Normansfield Theatre, Teddington

Finding the right venue for any conference can often be extremely challenging but the Normansfield Theatre proved to be an ideal location for the first day of the conference. For those of you who have never visited Normansfield Theatre, I highly recommend a visit as it as an absolute delight retaining all its original Victorian splendour. What makes it even more remarkable is that it was built by Dr. Langdon Down to encourage his patients, children and adults suffering from Down’s syndrome (at the time referred to as Mongolism), to learn music and drama as part of their education. In 1858 Dr. Downs was appointed Physician Superintendent for the Royal Earlswood Asylum for Idiots but ten years later opened a private home, Langdon Park, for children and adults with learning difficulties; a remarkable accomplishment in a time when they would have been condemned to spend their life in an asylum. Dr. Langdon’s study of Mongolism led to a greater understanding of the condition and more sympathetic approach to its treatment. He became known internationally as the “Father of Down’s syndrome”.
The history, design and importance of Normansfield Theatre was explained by Peter Longham (a Trustee of the Langdon Down Centre Trust). As one of the few extant theatres of that date, most having been burnt down, it typifies a theatre layout which had a limited stage thus requiring theatre sets of painted flats and drop cloths to create the illusion of space and setting. Gas lamps at the front of the stage illuminated the actors while candles attached to the back of the flats provided light for the back areas of the stage. The original Victorian flats and drop cloths which were in poor condition with tears, missing sections and paint losses have been conserved by textile conservators at the Textile Conservation Centre in Winchester. During the conference, delegates had the opportunity to wander onto the stage to view the flats and drops and the array of ropes, pulleys and floor channels which enabled the sets to be changed.
To understand the development of the theatre, Dr. James Fowler traced its origins from the Greek amphitheatre cut into the hillside with its circular stage through to open theatres with surrounding wooden palisades (to keep the audience within and exclude those who could not pay) to the emergence of the Elizabethan theatre. Sets very limited and the atmosphere and setting were created by the actor’s dialogue. He also discussed the use of elaborate floats which filled medieval town squares with costumed actors often balancing precariously from the intricate framework.
Timothy Easton continued the history theme discussing the close association of theatres and pubs in the 16th and 17th centuries, one that encouraged enjoyment and drink. Pubs were constructed with a first floor viewing gallery overlooking the courtyard which served as the actors’ stage. Hunting lodges also served as theatre sites. The first and second floors had open windows and painted striped cloths hung from their sides to provide decoration. Temporary tournament stands with hanging painted cloths provided an additional venue. The development of highly decorative schemes is best exemplified by the Globe Theatre. Whilst there was no attempt to create stage settings other than as an architectural structure through which the actors could enter and exit, this area and the fronts of the tiered seating would have been decorated but little evidence survived to inform the decorative scheme. Therefore, two schemes for the Globe were considered, one having marbled balustrades and columns, panelled painted fronts and elaborate plaster coving; the other incorporating black and red painted stripes on the rear walls of the tiers, black and white lozenge and diamond shaped designs to the fronts and striped columns. Easton’s extensive research into contemporary examples from theatres in London and East Anglia provided the evidence for the selection of the latter scheme.
In Tony Banfield’s presentation, the history of scene painting was revealed. In later Greek and Roman theatres, painted panels denoting Tragedy, Comedy and Pastoral were inserted in the structure. By the mid 16th century, books on stage designs began to appear. Figures were painted onto the scenery to give a sense of perspective and by 1618 the first proscenium arch appears which separates the audience from the stage. During the Restoration period, the fore stage appears and there is further development of the use of flats and back cloths to create the illusion of space. In the 18th century, Garrick introduces two point perspective and the craft of the scene painter begins as fine art painters are unable to produce work on such a large scale. By the 1870’s a more realistic approach to set designs appears as real objects are incorporated into the set.
Hilary Vernon Smith, Head Scenic Artist at the Royal National Theatre, provided a fascinating insight into the work of the scene painter both in terms of the history of this craft and also the physical side of creating sets. One has no idea of the shear scale of the operation unless you have had a chance to see the images which accompanied her talk showing the variety of methods which enabled the painters to work their way up and down the huge back drops on either movable or static platforms. Her description of the preparation of the hot size, its smell and the burns sustained by the painter during its application created immense admiration amongst the delegates. After the 1970’s scene painters began to use acrylics and PVA emulsions and employed techniques such as spray painting. In the modern theatre a variety of paint techniques, canvases (including gauze for its transparent effect) and other supports can be used to create fantastic sets but it became readily apparent that that it is the skill and imagination of the scene painter which is the crucial ingredient.
