I stepped into the cool, dim light of the Soho Poly basement, a sweet relief from the blazing heat outside, where I was meeting Fred Proud for the first time for an afternoon session of painting the space. He struck me unmistakably as a lovely man, with great stories to tell and a seemingly unending wealth of wisdom and experience. While Matt handed me a paintbrush, Fred poured me a pot of paint, and it was apparent that he had been the authority on what paint to use, where, how and why. Ben, Matt and I naïvely believed it would be enough to simply splash a pot or two across the walls so we were thankful to have Fred’s guidance. The space was a lot clearer and a cleaner than when I first saw it and I could begin to see where once stood a playing space and rows of seats for an audience. With “A little imagination”, Matt said.
A start had been made on painting the walls a warm shade of brown. Fred said that we chose brown because black is a dead colour, light disappears into it, whereas brown has a sense of life.
I began painting at one end of a wall while Fred carried on with the other end. The uneven surface of the wall, though full of character and texture, made it difficult to paint on. Holes in the wall needed filling in, a base coat painted over. I put a dot of brown in the middle and moved outwards from there, while Fred, Matt and I discussed the face of theatre today. I’d never really considered the implications of such a divide between commercial and fringe theatre in London West End show rather than something they haven’t heard of in a part of London
In the days of the Soho Poly an actor could make a living working one show for a matinee and another for an evening. I look on that sort of life as if it’s the absolute ideal because for most actors today, it’s a dream to be working one show at all alongside their job as a waiter or sales assistant. The more celebrities that take the principal roles in commercial theatre, the more a lesser known entity with just as much capability is pushed into an ensemble role which in turn, knocks an ensemble player out of the circuit completely. Likewise, the rate of turnover of performers in any given show is practically non-existent because people are scared that there is nowhere to go. This is another thing that attracts me to the history of the Soho Poly Theatre. I imagine a scruffy looking chap coming to Fred Proud, clutching his first playscript in his hands, asking him to put it on in his theatre. Actors are sourced from bar stools as much as from other productions and they stand with the director in the Soho Poly space, crumpled scripts in their hands, ready to rehearse for the next show. So much heart and passion is put into the production because it’s always fresh and exciting and for everyone involved, there’s a lot depending on its success. Within a few weeks’ time, the lights of the basement are directed at the stage for a lunchtime performance. The audience shuffle in their seats, trying to eat their sandwich and sip their coffee as quietly as they can as the play is performed for the first time. It is twenty minutes of live entertainment that is applauded and appreciated, and I can’t see why there shouldn’t be a market for the same thing today. I do not think for a second that we would struggle to find the staff.
When our paintbrushes had met in the middle of the wall and we agreed it was time to finish up in the basement, Fred asked us to turn out the ceiling lights.
“It’s got a whole different atmosphere.” he said.
“It’s back to feeling like a basement.” commented Matt.
We plugged in a standing light and the allusion to a stage was clear. I stepped around a pillar and toyed with the idea of entering from stage left onto the performance space. It felt real, so much so that I didn’t step any further. You know the dust that you can see floating in the air in the direct beam of a bright light, that is so prevalently an affect on the atmosphere of an auditorium? That’s still hiding in the basement. In this case, it’s not that you can make a theatrical space anywhere, it’s that there’s history of it being there. Fred found it funny to be back at the Soho Poly after nearly 40 years because he has a lot of memories of the place, as will many others who we hope will attend the festival. I think that’s enough to give it life beyond the colour of the paint on the walls.
We will need another few sessions in the basement transforming it back into a performance space and certain obstacles need to be met, such as finding a way to divide the foyer and the auditorium. We still have certain technical issues to resolve and the cast list for ‘Baby Love’ and ‘Coal’ to announce, but theatre is magical, we know that it will all come together by the opening night.
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