In 1977, Howard Brenton was working on a play that would eventually be titled Epsom Downs, providing a glimpse of the state of the nation in Silver Jubilee year through a day at the races (Derby Day, in fact). As research, the cast were invited down to Epsom so they could get to see the various character types that Brenton was reproducing in the play and help their understanding of what a busy race meeting is like. Among the younger members of staff at Epsom racecourse then was one Edward Gillespie.
Fast forward some 30 years and Edward Gillespie is now managing director of Cheltenham racecourse and he well remembers the visit from the original Epsom Downs cast. With extraordinary generosity, Edward invited the cast of our forthcoming production of this play (all 20 of them), to spend last Saturday at the first meeting of the season as his guests.
“Many of the actors had, surprisingly perhaps, never visited the races before and found it enormously useful,” says the play’s director Steven Rayworth. “And while 30 years have passed since the play was written, it was fascinating to see that most of the character types in the play are still with us! Our actors playing the bookies seem to have got it spot on and a lot of racegoers are as ‘larger than life’ as we’ve been portraying them in rehearsal.”
Fast forward some 30 years and Edward Gillespie is now managing director of Cheltenham racecourse and he well remembers the visit from the original Epsom Downs cast. With extraordinary generosity, Edward invited the cast of our forthcoming production of this play (all 20 of them), to spend last Saturday at the first meeting of the season as his guests.“Many of the actors had, surprisingly perhaps, never visited the races before and found it enormously useful,” says the play’s director Steven Rayworth. “And while 30 years have passed since the play was written, it was fascinating to see that most of the character types in the play are still with us! Our actors playing the bookies seem to have got it spot on and a lot of racegoers are as ‘larger than life’ as we’ve been portraying them in rehearsal.”
All had a fantastic day and almost the entire cast had a winner or two – or at least won some money on each-way bets – with the exception of the director himself, while Deep End treasurer Rod Holliman was the most successful punter of the day. Obviously the right man to be in charge of the finances! And no, John Roberts doesn’t normally go round with a hanky on his head, he’s just getting into character as Grandpa, a cross between Alf Garnett and Uncle Albert Trotter! 
No comments:
Post a Comment