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always in mind alongside the need to entertain. Pupils received thorough training in backstage disciplines, alongside a broadening and deepening of their understanding of theatre through the opportunity to work with professionals. The range of professional productions was staggering and reflected John's sound judgement of what was worthwhile in theatre, as well as his love of experiment and his willingness to take risks in an attempt to extend and educate our sensibilities. It was typical of him that the opening performance at the Stahl was mime.
School productions were similarly adventurous. Whether productions of established plays or entirely homegrown and whether produced by staff or pupils, they habitually reached standards which would once have been thought exceptional. Perhaps most importantly, Oundle audiences became more culturally aware and more civilised in their responses. The theatre became a cultural centre which has enriched the School, town and surrounding area immeasurably ever since.
All this achievement reflected John: his loves, enthusiasms, rigour and standards. He was never wholly satisfied with what had been achieved and always pursued the vision of perfection, though he knew it to be ultimately unattainable. The breadth of his reading, experience and sympathies informed all his productions and judgements. Professional theatre people coming to the Stahl recognised these qualities. Indeed, one of the strengths of the Stahl was the respect of such people for its director and their consequent willingness to work with pupils at the School.
In productions of his own, John always gave space and responsibility to his actors in the search for the definitive performance. At the end of each rehearsal it was always a qualified “Yes” from him, so that one realised that there was more that could be done. Yet finally, when the public performance arrived, he encouraged his cast to enjoy the play and plainly did so himself, wholeheartedly and without regret for
the unattainable.
Such integrity can be both
inspiring and daunting. John's impatience with the slipshod or second rate was sometimes uncomfortable, not only in the theatre. Like Prospero, he had battles with his Caliban in the shape of recurring philistinism and he never shirked conflict. The quest for the very best informed his influence on developments in the School's extra- curricular life as a whole and was support for and contributed to the move to co-education. For he never allowed his horizons to be limited to the theatre or indeed to the School and his warm enjoyment and encouragement of excellence in many spheres gave him an enviably wide range of friends. He continually opened windows in Oundle.
And not only in Oundle. After retirement in 1993 John and Amrei moved into their cottage in Norfolk, and John became co-editor of a series of translations of Greek plays for Cambridge University Press, translations designed to bring accurate and lively works to schools, undergraduates and theatre companies alike. Perhaps more significantly, John founded the Open Stage Company, drawing on his wealth of friends from earlier years who were only too eager to participate in anything he initiated. In the course of the next 20 years the company performed in the open air at various stately homes in Norfolk, in the theatres at Gresham's and Oundle, and in the church at Oundle. Over a period of nearly 60 years as a producer John must have tackled around 100 plays from the theatrical canon.
Overall, he changed and enriched the life of Oundle and the lives of innumerable pupils, colleagues and friends in a variety of ways. For instance, he stopped producing in his early 80s, but continued teaching groups in classical Greek literature in Oundle U3A until a week before his final illness. The tributes that have poured in since his death are testimony to an influence that has spread far wider than is normal and his gift for enduring friendship has been recognised with gratitude by
friends from every stage and aspect of his life.
In all this, Amrei has supported and complemented John. Her encouragement and support to all who have been involved with Bramston House, the Stahl and the Open Stage Company, and her charming and welcoming hospitality have been invaluable in setting the tone of their endeavours.
In closing, here is a sonnet written in tribute by an ex-pupil, Richard Walker (B 72), who is a former winner of the Australian award for Best Actor of the Year under his stage name of Richard Piper. The poem encapsulates John's qualities and influence in the lives of countless people as experienced by one person.
'The lad's a dunce!' my father roared with rage.
But you, dear John, saw merit in my fooling,
And now for fifty years I've graced the stage,
All thanks to your encouragement and schooling.
My mentor; more than father, more than friend,
I hope I've lived as you'd have wished me to,
And though your Odyssey is at an end
Somanyofusoweadebttoyou For lessons academic, yes, but more; A lifelong masterclass in art and
beauty.
We thank you, John, for opening the
door
To grace and care, gentility and duty. Look up! Exalting in the Norfolk sky, For you ascending larks do higher fly!
John Harrison (left) on stage at the Stahl Theatre
FEATURE
THE OLD OUNDELIAN 2018 –2019
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