For pure visual pleasure, the restoration of the Apollo Victoria in London presented by John Earl, John Muir and Kathy Littlejohn is unbeatable. This amazing Art Deco ciné theatre opened in 1930 and is overwhelming in terms of colour, architectural detail and extraordinary alabaster light fixtures. Prior to the recent restoration, many of these features had been removed, painted over or hidden behind later alterations to the theatre in order to accommodate the long running performance of Star Light Express. Through paint analysis and archival research, the original paint scheme and decorative fixtures and fittings have been recreated to return the theatre to its original appearance. It is worth buying a ticket to The Witches just to see the interior.
On a more restrained note, the recent redecoration of the Theatre Royal in Bury St Edmunds provides a unique opportunity to view one of the few late Georgian theatres in England. Anna Forrest and Christine Sitwell of the National Trust described the extensive archival and analytical investigations involved in the recreation of the theatre and its decorative scheme. The theatre was designed in 1819 by the architect, William Wilkins, and decorated by the scene painter, George Thorne. It has had an unhappy history of use and neglect, serving at one time as a barrel store for the King Green Brewery, the owners of the theatre. In the 1960’s the Brewery kept its promise to the local council and restored it employing the services of John Fowler. Using the scraps of evidence which remained he devised a decorative scheme for the interior. Recently the Trust has undertaken a major restoration project to return the theatre to its original appearance which has included major alterations to re-instate the fore stage (cleverly designed to be lowered when not in use), the pit area, the lower and upper boxed dress circles and the decorative scheme. The theatre now reflects the social division for the audience seating which includes a separate entrance for the pit area and individual boxes for the more affluent theatre goer. Extensive archival research, paint analysis and infra-red reflectography on the scraps of evidence from the fronts of the dress circles and the proscenium arch as well as all the paint surfaces provided information for the recreation of the decorative interior.
David Harrison of Hayles and Howe presented an amusing insight into the materials used to create the decorative plasterwork in theatres as well as the disasters which occur when the structure of the building fails. He described the use of lime plasters and fibrous plasters to create ceilings, covings and decorative sculptures and the systems which held them in place. His images of the hidden spaces above the ceiling and the intricate framework required to support the ceiling as well as the subsequent haphazard repairs were an eye opener. More appalling were the disasters which occur when water infiltrates the building causing entire ceilings to collapse and the daring exploits required by the specialists to assess the damage.
The Royal Festival Hall in London is a well known feature for most Londoners but many would be surprised to realise that hidden under the uniform white decorative scheme is a more subtle use of colour. Patrick Baty of Papers and Paint undertook extensive paint analysis which revealed localised use of colour in different areas of the Hall to create a more complex colour scheme. Having identified the colours as being based on the 1931 British Standard colour range 381C, he provided further information on contemporary thoughts on paint colours in building, citing in particular the Hertfordshire Schools Project which specified the colours to be use on the interiors of schools. His research into colour and the development of the British Standard range of paint colours of 1995 and the Archrome paint range provided the audience with a greater understanding of mid 20th century paint colours and helped to place the Royal Festival Hall within that context.
The first day of the conference ended with a delightful talk on Vermont Painted Theatre Curtains by Christine Hadsel. She has been involved in a large project to document and conserve about 175 historic painted theatre curtains dating between 1885 and 1940. These curtains were the primary artistic feature of every town hall, grange hall, opera house and community centres in small towns and villages throughout Vermont. They served as the backdrop to a variety of activities including travelling theatre troupes, local variety shows, choral groups, speakers and local school productions. The curtains were painted with colourful, romantic images of British and European landscapes and even the occasional majestic landscape of America. Conservators undertook remedial treatments to clean, stabilise and repair damages to the cotton muslin fabric and retouch paint losses. Once conserved the curtains were re-introduced to their original setting as they were to be used and enjoyed.

