There is to this day still no drama department at Cambridge University. Had there been when I arrived at St. Catharine’s in 1958, it’s doubtful I would have applied, as I then had no intention of acting professionally and was happy to be reading English Literature. This involved University lectures from such academic stars as C.S. Lewis (the “Narnia” books) and F.R. Leavis (“Scrutiny” and other critical studies.
I sat at Leavis's feet in his small study group at Downing College — alongside Trevor Nunn — but presented my weekly essay to the patrician attention of T. R. Henn, whom Leavis defamed as “the red-faced brigadier of King’s Parade”. Leavis was scathing about actors’ interpretations of Shakespeare, preferring to read the plays rather than see them staged.
Tom Henn, indeed an ex-brigadier, loved Yeats and Shakespeare (same here), though he warned me not to let undergraduate theatre take me too much from my studies. With a rebellion that was out of character, I ignored him and managed 21 productions in Cambridge 1958-61. A couple of these transferred briefly to London and most were reviewed by national critics, often themselves Oxbridge graduates. Agents scouted Cambridge, and Peter Cook even had two revues running in the West End. The BBC held an annual party to encourage us to work in their news and drama departments. Were we privileged!
The University authorities were also friendly toward us. They provided a senior member to oversee the Amateur Dramatic Club and the other acting groups, whilst the influential George "Dadie" Rylands ran the Marlowe Society, of which I was President in my final year. By that time I was bent on going professional, like the rest of that community of like-minded young people who made Cambridge as good as any drama school.
Dadie was scathing about our ambitions but his eyes twinkled. We knew he had directed Gielgud and Ashcroft in the West End and, over my time, he brought to Cambridge them and other professional actors to record all of Shakespeare’s plays with undergraduates in support. Dadie the declared amateur always thought of us would-be professionals as his “naughty boys”.
Seeing amateur productions and acting in a few really good ones so early on at school and the Little Theatre as well as at Cambridge, I’m left well aware of the size and enthusiasm of the amateur theatre movement in UK, particularly The Little Theatre Guild. They’ve just made me their Patron and being an amateur, that is lover, of theatre, I couldn’t be more pleased. — Ian McKellen, December 2006
| Year | Place | Title/Writer | Director/Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 |
Amateur Dramatic Club ADC Theatre Cambridge |
THE APPLECART
Bernard Shaw |
DIRECTOR: Terrence Hardiman ROLE: King Magnus |
| 1958 |
Amateur Dramatic Club ADC Theatre Cambridge |
CAMINO REAL
Tennessee Williams |
DIRECTOR: John Tanfield ROLE: Survivor |
| 1959 | Bolton Little Theatre |
THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER |
ROLE: Townsperson |
| 1959 |
Amateur Dramatic Club ADC Theatre Cambridge |
A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY
Ivan Turgenev, translated by Constance Garnett |
DIRECTOR: Jocelyn Powell ROLE: Alexei Nicholaitch Beliaev, the new tutor |
| 1959 |
Marlowe Society Cambridge Arts Theatre |
HENRY IV PART 2 (Cambridge)
William Shakespeare |
DIRECTOR: John Barton ROLE: Justice Shallow |
| 1959 |
University Actors ADC Theatre, Cambridge Arts Theatre Club, London |
DEUTSCHES HAUS
Richard Cottrell |
DIRECTOR: Garry O'Connor ROLE: Harry |
| 1959 |
Amateur Dramatic Club ADC Theatre Lyric Opera House Hammersmith, London |
LOVE'S LABOURS
William Shakespeare (idea) adapted by Clive Swift, Richard Cottrell, Corin Redgrave, and John Wood
|
DIRECTOR: John Tydeman ROLE: Holofernes |
| 1959 |
Marlowe Society Cambridge Arts Theatre |
THE THREE SISTERS (Cambridge)
Anton Chekov
|
DIRECTOR: John Barton ROLE: Tuzenbach |
| 1959 |
Amateur Dramatic Club ADC Theatre Cambridge |
SAINT'S DAY
John Whiting |
DIRECTOR: Geoffrey Reeves ROLE: Charles Heberden |
| 1959 |
University Actors ADC Theatre Cambridge |
SIX CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF AN AUTHOR
Luigi Pirandello, translated by Frederick May
|
DIRECTOR: Garry O'Connor ROLE: The Son |
| 1960 |
Marlowe Society Cambridge Arts Theatre |
CYMBELINE
William Shakespeare |
DIRECTOR: George Rylands ROLE: Posthumus |
| 1960 |
Amateur Dramatic Club ADC Theatre Cambridge |
THE DUENNA
Richard Brinsley Sheridan adapted by Lionel Harris, Music by Julian Slade
|
DIRECTOR: Corin Redgrave ROLE: Father Paul |
| 1960 |
Amateur Dramatic Club ADC Theatre Cambridge |
LULLABY OF PARK STREET Tom Vernon
|
DIRECTOR: Tom Vernon ROLE: Apple-voiced juvenile |
| 1960 |
Marlowe Society Cambridge Arts Theatre Stratford-upon-Avon Open Air Theatre Lyric Opera House Hammersmith, London |
FRIAR BACON AND FRIAR BUNGAY
Robert Greene |
DIRECTOR: Michael Bakewell ROLE: Lacy, Earl of Lincoln |
| 1960 |
Marlowe Society Cambridge Arts Theatre Stratford-upon-Avon Open Air Theatre Lyric Opera House Hammersmith, London
|
DR FAUSTUS (Cambridge)
Christopher Marlowe |
DIRECTOR: Michael Bakewell ROLE: The Pope/Scholar/Gluttony |
| 1960 |
University Actors Cambridge Arts Theatre |
TWELFTH NIGHT (Cambridge)
William Shakespeare |
DIRECTOR: Waris Habibullah (Hussein) ROLE: Toby Belch |
| 1960 |
University Actors Cambridge Arts Theatre |
THE WILD DUCK
Henrik Ibsen, translated by Una Ellis-Fermor |
DIRECTOR: David Reid ROLE: Hjalmar Ekdal |
| 1960 |
University Actors ADC Theatre Cambridge |
CARDS OF IDENTITY
Nigel Dennis |
DIRECTOR: Corin Redgrave ROLE: Captain Mallet |
| 1961 |
Amateur Dramatic Club ADC Theatre Cambridge |
THE BIRTHDAY PARTY
Harold Pinter |
DIRECTOR: David Reid ROLE: Stanley Webber |
| 1961 |
Marlowe Society Cambridge Arts Theatre |
HENRY VI PARTS 2 AND 3 (Cambridge)
William Shakespeare
|
DIRECTOR: Corin Redgrave ROLE: King Henry |
| 1961 |
Amateur Dramatic Club ADC Theatre Cambridge |
THE COUNTRY WIFE
William Wycherley |
DIRECTOR: Tom Bussmann ROLE: Mr Pinchwife |
| 1961 |
Marlowe Society Cambridge Arts Theatre Playhouse Oxford |
THE LARK
Jean Anouilh, translated by Christopher Fry |
DIRECTOR: Roger Jenkins ROLE: Warwick |
| 1961 |
University Actors Playhouse Oxford |
CAESAR AND CLEOPATRA
Bernard Shaw |
DIRECTOR: Waris Hussein ROLE: Achillas/Major-Domo |