Usher by David Campton. November 1977

Cast: Stephen Fearnley  (Finn the servant), Sydney BIggs, John Davis, Margaret Grindlay (Madeline),  Martin Wilson, Jane McLewod, Rodney Bane, David Austin.

Director:   Helene Wong with Tessa Farnsworth as PA.

Design: David Austin.

SM /Technicians:  SM David Austin, ASM Rodney Baine, Sound Leslie Craven, Lighting Maria Craig, Prompt John Gilberthorpe, Set Paul Senior, David O'Donnell, Martin Wilson, Poster Portrait Jan Colosimo.

Theme:  Based on the Fall of the House of Usher  by Edgar Allane Poe.  

Venue:  1 Kent Terrace Unity Theatre.

Stories: 
John Davis is remembered for the blackout between scenes where he tripped over a piece of set and loudly proclaimed "SHIT!"

Stephen Fearnley remembers:
 'The brick wall made of polystyrene which alwasy tried to fall before time thanks to Jane M touching it each night as she ran down the steps past it.'

The fake  blood which would never come through Margaret Grindlay's shift costume.  Often the fake blood did run inside her shift down her body and legs as if she had a heavy period. Margaret spent much of the play in a coffin- open at one end so she had to control her breathing very carefully. We made the coffin deeper than usual so later, when the coffin was closed completely, she had a little space above her.

Stephen recalls the collapsing door fame that nearly brained him one night- wheras John Davis managed to stand in exactly the right place in the middle and it missed him each night.

The actor who got his lines wrong every night except  the last ' The sword ran ilke lightning under the water."

Set construction

The "wall" at the back of the stage  was built of painted polystyrene blocks and was very rickety. As the actors decended the stage steps beside the wall the "brick wall" swayed and wobbled.

Painting problems

David Austin was well know for mixing paints. It didn't matter if they were acrylic or emamel - if they were the right colour - in they would go and be stirred about - into the same 4 litre paint pot. The stage floor was  painted last thing after the final dress rehearsal  and on this occasion it had unforunately had not yet dried by opening night. Sydney walked across the stage and the theatre audience was hushed. 

The sound of "squish lick, squish lick, squish lick ...", for every foot fall that stuck to the stage floor, was memerising on opening night.  And very funny.