
called Sally, was used for Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s dog, Flush. During
one performance, Flush decided to leave the stage and join the audience.
She had to be encouraged back up by Harry Tudhope, alias Elizabeth’s
Dr Chambers. The following evening, Flush was firmly tethered to the
leg of the couch.
Until its closure in 2002, Compass Club productions were performed primarily
in the CIVIC THEATRE, Ayr, although on occasions productions were also
staged in the GAIETY THEATRE (The Happy Marriage -1966); TROON CONCERT
HALL (King Lear, the Club’s first Shakespearean production in 1973;)
and CRAIGIE THEATRE (e.g. Macbeth 1978, The Taming
of the Shrew 1980).
After the closure of the Civic Theatre, productions moved to MAYBOLE
TOWN HALL.
Like any other organisation, the company has had its moments of excitement.
In 1978, the Compass Club tempted fate by choosing the infamous “Scottish
play” - which incidentally opened on 13th November. Alan Richmond, in
the role of Young Siward, received a real wound to the head during a
duelling scene. The fight had been very well rehearsed but at one critical
moment, Alan forgot to duck. He was rushed to hospital, still in his
stage armour, helped by some other members of the cast, still in theirs.
Alan had to have 9 stitches in his head but was back on stage two days
later. Another difficult moment arose in 1993 during Act 1 of Noel Coward’s
Private Lives, when the stage lights failed but the cast continued to
play to the audience illuminated only by the house lights.
Although plays had been directed by different people since the birth
of the Club in 1954, Bill Grierson was the predominant driving force
and so when 1984 saw his untimely death, it seemed that he was irreplaceable.
In his last production (John Mortimer’s autobiographical Voyage
Round My Father) Bill played one of the lead roles as the aging and temperamental
father, which proved to be a poignant final performance.
Following his death members felt it was essential that the Club survive
as a tribute to all that Bill had achieved, and so it was that Allison
Tudhope stepped into the role of director for the first time, when the
Club presented Alan Ayckbourn’s Joking Apart. As a further tribute and
in memory of his many years of work in the theatre, THE BILL GRIERSON
AWARD was established by AYR ARTS GUILD, and as one of the fundraising
events to help finance this new venture, The Compass Club came together
for a one off performance of Mixed Doubles which takes the form of eight
short plays, each for two characters, written by Alan Ayckbourn, John
Bowen, Lyndon Brook, David Campton, Alun Owen, Harold Pinter, James Saunders,
and Fay Weldon. Each is an independent play in its own right, but collectively
they are reflections on the married state from the altar to the grave.
Over the decades other directors, such as Andrew Milroy, Barry McGuire,
David Crouch, Douglas Raith, Ken O’Hara Dave Johnston, Mike Mortimer,
and Kenneth Thom directed too, but Allison was responsible for over 20
plays from 1985.
In celebration of The Compass Club’s 40th Anniversary in 1994, Allison
chose Oscar Wilde’s lavish Lady Windermere’s Fan and the cast included
several previous members who returned to play in the anniversary production.
In keeping with the period piece, the Club members gave the CIVIC THEATRE
a Victorian make-over: front of house staff were dressed appropriately,
live piano music entertained the audience before and during the performances
and the programme was printed in Victorian style.
Allison directed her farewell production of The
Heiress by Ruth and Augustus
Goetz (adapted from the 1880 Henry James novel, Washington Square) in
1996, after which she retired. The Heiress was also a memorable production
for another reason: having entered the production into the Scottish Community
Drama Association Festival, The Club was awarded first prize with a glowing
adjudication and high score. As for press reviews, local papers long
ago abandoned the tradition of sending drama critics along to cover productions,
and Glasgow Evening Citizen ceased publishing in 1974, however the late
Bill Prentice, a loyal supporter, regularly reviewed plays when compiling
the AYR ARTS GUILD newsletter, offering insightful observations and great
encouragement.
In 1994 he commented on the play choice:
“This accomplished and talented group ..... choose plays of quality with
styles as varied as the many points of the compass. Lady
Windermere’s Fan, with its brilliance of dialogue, large cast and lavish costume promises
to be an exciting presentation well worthy of the Club’s reputation.”
He regularly praised The Club for “never dodging a challenge ... time
and again they tackle works which not only stretch amateur actors but
equally challenge audiences to take a night off from light opera” a good
example being “Whose Life is it Anyway?” by Brian Clark in 1995.
Of the 1998 production of How the Other Half Loves by Alan Ayckbourn,
he said:
“...it is noticeable how they have a very substantial increase in the
audience size. They deserve it; they always did. No need to remark much
on the very competent presentation of this tricky play with a well made
duplex stage set and ... actors who move around as though there really
is kitchen off right and a world outside the door ... a good slick team.”
From 1996 onwards, Ken O’Hara staged 8 productions, his last being The
Dining Room by A. R. Gurney in November 2001. Just as directors changed
over the years so did the CIVIC THEATRE. The addition of a new Box Office
area to the right of the building provided an essential covered passage
from the auditorium to the Coffee Room where audiences could enjoy refreshments.
Modern technology gradually brought changes with computerised lighting
and more sophisticated sound desks. Another change in the theatre was
the building of fire doors in the wings – a good safety measure but one
which hampered elaborate set changes. Founder member, Harry Tudhope,
while continuing to make occasional appearances on stage right up 1999
in Les Liaisons Dangereuses, stage managed many productions beginning
in the 1950s and continued doing so for five decades.
Over the years, the number of players involved in productions has varied
enormously from large cast plays such as Arthur Miller’s The
Crucible,
Shaw’s Pygmalion, or Hampton’s Les Liaisons
Dangereuses, to one play,
Educating Rita by Willy Russell with a cast of only two. On a couple
of occasions, two One Act plays were selected to make an interesting
night’s entertainment: Browning Version & Harlequinade in 1971 with The Wind Netters & Wit’s End paired in 2002 –sadly, the very last
Compass production in the Civic Theatre. The Compass Club chose to repeat
only a few plays: Rookery Nook, (in which Harry Tudhope played the same
part in both productions in 1957 and 1979) Habeas
Corpus, The Importance
of Being Earnest and The Heiress all which were considered worthy of
second – or indeed third - versions, with new casts and directors bringing
fresh perspectives to the dramas. The most performed playwright, with
a total of eight plays performed between 1969 and 2001, was Alan Ayckbourn.
With variety always being crucial, the Compass Club have always striven
to bring worldwide dramatists to the people of Ayrshire and included
in the list of past productions are examples of the work of Ibsen, Moliere,
Chekhov, Gogol, Anouilh, Synge, Ariel Dorfman, Neil Simon, Edward Albee
and Arthur Miller.
As the decades have passed, the Club has been lucky to have had numerous
talented actors on stage and this talent has been reflected in the fact
that almost a dozen players have gone on to the professional theatre.
Text prepared by Carolyn O'Hara from the Compass Archive.
Club meeting rooms and rehearsal space. 
©M.Bailey
Programme Cover with Compass Motif
A scene from The
Playboy of the Western World. ©Mike
Bailey
Ring Round the Moon. ©Douglas Raith
She Stoops to Conquer. ©Douglas Raith
Abigail's Party. ©Douglas Raith
Blithe Spirit. ©Douglas Raith