An impressive party gathered on Saturday morning outside Elms Lester Paint Frame. Most of us confessed that although we all knew this part of London, just off Centre Point well, we had never spotted this hidden gem, and we all agreed that one of the joys of London is discovering such treasures like this which have been hiding in full view. The small building has an odd almost triangular elongated plan. The previous day’s lectures had provided a steep learning curve in the art of scenery design and manufacture which most of us had never really considered. The creation of large canvas backdrops – or cloths – combined the skills of an artist with a scale more commonly tackled by house-painters.
We were shown around by Fiona Mackinnon who explained the mechanism of the actual paint frame – basically an enormous stretcher which could move up in the light well and down into the cellar, allowing the painters to remain in a fixed position at ground level. The cloth being prepared during our visit was for yet another production of Mama Mia (apparently there are over twenty versions of this musical being performed all over the world). The novel space provided a wonderful continuous link with nineteenth-century practise – we could smell the paint. The edges of the floor and the walls were thick with paint splatters. I do intend to return and take some samples to mount in cross-sections – they will be visually stunning. The traditional distemper used to paint backcloths and flats has largely been replaced by modern PVA purpose made paints such as ‘Rosco’ and spray paints.
The survival of this paint frame is due to the owners, who resisted offers from property developers and actually invited English Heritage to consider the building for listing. This instigated a review of ancillary theatre buildings. Sadly other paint frames in the West End were destroyed before they could be listed. The building is maintained by income from film shoots and exhibitions, but priority is given to keeping the paint frame in use and accessible for professional scene painters.
The next hidden discovery was Wilton’s Music Hall in the East End of London. Another inspiring project which is keeping history alive. We were greeted by Francis Mayhew and were completely entranced by her enthusiasm and story telling skills. Outside the building she recreated a vivid picture of the nineteenth-century scene, a thriving pub on the corner which serviced the locals and the sailors from the nearby docks had been extended in 1858 by the entrepreneur John Wilton to create a Music Hall (and brothel). The main purpose of the entertainments was to keep the customers spending money on food and drink. Wilton had bought up the adjacent buildings and created a theatre in the area formerly occupied by the gardens. The works were completed within months using a range of odd fittings Wilton could acquire, flagstones stolen from the nearby Georgian square, strange spiral columns ( which were probably destined for a more exotic location but never made it onto the ship).
The interior resembles a building site, indeed only 40% of the building is structurally sound: but it is a working theatre. Exposed lathes, bare bricks, wallpaper fragments, junk furniture all contribute in creating a stimulating space which invites further investigation. The gerry-built nature of its construction has left a legacy of structural problems but the actual design of the theatre hall is very good, and today it offers an atmospheric and intimate space for a variety of events. Wilton’s heyday was in the late nineteenth century the famous song ‘Champagne Charlie’ had its premier performance here. When the Music Halls declined in popularity it was used as a Methodist church but then fell into disuse and was only saved from demolition by the intervention of Sir John Betchaman. Wilton’s is currently staging and I took up the kind offer of a discounted ticket and returned in the evening to see a wonderful production of the Shakespeare’s ‘The Taming of the Shrew’. The venue and the performance are receiving great reviews. The music hall itself has provided the location for several movies and television and dramas. The existing scheme which appears to the be ‘as found’ natural decay and the accumulation was is in fact recently created by scene painters who were asked to obliterate the lurid paint effects applied by the last film company. This ‘faked’ distress caused some discussion over lunch.
We then crossed the Thames to lawless Southwark: and the Globe Theatre. We were given yet another entertaining tour by a member of the Globe staff. He was recovering from guiding groups of ‘French teenagers – do not get me started’and so was delighted to meet such an enlightened group. Timothy Easton’s lecture on the Globe and his involvement into the research behind its current presentation meant we arrived well armed to make a critical assessment of the decorative scheme. It was evident that there had been ‘a love affair’ with the timber beam construction of the building which perhaps should be hidden behind plaster – but the Globe is clearly attempting to move towards a more exuberant less sanitised atmosphere. To accurately recreate Shakespeare’s Globe would mean flouting all Health & Safety regulations, blocking up fire exits, encouraging urination at the side of the stage and allowing prostitutes to ply their trade in the stairwells – so it would seem churlish to get pedantic over paint issues. We stopped to watch student actors, wrapped in over coats, deliver their lines on the open air stage – and remembered what theatre is all about.
It was a wonderful day which complimented the previous days papers. Special thanks are due to Saskia Paterson for her meticulous planning.
Written by Christine Sitwell and Helen Hughes