A brief history of KODS

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compiled and written by David Prosser 

 In the beginning the word was James's  

The Society, (known to all, and hereinafter referred to, as) KODS, was first conceived at a Bridge Table at the house of David and Sue Prosser. Halfway through playing through a difficult no trump hand, James Goss, Barrister-at-Law, and citizen of Kirkby Overblow, announced that he was going to form a village dramatic society, which would be called KODS. The other four players, (correct - we never do things by half in KO), showed some interest, but much scepticism. Could a village of some 200 souls support such an enterprise, in the face of such competing interests of TV and Bingo? Nevertheless, a meeting was duly convened at the Shoulder of Mutton Inn, which was extremely well attended by villagers, although those who initially showed the most enthusiasm were not necessarily those who translated it into positive action. A fund raising event was organised for the summer. Having looked at the long-range forecast, a date was fixed in June for a barbecue in one of the KO gardens. Far from being a sunny afternoon, this day turned to be the coldest June day since records began, some achievement by our North Yorkshire weather standards. Nevertheless, a good time was had by all, and the necessary funds were raised for the production. James, having volunteered to produce and direct the first production, then set about choosing a play to perform. His first choice was ambitious not to say “courageous”, to quote Sir Humphrey Appleby. It involved disappearing bodies, bodies hung upside down, sliding panels, and ghosts. After mature consideration, he settled on a more conventional Agatha Christie whodunit. Political correctness does not permit us to disclose the title. Suffice to say it appears in our records as “And then there were none”. Having cast the play, there were the usual problems of having to replace actors who dropped out en route. This delayed the first performance until January 1981, instead of the target date of the first week of December, a date, which has always been achieved since, apart from one other year, in 1986. Finally, the day came when the cast and other helpers, came to build the set. KO not having a village hall, our sister village, Sicklinghall, came to our rescue, and offered us their hall. We walked into the hall, which was quite empty, apart from two snooker tables. “Where is the stage?” “Oh, you erect it on top of the snooker tables”. This considerably reduced the size of the planned set, and a further complication was that there was no communication back stage from one side of the stage to the other. There was one small room, stage left, which acted as dressing room and green room, and stage right, you had to clamber amongst the snooker table legs. Despite all this, the set was built, and commanded great admiration, despite the tendency for ornaments to fall off the walls at dramatic moments. Two society stalwarts, Ron Strutt and Charlie Hinchcliffe, saw to the sound effects and lights respectively, and formed a partnership, which continued for some seventeen years. Despite all problems and prophets of doom, the production was both an artistic and commercial success, playing to packed houses on both nights. Not only had something been achieved which was deemed impossible, but also a team of actors, who would continue the tradition for many years to come. James Goss, John Kean, Simon Hawkesworth, Andrew Dallas, Rosemary Cobbold, and David Prosser would go on to appear in many other productions, as well as directing some. John Davies would also appear again, and could claim to be the father of the first actor family, his daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter also performing. The show was well and truly on the road!

The next generation….. In spite of the heady success in year one, it was recognised that if KODS were to continue, things would have to be put on a more formal footing. A further meeting was held at the Shoulder of Mutton, grandly deemed the first annual general meeting, at which a chairman, (John Kean), treasurer, (Andrew Dallas), and secretary, (Barbara Bell), were elected. John was to see KODS through some testing times in the 1980's, and it was in no small way due to him, that KODS is still around today. An urgent need was to find a new venue for productions, and the choice fell on the Long Memorial Hall at Spofforth. Productions have taken place there ever since. Simon Hawkesworth was “volunteered” to direct the next production, and John Kean become the company's first producer, it being recognised that combining the two tasks was too much for one person. Alison and Peter Smith designed and built the set. The play was to be “See How They Run”, one of KODS's most successful productions, and the only piece of repertoire (so far) to be revived at a later date. The cast was made up entirely from the previous year's cast, with the exception of the servant girl, who was played by Celia Nuttall. She and her parents and sisters had recently moved into the village. Her father Geoffrey soon became a KODS stalwart, taking over the treasurership from Andrew, and subsequently, the chairmanship. He will most be remembered for organising the annual theatre trips, to all the leading northern theatres. These were, and are, memorable days out for KODS and their supporters. “See How They Run” proved to be an outstanding success, playing to packed houses all three nights. Clearly, KODS was no nine-day wonder, and we all looked forward to the next year's production to be directed by Andrew Dallas. This was also, sadly, the last we saw of Bob and Barbara Bell, who had been a tower of strength from the very beginning. If either, (or both), of you are reading these words, send us an e-mail, and let us know how you are doing.

