INTERVIEW
with
DAVID STREAMES
director of
with
DAVID STREAMES
director of
The Power Behind the Microphone
15th June
7.10pm via live stream
15th June
7.10pm via live stream
Nothing, not even Covid-19, was going to stop David Streames from directing the latest project coming out of Chelmsford Theatres this Monday.
Back at the beginning of the year, when we all had our theatrical commitments confidently penciled in on our calendars, David was offered the opportunity by Chelmsford Theatre’s Artistic Director, Ian Knowles, to direct The Power Behind the Microphone, written to mark the centenary of Britain’s first radio entertainment broadcast retelling the story of the remarkable Marconi Company tests of 1920.
However, disaster struck with the Government’s announcement of Lockdown due to the Covid-19 virus in March, which meant that Streames had to majorly rethink his plans. It didn’t take long for the experienced actor and director to realise that the play could still be produced not only as a stage production - using the large main house stage at the theatre and with just 8 actors - but also, just as it was performed 100 years ago, as a radio play!
The circumstances weren’t going to be ideal but at least they could still honour the memory of those technical pioneers who struggled to bring the first radio entertainment broadcast to the airwaves all those years ago.
Back at the beginning of the year, when we all had our theatrical commitments confidently penciled in on our calendars, David was offered the opportunity by Chelmsford Theatre’s Artistic Director, Ian Knowles, to direct The Power Behind the Microphone, written to mark the centenary of Britain’s first radio entertainment broadcast retelling the story of the remarkable Marconi Company tests of 1920.
However, disaster struck with the Government’s announcement of Lockdown due to the Covid-19 virus in March, which meant that Streames had to majorly rethink his plans. It didn’t take long for the experienced actor and director to realise that the play could still be produced not only as a stage production - using the large main house stage at the theatre and with just 8 actors - but also, just as it was performed 100 years ago, as a radio play!
The circumstances weren’t going to be ideal but at least they could still honour the memory of those technical pioneers who struggled to bring the first radio entertainment broadcast to the airwaves all those years ago.
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David’s next challenge was to find a cast who were prepared to come to Chelmsford and perform the play during a global pandemic. A few names from David’s extensive phone book came to mind, and he tentatively began dialling. The first number was of old Guildhall drama school chum, Anna Steiger (daughter of Rod Steiger and Claire Bloom); then he called Robert ‘Bob’ Daws (another old drama friend). He then spoke to seasoned performers, David Warwick, Jeffrey Harmer, Martin Carroll, Wendy Morgan and David Milligan, all of whom jumped at the opportunity, much to David’s absolute delight. Finally, Streames recruited his talented daughter, Lily, a trained singer and actor to complete the cast.
They will all be joining forces (albeit socially distanced 2 metre ones) on the 15th June to breathe life into the play, written by Tim Wander and Felicity Fair Thompson, and adapted by Streames. The Power Behind the Microphone will recreate the excitement and tension building up to the historical moment when Dame Nellie Melba’s operatic voice was transported to audiences through the power of radio airwaves on the 15th January 1920 and it will even start at exactly the same time of 7:10pm. |
Anna Steiger
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With so much importance stressed on social distancing at the moment, I wonder how this will affect putting on the production.
“The theatre are taking the social distancing rules very seriously and everything has been set up brilliantly,” Streames explains reassuringly. "The staging has been set so that the cast will all be 2 metres away from each other at all times."
“They’ve built a wonderful set especially for the production just from looking at old photographs of the original broadcast. They've reproduced a great replica of the shed in Writtle. Also, the all important sound effects needed for a radio production are fantastic.”
“The theatre are taking the social distancing rules very seriously and everything has been set up brilliantly,” Streames explains reassuringly. "The staging has been set so that the cast will all be 2 metres away from each other at all times."
“They’ve built a wonderful set especially for the production just from looking at old photographs of the original broadcast. They've reproduced a great replica of the shed in Writtle. Also, the all important sound effects needed for a radio production are fantastic.”
How the stage will look during the live broadcast
So how will the evening unfold?
“It starts with a 15 minute concert by Dame Nellie and then the play starts. It basically tells the story of the weeks leading up to that moment,” he continues, “It’s told through the eyes of Winnifred Sayer, (played by Lily) a young local girl who used to sing in the pubs in Chelmsford and, technically speaking, she was the very first person to sing on radio when they did the initial testing, but then they got Dame Nellie in.”
Anna Steiger, who has performed opera for over 35 years, will be playing the role of Dame Nellie Melba.
“Anna left the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and went on to become an internationally known opera singer herself,” David tells me. “She’s fantastic. She went on to sing all over the world.
He reveals, “We were really good friends at Guildhall and I didn’t even know that she was Rod Steiger and Claire Bloom’s daughter, until I saw her walking down the red carpet at the Oscars on my tv!”
“It starts with a 15 minute concert by Dame Nellie and then the play starts. It basically tells the story of the weeks leading up to that moment,” he continues, “It’s told through the eyes of Winnifred Sayer, (played by Lily) a young local girl who used to sing in the pubs in Chelmsford and, technically speaking, she was the very first person to sing on radio when they did the initial testing, but then they got Dame Nellie in.”
