Guy Taylor's Biography
Guy Taylor was the treasurer of the Metropolitan Amateur Operatic Society, the group that first produced Hair pre-Genesis Theatre.
I was introduced to Rob Bromley by Pete Barton one evening in the spring of 1975
in the Garrick pub in Flixton. Rob and Pete were two years below me at Urmston Grammar School
and although I knew Pete I didn’t know Rob. That was soon to change.
Rob was a member of Urmston Operatic Society but the parts and the shows weren’t
really suited for someone in their early twenties. He had seen that the show HAIR
was available and had written to the rights owners EVANS who gave him permission
to stage it as a Northern Premiere. He wanted us to be regional so called the
company ‘Metropolitan Amateur Operatic Society’.
I was seduced over a few pints in the Garrick into becoming treasurer because I
worked in a bank and Pete was chosen by Rob as secretary because he and Rob were
close friends at college. We were young and although we probably thought it was
‘pie in the sky’ we decided to give it a go, and so the adventure began.
We contacted NODA (National Operatic and Dramatic Association) and became members.
A gentleman called Brian Thorpe was very helpful and provided me with draft rules
which I used to draw up our own rules. The annual subscription for the Society was
£1.00 for both acting and non-acting members. I opened a bank account for the Society
with Rob, Pete and me as the signatories on the account.
So, on to our two most important signings. Chris Fogg’s dad was Rob’s singing
coach and teacher. He had also been in a couple of plays with Chris Fogg and
knew that he was a theatre director. Rob was impressed by Chris Dumigan who had
composed a Chinese piano piece (Chris says this was a piece called Rickshaw Boy).
Rob agreed commercial terms with our producer and musical director (a small amount
to cover their expenses) and he had his team.
Rob advertised in the Manchester Evening News for actors and we got people
from the whole of Manchester at the casting in Stretford. This initial meeting
was held at the Lostock Community Centre in Stretford on 17th September 1975.
Our next challenge was how to raise funds. Rob rented the Princess Rooms near
Urmston Baths (both now gone), every Tuesday evening. He hired a DJ, ‘Adrian the
Canadian’ whose dad was the General Manager of Lewis’s in Manchester. I sorted
out the bouncers and helpers, sourced through friends of mine who I played
football and darts with. The cost was a couple of drinks in the Garrick afterwards.
Pete had a contact through his parents who used their Makro card to enable us to
purchase soft drinks and crisps at wholesale prices. Rob went round the local
secondary schools to drum up business. Concerns about trouble were allayed by the
fact that we were having bouncers in place.
The discos were a resounding success and we filled the Princess Rooms every
Tuesday between May and September with between 100 and 200 kids up to the age
of 16 paying 20p each. At the first disco I spotted a big lad from Wellacre
Boys School who was recruited with a couple of pals to warn us if there was
any trouble brewing. For this they got free admittance plus a soft drink and
a packet of crisps. This worked well and I wrote to the Headteacher to pass
on my thanks for this lad’s help. We did have to take drink off kids trying
to bring it into the disco and had the odd stand off with parents who weren’t
happy about this, but thankfully no trouble. I had to carry a heavy briefcase
full of coins by bus and train to my branch and then annoy the cashiers who had
to check it every Wednesday. Our audited accounts show that we made £1,046.80
profit from the discos which enabled us to put on HAIR.
Other less successful ventures were a stall we had at the Flixton Show at
Woodsend playing fields in the summer of 1975. It raised awareness of the
Society and Hair but we just about broke even. Similarly, when we held a
‘ladies evening’ at the Princess Rooms in the autumn of 1975 we broke even.
The only people who made money were the guys in the bar. We had a male
stripper ‘Renard Du Soir’, a drag queen, a comedian, a band and a DJ
(Adrian the Canadian again). Rob, Pete, me and a couple of my pals dressed
up in dinner suits to act as bouncers / meeters and greeters. Police women
came to ensure there was no impropriety (touching of the performers). We
seem to remember they were on the front row loving it. We advertised in the
Stretford and Urmston Journal and the place was packed. My first experience
of how terrifying a group of drunken women can be.
Now we had money in the bank, Rob was able to book the Altrincham Garrick
theatre for the production of Hair in February 1976. The secretary Geoffrey
Nield was extremely helpful. We weren’t sure what reception we would get,
young lads putting on a production with the possibility of nudity on stage.
However, the theatre management were very supportive.