The show goes on….. Andrew was nothing if not ambitious, and his selection for 1982 was to be a Tom Stoppard play, entitled “The Real Inspector Hound”. This had been highly successful with the highly sophisticated audiences of the West End theatres, but it proved to be a bit of a challenge not just to the “pink cardigan brigade” of KODS audiences, but also to the normal pre Christmas professional classes seeking a good laugh. The play mystified the cast not a little, the audience considerably, and, if his last night's speech was to be believed, the director totally. Clearly, it was back to basics in 1983, and this was to be achieved, in every sense of the word, with “Shut Your Eyes And Think Of England”. John Kean was the director, and three very formidable ladies, Caroline Kirby-Welch, Felicity Davies and Dawna Goss, (Formerly Dawna Davies, she and James had married the previous year), were to make the first of many appearances. Once again, it was adjudged a great success, playing to full houses. Despite the fact the leading actor thought the sun rose in the west, it was also an almost word perfect artistic success; clearly, the comic formula was what the audiences wanted. This was to follow with “Black Comedy”, by Peter Schaffer, in 1984. This was in many ways the most ambitious production so far, the play being based on light and dark being interchanged. However, the by now highly sophisticated audience were able to grasp this important fact, and again the production was well received. This saw the first appearance of Dick Gisborne, who was to produce many productions in future, and would eventually succeed Geof Nuttall as chairman, an office he holds to this day. It also sadly, was the final appearance of Peter and Alison Smith, who had built every set since KODS's inception. Happily, their place would be amply filled, in every sense of the word, by that great village stalwart, Peter Darlington. The production of “Black Comedy” had produced a number of problems, but this was nothing to what would happen in 1985's production of “Lord Arthur Savile's Crime”, a play loosely based on a story by Oscar Wilde. Simon Hawkesworth suffered immense back problems and had to pull out, and, sadly, John Davies was taken quite seriously ill during what would have been his final production. To cap it all, David Prosser, having survived childish ailments up to the age of 48, chose this of all times to contract measles. The director, James Goss, started with little enough hair, but most of it had gone by the time the performance got under way in January 1986, only the second time there had been a delay from the traditional time of early December. Despite this, all went well in the end. This production saw the debut of Luisa Edo Juan, who was to star in many future productions, and also Martin Rudland, drafted in at the last moment as a replacement for Simon Hawkesworth. His acting career was to be as brilliant as it was ephemeral. December 1986 saw the production timing back on track. Caroline Kirkby-Welch was to be the new director, and she chose that most Yorkshire of plays, “When We Are Married” by J B Priestley. The programme note was almost apologetic about possible errors in Yorkshire pronunciation, surprising when one considers the number of professional Yorkshiremen amongst the cast. The programme writer need have had no fears. The “By `Ecks” were immaculately delivered, and the first “classic” play ever performed, was a resounding success. Sadly, this marked the final appearance of Andrew Dallas, who, like John Kean, had been in every production since the beginning, usually in the leading role. As against this, this was the first appearance of Jeremy Hill-Baker, who was to appear in, and direct, many future productions. Emboldened by the success of a classic, John Kean, the director for 1987, put on “The Noble Spaniard” by W Somerset Maugham. Even after a gap of 15 years, one hesitates to comment on the rather bizarre circumstances surrounding this production. Suffice to say that the pyrotechnics on the stage were (almost) exceeded by those off it. Nevertheless, again a great production was enjoyed by all. A milestone of sorts was achieved, in that, for the first time, none of the original cast of the first production appeared on stage, although several helped out backstage and front of house. In case anybody thought this marked a swan song of sorts, up to now, (2002), only two other plays, (Dead Man's Hand and Boeing Boeing), were performed without any of the original team. It was also good to see the next generation being represented by Joanna Kean and Victoria Barrett. Joanna was to continue to appear in the next three productions before embracing a full time media career, as a BBC announcer. 1988 saw the return of a more traditional farce, “Look No Hans”. By now, Jeremy Hill-Baker had perfected the art of performing the amiable idiot who usually is the hero in English farces. In this he played a car salesman trying to sell British Leyland cars in Germany, something calculated to suspend belief before the play had even begun. Spies with twitches, mistaken identities, and a parachute drop in the last act combined to make it a most enjoyable production. The formula was repeated in 1989, with a Ray Cooney farce called “Move Over Mrs. Markham”. This was notable for a very complex set, and for the father and daughter combination of John and Joanna Kean appearing as husband and wife. The real Mrs. Kean did not realise until the actual performance that it involved father and daughter stripping and getting into bed together! 1990 brought “Wanted One Body”, a farce in the best Whitehall tradition of perpetual thunderstorms, ghostly figures, murders, hooded intruders, and a highly incompetent pair of solicitors who had arrived to read the will. It marked the first appearance of Sarah Noble, who was to appear in many future productions, as actor and producer, and who is at the moment the Association Secretary. It also was marked by the first occasion when an actor “corpsed” on the stage, the unfortunate being Steve Lancaster, who disappeared off the stage during the last act, leaving a distraught Jeremy Hill-Baker to improvise, and vainly seek help. Eventually, Steve was persuaded, (frog-marched?), back on stage, where he received the loudest applause of the evening.

