Rhubarb 2021

ST EDWARD’S

The Crucible 1964 The Crucible was performed on the Commem weekend in November 1964. Simon Petch (Segar’s, 1959-1964) kindly provided this account and photograph.We would love to hear from any other members of the cast who remember taking part in this performance.

FEATURE

The play was produced by Colin Pedley (MCR, 1962-1968), Assistant Chaplain and English master, pictured here in the centre of the front row. I played the part of John Proctor and am wearing a white shirt standing just behind Colin.To the right of me is Edward Davies (Apsley, 1959-1964) who played Judge Danforth.The young women in the cast were from Oxford High School andWychwood School. Colin Pedley later left Teddies for a career in higher education, eventually becoming Head of English at Oxford Brookes University. He died in 1998. I read English at Oxford, and then took a doctorate at Princeton University, before moving to Australia in 1973, where I worked at the University of Sydney until retirement in 2006.Ted Davies read Modern Languages at Cambridge, then worked in Europe and the US for several years before moving to Melbourne, Australia in 1990. His son, Gareth, is a professional actor, so it must be in the genes! dancers, scenery builders (extraverts all) would combine to build an evening’s topical and riotous entertainment with a Teddies slant, with the intention of a relaxed and fun time for all. As with all parody and satire, there was always a slim margin between the humour and downright ridicule and hurtfulness, so much so that by 1941 Kendall had already placed certain levels of censorship on these shows, following what he called ‘standards traversing acceptable boundaries in its mockery of the teaching staff ’. He also insisted on all staff members entering Big School together for the performance, as beforehand those entering individually had been booed and cheered by the audience depending on their current level of esteem and popularity! The Rag Revues started to wilt and die as the 1980s approached with the popularity of House plays and the larger School productions being put on in the New Hall each Christmas seemingly occupying the School’s acting talent. But for forty years, these risqué and well-remembered events were a real tonic at the end of a long term and a chance to let off some much-needed steam. It was gratifying also to often see those most ridiculed laughing the loudest sitting in the audience. Sadly, very few photographs and scripts survive. If anyone has any photos of the Rag Revues, we would be very interested in hearing from you. Please contact the Beyond Teddies team on OSE @ stedwardsoxford.org.

The Crucible 1964

THE RAG REVUE

T he Rag Revue, in retrospect, can perhaps be looked back upon as either a deliberate attempt byWarden Henry Kendall to show a more relaxed and liberal side to his character or alternatively he might have been misled into what he actually agreed to! Either way it was a long time ago, 1928 in fact, that this annual production first appeared on the Big School stage.

The Rag Revue1962

Whatever the geneses of this extravaganza, which was put on by the Senior School, usually at the end of the Lent Term, it can best be described as being completely out of step with the normally accepted standards and strict discipline of the time. For one night only, when anything and everyone was up for ridicule, parody, satire, mimickery and hopefully performed without anyone’s feelings being hurt too deeply!

The teaching staff were the obvious targets and for weeks beforehand a select band of script writers, actors, musicians,

Chris Nathan (inspired by Rory Clarke (Mac’s, 1955-1961)

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