Anna Steiger, who has performed opera for over 35 years, will be playing the role of Dame Nellie Melba.
“Anna left the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and went on to become an internationally known opera singer herself,” David tells me. “She’s fantastic. She went on to sing all over the world.
He reveals, “We were really good friends at Guildhall and I didn’t even know that she was Rod Steiger and Claire Bloom’s daughter, until I saw her walking down the red carpet at the Oscars on my tv!”
Robert Daws
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Another drama friend from way back, Robert Daws (Outside Edge, The Royal), was happy to join the cast when Streames approached him and he will be playing the role of Peter Pendleton Eckersley.
Streames chuckles, “Straight away he said, “Oh yes dear boy, that would be lovely”!” David Warwick, best known for appearing in almost all of Ray Cooney's original productions and also as ‘the body’ in Cooney’s recent tour of Out of Order, also jumped on board; as did Jeffery Harmer who was also in the Out of Order tour production with Warwick. “Jeffrey has a great voice, not unlike Richard Burton’s, which is great for radio,” says Streames, “and then we have Wendy Morgan (Yanks, Jewel in the Crown) playing the Curator, Martin Carroll (The Cat and the Canary, The Lady Vanishes) plays Bill Ditcham, Lily is playing Winnifred and a very old friend of mine, David Milligan (House of Elliot, The Bill) will be playing Freddie Munnion.” |
Interestingly, the cast will also be adding some extra skills to their repertoires by getting involved with making some of the sound effects themselves; recreating doors slamming, glasses chinking and voicing the general hubbub of a crowded pub, to name but a few!
With the play being broadcast live, I suggest to David that this may be quite daunting for the actors. He tells me,
“It’s going to be streamed live so there’s always a chance that things could go wrong; plus it’s very technical because of the sound effects and everything having to be timed to perfection. I’m just saying to the cast, if anything goes wrong just go with it!” he laughs.
“It’s going to be streamed live so there’s always a chance that things could go wrong; plus it’s very technical because of the sound effects and everything having to be timed to perfection. I’m just saying to the cast, if anything goes wrong just go with it!” he laughs.
I’m curious to know how Streames has managed to direct the play during a lockdown.
“Well, everyone has had a copy of the script for some time now and had the chance to look at it and become familiar with it. The only rehearsal we’ll have is two days before the play goes up, so we’re meeting on the Saturday and Sunday and reading the script whilst sitting in a very big circle!”
“When it’s being live streamed it will be like watching a live clip of how they did it 100 years ago."
As the story unfolds the audience will learn how the engineers’ struggled to get to the broadcast on the air.
“Well, everyone has had a copy of the script for some time now and had the chance to look at it and become familiar with it. The only rehearsal we’ll have is two days before the play goes up, so we’re meeting on the Saturday and Sunday and reading the script whilst sitting in a very big circle!”
“When it’s being live streamed it will be like watching a live clip of how they did it 100 years ago."
As the story unfolds the audience will learn how the engineers’ struggled to get to the broadcast on the air.
David explains the technicalities the original engineers had in simple terms for me, “The microphone is a basically a telephone receiver that they used, they then cut the hearing bit off and used the speaker bit and that was all the technology they had then. Also it was difficult to transmit with all the air traffic going on around the skies."
Adapting and directing this play has been a blessing for David during these unprecedented times and he can’t thank Chelmsford Theatres enough for making it happen.
“I think we must be the only theatre actually putting on a production at the moment?”
“I honestly didn’t think it would happen. It was mentioned and suggested but I couldn’t imagine how we could put it all together and make it work during these times, but everyone has come together and I just know it’s going to be amazing.”
Interview: Kim Tobin
Adapting and directing this play has been a blessing for David during these unprecedented times and he can’t thank Chelmsford Theatres enough for making it happen.
“I think we must be the only theatre actually putting on a production at the moment?”
“I honestly didn’t think it would happen. It was mentioned and suggested but I couldn’t imagine how we could put it all together and make it work during these times, but everyone has come together and I just know it’s going to be amazing.”
Interview: Kim Tobin
Chelmsford City Theatres will stream a video feed of the play to its Facebook page where it will also be available to watch after the live event. The first part of the play, including the recreation of the Melba concert, will be broadcast live on BBC Essex and the entire performance can be heard on Chelmsford Community Radio.
For more information about the production and how to watch it or listen to it live click here
For more information about the production and how to watch it or listen to it live click here
About David
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Chelmsford audiences will recognize David from directing and appearing in SOMEONE WHO’LL WATCH OVER ME at the Cramphorn Studio in June 2019.
David trained at The Guildhall School of Speech and Drama. His theatre work includes Basil Hallward and Oscar Wilde in THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GREY, Maurice in THE NIGHT ALIVE by Conor McPherson, UK tour, Jerry in PINTER’S BETRAYAL, UK tour, a five week run playing Daddy Warbucks in ANNIE at the Madanat Theatre in Dubai. Peter in BLUE REMEMBERED HILLS, Jacob Marley in CHRISTMAS CAROL at the New Vic Theatre, FUNNY MONET at Vienna’s English Speaking Theatre, and OUT OF ORDER, Far East Tour. |