10 Years on…. For the tenth anniversary of KODS, Jeremy Hill-Baker directed “Tons of Money”, a nineteen thirties farce, which had been rewritten by our local patron and well-wisher, Alan Ayckbourn. Jeremy also took the leading part, which involved two disguises, and being propelled by an explosion through the roof of the set. It also marked the first appearance of Her Honour Judge Jackie Davies, (later to be Jackie Clark), who rapidly established herself as a character actress of great talent, playing mature (sorry Jackie!), women. John Kean revived his directorial role in 1992, performing “No Room For Love”, in which he also played an obnoxious, wheezing Hall Porter in a sleazy hotel. The set, involving a passage, three bedrooms and a lift provided quite a challenge for the set production team, although that was not quite how they described it at the time. Steve Lancaster by now had got over his “corpsing” experience, and delivered a word-perfect performance. Jeremy Hill-Baker and Luisa Edo-Juan had the leading roles as the honeymoon couple, who had booked in to this nightmare of a hotel, and played the parts with such enthusiasm, that it was no surprise that their engagement was announced shortly after, thus becoming yet another theatrical family, courtesy of KODS. It was good also to see Dawna Goss back on the boards, playing a typical boozy part. It was also the first appearance of Paul Fryer, who was to be in a number of future productions, and whose artistic skills were to be so useful in the production of programmes. 1993 was an innovation of sorts, thankfully never repeated. The chosen play, “Outside Edge”, for various reasons had to be abandoned, and there was thus no production that year. It was however comfort of a sort that so many people regretted not being able to go to the annual production, which many regarded as the beginning of the Christmas season. It was with much relief therefore to all of KODS that business was back to normal in 1994, with the first serious play since the opening production. This was a thriller called “Dead Man's Hand”, an ingenious script which turned out to be a play within a play, which was just as well as most of the characters appeared to have been killed off half way through. It was a very puzzling “Whodunit”, with at least one very scary moment, a tribute to the production and choice of play. 1995, a French farce entitled “Court In The Act”, directed by Cal Backhouse, (formerly Kirby-Welch), was a memorable production for many reasons. It contained the largest cast ever assembled, and involved no less than three set changes in the three acts. It also saw the debut of a number of new performers. Most notably were Christopher Backhouse, who had been drafted in at the last moment to take the leading role, the intended actor having declined the part at the last moment, and Vanda McKenzie, who, with her husband, Lindsay, and family, had recently moved into the village, both of whom were destined to play such a large part in KODS's affairs, not least with their hosting so many events and rehearsals at their home. One new actor of some distinction was our Chairman and former Treasurer, Geof Nuttall. Having resisted all efforts to get him onto the stage hitherto, he was persuaded to come on and deliver one line as “Second Workman”. Needless to say, he received tumultuous applause, before and after his entrance! 1996 was to see the debut of Luisa Hill-Baker as director, in a production of “Boeing Boeing”, a saga relating the dilemma of a man about town based in Paris, who managed to juggle the affections of three air hostesses of differing nationalities, by virtue of their planes landing at differing times. This was rendered chaotic by a freak of weather which dictated that they all arrived at his flat simultaneously. Paul Fryer was to take the leading role, in what was sadly to be his last appearance, although we still live in hope! It also saw the stage debut of Elizabeth Prosser, who was conceived at roughly the same time as KODS, and was born in the year of its inception. At the mature age of 15, she played a highly seductive French air hostess. So far, she has been the only member to achieve a BA (Hons) in acting, and to contemplate the theatre and TV as a career. 