Company name: Character Ladies
Founder: Kate Crutchley. Associate members: Susan (aka Clarke) Hayes, Donna (aka Dee) Berwick
Established: 1986
Reason: Kate Crutchley decided to establish a company of her own, to distinguish her work from the plethora of companies and productions that were using Oval House as their principal performance platform – thanks to her. She wanted to pursue her own projects, such as the story of the Ladies of Llangollen, and commission plays on subjects that she was particularly interested in. She thought it time that her work and her aspirations took on a distinct ‘character’, so to speak; also she considered herself in some ways a ‘character actress’ – hence Character Ladies was born.
Current status: Disbanded 1991
Area of work: Lesbian
Policy: The policy was to produce/commission/perform plays that were either historical – The Ladies (Sandra Freeman), Sappho & Aphrodite (Karen Malpede) – or contemporary pieces that took for granted their subject matter, i.e. lesbian life. Not ‘issue’ plays, but rather work based firmly on the reality of lesbian lives, relationships and experience, such as Supporting Roles (Sandra Freeman), Jigsaws (Jennifer Rogers), Echo (Susan Hayes). Also, Kate being Kate, plays that were just plain fun! – Death on Lesbos (Penny Gulliver), The Sisters Mysteries (Penny Gulliver), etc. Kate knew that lesbians, like everyone else, wanted to be entertained, and although not every piece was a success, she certainly aspired to the ethos of theatre as entertainment. Kate was a very political person, and fully committed to lesbian emancipation and empowerment – it was her legacy to the generation she inspired – but she sure wanted to have fun too, and very much took the view that our hard-earned equality should be rewarded with pleasure.
Structure: Artistic Director, Kate Crutchley
Based: Oval House
Funding: Arts Council, Greater London Arts (GLA), Lambeth Arts Council
Performance venues: Oval House
Audience:
Company work and process:
Kate Crutchley oversaw the work and trajectory of the company, and was usually, but not always, director. The work process itself, however, was fairly egalitarian and cooperative, everyone pitching in where their strengths lay.
Personal appraisals:
Clarke Hayes: ‘Kate Crutchley was one of the most ‘artistic’ people I ever met – always looking for truth, and beauty – something very close to her heart. She invariably knew precisely what she wanted a play to ‘look’ like, and she went about constructing that image almost like a painting, adding all the various elements and layers until the whole thing was finished to her very high standard, and brought beauty, wherever possible, to life.’
Productions:
| Production Name | Venues | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Supporting Roles Writer: Sandra Freeman Director: Kate Crutchley Cast: Ruth Burton, Susan Hayes, Kate Crutchley, Rita Davies, Patricia Garwood, Sarah McNair Set and lighting: Marian Staal Costumes and Setting: Dee Berwick | Oval House | 1986 |
| Sappho and Aphrodite Writer: Karen Malpede Director: Kate Crutchley Cast included: Hazel Carey, Illona Linthwaite, Hisae Matsuda, Stephanie Pugsley, Adele Saleem Set and costumes: Tessa Schneideman Assistant: Jan Blake Movement: Tessa Schneideman Lighting: Steve Whitson Music: Joanne Fraser | Oval House | 1987 |
| Ladies of the Vale Writer: Sandra Freeman Director: Tessa Schneideman Cast: Fraser Caines, Kate Corkery, Kate Crutchley, Mandy More Designer: Angie Dove Lighting: Crin Claxton Set: Steve Teagle Soundtrack: About Time Prod Poster design: Carole Murcia | Oval House | 1988 |
| Death in Lesbos Writer: Penny Gulliver Director: Kate Crutchley Cast: Dee Berwick, Penny Gulliver, Susan Hayes, Nick Herrett, Jinny Keatinge, Kaya McGregor, Keith Matthews, Richard Taylor Lighting: Crin Claxton | Oval House | 1989 |
| The Sisters Mysteries Writer: Penny Gulliver Director: Kate Crutchley Music and lyrics: Mandy More Cast: Cindy Afflick, Dee Berwick, Kate Crutchley, Bronwyn Geddes, Susan Hayes, Jinny Keatinge, Katie McGoldrick, Mandy More, Colin Scott-Moncrieff Musical Director: Mandy More Lighting: Crin Claxton Costumes: Mattea Goldstein Props: Alison Craig | Oval House | |
| Echo Writer: Susan Hayes Director: Kate Crutchley Cast: Claire Campbell, Stella Duffy, Susan Hayes, Georgina Lock Designer: Ellie Hillman Lighting: Samantha McNairn | Oval House | |
| Jigsaws Writer: Jennifer Rogers Director: Kate Crutchley Cast: Lyn Ashley, Stella Duffy, Katy Feeney, Anne Harries, Claire Hawksley Lighting: Crin Claxton Set design: Ellie Hillman | Oval House | |
| The Ladies Writer: Sandra Freeman Director: Kate Crutchley Music: Carol Sloman Cast: Margaret Dent, Stella Duffy, Juliet Howland, Dawn Hudson, Elizabeth Littlewood, Sandy Maberley, Imogen Ryall Musical direction: Lisa Nolan Design: Ellie Hillman Lighting: Crin Claxton | Oval House | 1991 |
Interviewee reference: Kate Crutchley
Existing archive material: With founder members of the company and Unfinished Histories
Bibliography:
Jigsaws by Jennifer Rogers (Dramatic Publishing Company 1988)
Supporting Roles by Sandra Freeman in Lesbian Plays: Two (Methuen 1989)
Acknowledgements: Many thanks to Clarke Hayes for writing the copy on this page, and also to Claire Oberman. Page constructed by Jessica Higgs. November 2013
The creation of this page was supported by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lotter Fund.