In my other life, I began working in stage management in the theatre. Got my Equity card for doing a season at Butlin’s Rep. Clacton – of which more another time. This particular gem comes from the Connaught Theatre, Worthing where I started as Deputy Stage Manager and rose to the dizzy heights of Stage Manager.
As a joke, in a 1973 production of Rookery Nook, the director decided that the offstage dog and cat would be played by members of the stage management team. Andy Wilkinson was the Conrad the Dog, and Tiddles the Cat – who was trodden upon regularly – was…
Me, in case you can’t read it. Sorry, the lettering’s rather blurry. It wasn’t all glamour – but it was a very jolly repertory company down by the seaside. Sadly, at least two of the company are no longer with us, Christopher Scoular and David Beale. Everyone was in love with Christopher, who was a very handsome young man, a great comic actor and a lovely company member. David Beale was a very special friend – I still have the beautiful crystal goblets he gave me for my 21st birthday. Later, he nursed me through my first main house production as a director in 1975, Absurd Person Singular at The Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch, in which he appeared. I loved him dearly and miss his gentle spirit, his wisdom and his dry sense of humour. Wish he’d known I went on to be a writer.
Lynne McVernon 
Fascinating career Lynne. I love the theatre and backstage is always more exciting I think. I would loved to been involved. I had the most fun ever, I think, backstage with the Welsh National Opera when they came to Oxford in about the 1970s I think. A friend was wardrobe mistress and we were backstage with her most of the evening. What a hoot. Drunken singers falling around all over the place, wigs falling off – reminded me of rock concerts we’d been involved with. Amazed to see singers falling down drunk, get up and go on stage and sing beautifully, and come off stage and collapse. Quite something. Have you seen the like?
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