1997 saw Vanda McKenzie in her first directorial role. The play was to be a comedy thriller by Agatha Christie, called “Spider's Web”, a typical Christie murder mystery involving blackmail, a dead body, a secret passage, not to mention many red herrings and false trails. Ed Bindloss and David Zucker were to make their first appearances, and Jackie Davies was to take the leading role. It also saw KODS make the headlines through a near disaster on the last night. David Zucker, who in his first appearance played a blackmailing and drug dealing villain, who was deservedly killed of at the end of the first act, performed as normal on Friday evening, and was then rushed to hospital, complaining of chest pains. Happily, this was a false alarm, but the hospital insisted on keeping him in over Saturday night, to run more tests. All this was communicated to Vanda very early on Saturday morning, at which point her husband Lindsay asked, “Who are you going to get to fill in?” The reply was instantaneous, “You!” Lindsay promptly cancelled a band engagement he had that night, and spent the rest of the day learning the part and rehearsing it, having never acted before in his life. He then proceeded to give an immaculate performance, as if he had been doing it for a year. This whole incident was picked up by Classic FM, who justly awarded Lindsay “the hero of the week”. Vanda directed again in 1998, this time a play by Alan Ayckbourn, called “Ten Times Table”, which portrayed a small town committee setting up a pageant to celebrate the life and death of a rather dubious 18th century reformer called John Cockle. The committee soon divided on political lines, and the actual pageant soon dissolved in mayhem, with a particularly manic performance by Andreas Evans, who portrayed a power-crazed captain. There were strong performances by Vanda and Lindsay McKenzie, at opposite ends of the political spectrum, Ed Bindloss, who vainly tried to keep the show on the road, a boozy rendering by David Zucker, (happily no more chest pains!), as the local drunk, and a doddery rendering by Dawna Goss of the eighty year old, who was supposedly deaf, but missed nothing, and banged away on the piano as all chaos broke loose in the last act. We had always regarded Alan Ayckbourn as being “one of ours”, having attended the premieres of a number of his plays at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, and indeed we did meet him after one of our theatre visits there. It was good to receive a letter of encouragement from the great man on the eve of the first performance. 1999 saw Ed Bindloss as the director, and whilst KODS may have been ready for a new challenge, no one could have anticipated the form this would take. Ed had had the advantage of having taught drama in a boys' prep. School before becoming a barrister, and decided upon an out-of-print play by Dylan Thomas called “The Doctor And The Devils”, which was a gory account of the activities of Burke and Hare, the Edinburgh body snatchers. The play called for a very large cast, including children, and also live mice, which were thankfully substituted by stuffed ones. Jeremy Hill-Baker took a part quite out of character from his previous productions, as the evil Doctor Knox, and David Zucker and Lindsay Mackenzie played the equally evil Burke and Hare, with Alice Sheepshanks, (her first appearance), and Cal Backhouse playing their respective wives. George Gisborne also made his first appearance as the naïve but decent student; vainly appealing to Dr. Knox's conscience, and Chris Backhouse gave his usual stolid performance as the hospital porter. The children, recruited from Kirkby Overblow village school, all performed with enthusiasm and brio, quite unfazed by the bloody deeds being committed around them, and the rest of the cast doubled and trebled up on the many parts in the play. The set, requiring frequent changes, was achieved by the expert use of lighting, a tribute to the lighting team. At the end of the day, a brave experiment was carried through to a successful conclusion.