Rob was also now able to arrange for programmes to be printed along with
posters and tickets. We could also pay for the royalties to EVANS the
copyright owners for Hair and the rehearsal room. The band and all the
other production expenses would have to come out of future profits. However,
the success of this venture was now down to the enthusiasm, tenacity and
professionalism of all those involved and the ability for us (especially me,
Rob and Pete) to sell enough tickets to cover our costs. The audited accounts
show that sales of tickets, programmes and advertising in the programmes
raised £1875.20. Once again, I was tasked with paying in all the money,
getting cheques signed, obtaining receipts (not always easy) and keeping
the books accurately.
Rob arranged most things for the programme, although I managed to get some
of the advertisers. The programme design was by a friend of mine, Ian Winter,
who I played darts with at the Axe and Cleaver in Dunham Massey.
The photographer we used, John McWilliams, was also a friend of mine who
played in the same football team as me. The inside back page (next production
West Side Story) was as much of a shock to me and Pete as it was to the rest of
you (the future Genesis Theatre Group).
Rob ran a marketing campaign in the Manchester Evening News and they ran
several stories about us. We got a small story in the Daily Express too
because their sports editor was a member of the Altrincham Garrick theatre.
I managed to get a few stories in the Stretford and Urmston Journal because
I knew a journalist there. We had our share of scandal when the Daily Mirror
showed a photo of one of our actresses with the headline “Teacher goes topless
for Hair”, and she almost lost her job. I did an interview on Radio Manchester
which was broadcast on the breakfast show. They were obviously interested in
the nudity aspect, but I just said that it would be down to the cast on the
night and that if people were interested in the show, to come along to the
Altrincham Garrick theatre. Friends who heard me on the radio weren’t sure
it was me until they heard my laugh. (I often wondered how people found me
at parties). Rob, Pete and me with a few helpers put posters up all over Urmston,
some of which were covered over by posters advertising other events. So it was
a constant battle to keep our big yellow posters to the fore.
Half way through rehearsals Rob found out that Chris Fogg had not only written
in the Manson family story into the HAIR show but that he was also using songs
from other shows such as Carousel. He assured Rob that this was OK but when we
checked with Evans, the copyright owners, they of course said a big ‘no’.
Perhaps, it was the fault of the three of us, but we didn’t get too involved
with the rehearsals as we didn’t want to appear too nosy and interfering.
Rob blew his top at Chris for putting the whole project and all our hard work
into jeopardy. Rob feels that this is probably what turned the whole cast
against him. He admits that he learnt a lot from that experience. (He is now
CEO for KR Europe Ltd. The group has various interests including music,
publishing and films). After discussions between Rob, Pete and me we felt
we needed to repair our relationship with the lady from Evans who we had
been dealing with. She came up from London to see a performance and wrote
to Rob to say that the cast were wonderful, although she was not keen on
the Manson theme in the story line.
As so many of us attended Urmston Grammar School for Boys I contacted Wilf Babb,
our old Headteacher. He was involved with the Spastics Society and we donated
£25 to them from ticket sales. I had collected money in a big plastic sweet jar
during the week at the Altrincham Garrick, but unfortunately this was stolen
from the theatre. I remember the show went down with the audiences really well,
and we even managed to get the local mayor along one evening. I collected
bunches of fresh daffodils every day for the cast to hand out when they walked
down the main aisle. I made sure my mother received one of the daffodils.
She and her friend had a great time, but she did get a shock when some of
the cast disrobed because I hadn’t even told my mum if it was going to happen.
Like any production not everything ran smoothly. People were spending money
without permission and expecting us to repay them, sometimes without providing
any receipts. We spent a lot of time trying to obtain money for tickets issued.
One person did not pay us and the audited accounts show a Bad Debt of £32.
The meeting held after Hair when Genesis Theatre Group was formed was not a
happy experience. Brian Thorpe from NODA came along to support the management,
but I could tell that this was the end of the road for the Metropolitan Amateur
Operatic Society. However, I do remember a tremendous amount of goodwill along
with all the hard work. I especially liked listening to the band rehearsing with
Chris Dumigan, Chas Coghill and the others. When the three of us look back at
what the two Chris’s, the cast, the backstage crew and the management achieved
we are all agreed that it was a fabulous experience and a fantastic show.
Especially when you think that so many of us were only in our early twenties.
They are for me very happy memories.
Rob is now CEO of KRU Europe Ltd and lives in Sweden, although he has an
office in London. Pete is an engineer with BT, having worked for them for
38 years and lives in Darwen. I took early retirement from Barclays after
37 years with them. I am now a self-employed analyst/consultant. Pete and
I lost touch with Rob many years ago and it was only last year that Rob got
in touch with me again through Friends Reunited.
GUY TAYLOR
30th June 2008