PRODUCTIONS
Newly discovered events, productions, cast and/or character lists, programme notes and newspaper reports have been added, or updated, for the following:
- March 1959: Essex Youth Drama Festival – ‘Mute Witness‘ and ‘Macbeth (Extract). Guardian Newspaper Report
- March 1959: Walthamstow Youth Speaks Competition – Newspaper Photograph & Report
- December 1959: Walthamstow Guardian Newspaper Report on the Essex County ‘Youth Speaks’ Final – and the MDC second place success!
- June 1960: Walthamstow Guardian Newspaper Report on an evening of sketches, monologues and two plays – ‘The Plot Thickens’ and ‘Poison, Passion & Petrifaction’
- July 1960: Walthamstow Guardian Newspaper Report on the 1960 Mark House Drama Festival – with ‘Opportunity Knocks’ – ‘Bloaters’ ‘The Thought Machine’ and ‘The Man who Painted his Wife’s Nose’ staged and produced wholly by pupils in the Low Hall, Manor, Lea and Lammas House Groups
- October 1962. Brief Guardian Newspaper announcement of ‘Murder at Motley’
- December 1962: Guardian Newspaper Clipping of ‘Four One Act Plays for the price of one’ – ‘Katy at School’ – ‘The One Black Rose’ – ‘Hip Hip Horatious’ (previously undated) and ‘Spot The Lady’ (the third version!)
- December 1971 – Walthamstow Guardian Newspaper Report on ‘Red Riding Hood’ – the MDC’s ‘Annual Bit of Nonsense and Fun’
MARKHOUSE SCHOOL
The following recently unearthed Walthamstow Guardian Reports have now been added to the ‘Mark House’ Page – plus a complete NEW feature of ‘The Markhouse Story’:
- School Gallery – Assembly & Playgroup Photographs
- Staff Gallery – Photographs added of Bill Pinches, Reg Bowyer, Del Steward & Agnes Townsend
- Class Gallery – Photographs of School Isle of Wight Trip, 5x and 6x at Wickham Bonhunt & Newspaper Clipping of Eric Griffith’s with his class on a Visit to the House of Commons
- McEntee Award – Additions to the list Drama Club members having won this Award including – John Dunn & Pat Payne – plus full Guardian Newspaper Report of the Award to Costakis Apostalides and Runner Up: Bernard Page
- Walthamstow Guardian Reports – Report from the 18th September 1959 edition about Mr Abel’s, the School’s America/UK Exchange Teacher – plus a further report about Frank Gizzi and the Marsh Street Youth Centre Motor Cycle Club
‘THE MARKHOUSE STORY’
This new item in the website shows the first batch of extracts taken from Les Smith’s – ‘A Headmaster View of Events’ – his ‘essay’ about his aims and experiences before and during his Headship of Markhouse Secondary School between 1957 and 1966 – somehow ‘acquired’ by Dickie Dunn and subsequently passed on by Vivienne for inclusion in the website – albeit not the whole 90 pages!
The document also plots the lead up to the 10 years of his Headship – the philosophy that underpinned his aspirations for the school and its pupils, the massive changes in the structure of education that took place in the post wars years and the contributions of the staff over this period – plus the formation of the Drama Club (along with other community based groups) – in short, an account of ‘our education’ and what was going on behind the scenes!
Further extracts will be added over the coming months and – for anyone interested in reading the full version leave a note to this effect on the Website Contacts page – as it is hoped that this will be made available in the not too distant future.
AND – The COPPERMILL PUPPET THEATRE?
The notes in one of the Drama Club programmes states that the Coppermill Puppet Theatre became an affiliated group – although no detail was given, or is currently known, about when or how this occured – or indeed, if they ever staged any of their performances at Mark House.
At best it might be assumed that this happened at some time after Mr Malyon was transferred to Coppermill Seconday Modern School – post 1966!
However, it is clear from this article from the Walthamstow Guardian Newspaper, dated January 1960, that the Puppet Theatre was in existence well before this – so, if this report, or the name rings any bells – then please get in touch through the website Contact Page to let ‘us’ know what ‘you’ know!
Next Time: Full page spread of the School Prize Giving evening in 1960 – Report on Ambrose Applejohn’s Adventure (one of the earliest productions) – Car Mechanics at Markhouse and Mark House Art Club members Giant Mural – and more extracts from Les Smith’s ‘Mark House Story’