A Wonderful Letter from the “Baby” of the Company
Janet Sandys-nee-Derry
It was the summer season of 1956; Shanklin Theatre was home to Barry O’Brien’s repertory company “The Shanklin Theatre Company” presenting a season of West End play successes and offering a different play each week. Among the cast was a young twenty one year old Janet Derry, Janet has just returned home from holidaying on the Island and has written a lovely letter of thanks to the friends of the theatre.
She writes to say; “For me it was a special trip, I spent the summer season of 1956 acting in the Shanklin Theatre, a different play each week, I also celebrated my 21st birthday there.”
“What a lovely surprise it was to see it was still up and running, we all came to see the show (Best of the West End & Beyond) and thoroughly enjoyed it.”
Above: Janet on the steps of the theatre in 1956.
The week commencing Monday 13th August 1956 sees the Barry O’Brien production of the play “Tabitha” written by Arnold Ridley & Mary Cathcart Borer, other plays for the summer season were entitled; “Something About a Sailor”, “Mad About Men” & “The Dashing White Sergeant” by Charles Gairdner and Rosamunde Pilcher.
“Impish, 21-year-old Janet Derry, “baby” of the company, took the acting honours at Shanklin Theatre on Monday evening, when Mr Barry O’Brien’s company started a week’s showing of “The Dashing White Sergeant”, Dark-haired Janet, with the Audrey Hepburn hair-style and a touch of Miss Hepburn’s elfin-like charm, gave her best performance to date as Fiona Cunningham, the spoilt but likeable fifteen-year-old daughter of the Cunningham’s of Keltnie.”
Above: Theatre programme of the 1956 Summer Season Shows.
Below: Cast of the production company.
The cast of the Barry O’Brien production company photographed in Daish’s Hotel garden, Shanklin 60 years ago. Left to Right top row: Rev Batley, Sheila Hancock, Michael Hall, Alec Ross, Peter Drew, John Allen & Jeannette Clive.
Bottom row Left to Right: Joanne Hilliard & baby, Ann Courtneidge, Nicholas Hawtrey, Janet Derry, Ian Curry & Dorothy Clement. Sheila Hancock was not appearing at the theatre productions, her husband at the time Alex Ross was one of the company & of course all this was before she met and married the late John Thaw.
We would like to say a special thank you to Janet for sending in the photo’s, programme & cuttings, we wish you all the very best for the future, and we hope to see you again soon at the theatre.
Written and edited by Michael Beston, August 2016.