Into the Third Decade In those politically incorrect days of the eighteenth century, Dr. Johnson, commenting on a woman preacher, compared her to a dog standing on its hind legs. “The wonder, Sir, was not that it was done well, but that it was done at all”. Similar thoughts must have passed through the minds of the original team, when they contemplated the fact that KODS had survived 20 years, and showed every signs of being around for at least the next 20. When considering the production for the millennium year, it was entirely appropriate that the direction should be entrusted to the man who started it all, James Goss. This gave him the opportunity to revive what was generally accepted as being the most successful production, “See How They Run”. The original intention was to cast it as nearly as possible to the original cast, and indeed James himself, John Kean, Simon Hawkesworth, and David Prosser reprised their original roles. The fact that the production played to packed houses proved that this type of production was what the audiences wanted too. Jane Garlick, who was new to both the area and KODS, slipped into the difficult part of Miss Skillen, as if she had been playing it all her life. Lindsay Mackenzie and Chris Backhouse played the parts previously played by Andrew Dallas and John Davies, and Dawna Goss played the idiotic servant girl, previously played by Celia Nuttall. Jane's husband Mike, and another newcomer, John Farandon, took over the sound and lighting, which had been so ably looked after by Charlie Hinchcliffe and Ron Strutt over so many years. Mike and John were to be around for the next production, and, we hope, for many years to come. For 2001, it was decided to hold a reunion party, and to invite as many as possible of all those who had been involved over the past 20 years. John Kean showed his usual great energy in running to earth people, who had moved from the area, and it was a wonderful experience to meet up again with old friends in the pleasant surroundings of the Old Rectory, where Lindsay and Vanda Mackenzie most generously hosted the party, and we even made a profit! The director for 2001 was to be David Prosser, who hitherto had been more used to balancing the books than artistic creativity. The play chosen was “The Happiest Days of Your Life”, which was probably better known for the film, which was loosely based on the play, starring Alistair Sim and Margaret Rutherford. Three of the original cast were to be unavailable, which gave the director the opportunity of bringing back David Zucker to play the headmaster, and the new Rector of Kirkby Overblow, Stuart Lewis, to play the key role of Rupert Billings, the senior master of Hilary Hall boys' school. It was only explained to him at the last moment that he had to appear on stage wearing a schoolgirl's uniform! Jackie Clark and Cal Backhouse played the parts played by Margaret Rutherford and Joyce Grenfell in the film, whilst Lindsay Mackenzie and Alice Sheepshanks provided the romantic leads. The juvenile roles were very well played by Prunella Goss, (yet another member of that theatrical family!), and Ruth Whiteley, who played the mischievous schoolboy, Hopcroft Minor. John Kean huffed and spluttered his way playing the rebellious porter Rainbow, and James Goss, Jane Garlick, David Prosser and Vanda Mackenzie played the increasingly fraught parents. Again, this type of farce seemed to meet with the audience's approval, all three nights being a sell out.

 What Now? So here we are 21 years on since James Goss had his “big idea”. What, you may well ask has been achieved? Well, something originally deemed as being impossible has stood the test of time, and people, who would never have dreamt of “stepping on the boards”, have found not only that they could do so, but that they could do it well. Everybody has a talent of some sort, and all too often it is a case of having to force it to the surface. Mention must also be made of the dozens of people who, over the years, have helped out doing the unromantic jobs, back stage and front of house. Without them nothing would have been possible, and all too often they are taken for granted and forgotten about. Quality of life is an intangible thing, but KODS has in its own small way added to that of a very beautiful village. And so we look forward to the next 20 years. The one certain thing is that KODS is here to stay for many years to come.  

David J Prosser 1/6/2002  

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