In Memory... | Chatsworth Players

In Memory of those we've loved and lost..

Anthony Gill, 1952-2023

Anthony was a founding member of the Players in more ways than one. He played the leading role of Judge Danforth in our first ever production in 2008 of Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’ to tremendous effect. But he also shouldered much of the burden in establishing the group – setting up the constitution, finance arrangements, booking venues, agreeing contracts and generally being the group’s business manager. We literally wouldn’t be here without Anthony.

His next role was as the overbearing Alderman Joseph Helliwell in JB Priestley’s ‘When we are married’ – a gloriously pompous and egotistical role that he absolutely loved.

Anthony was the kind of man who would always step up to help – he liked to get the job done! He notably played Jacob Marley and seven additional roles in our 2019 production of Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’! It didn’t phase him and he imbued every single role with a character of its own – he was unflappable.

In 2020, the Players staged a fundraising concert for the Alzheimer's Society, and Anthony chose to recite the hilarious ‘Three Ha’pence a Foot’, introducing many in the audience to the Northern poet Marriott Edgar. He helped us to raise one thousand pounds.

Anthony’s recent illness showcased his own strength of character. He faced his illness head on, took every conceivable step to recover but also to prepare his beloved family for life without him. And he didn’t let the illness get in the way of his drama – he performed to great acclaim as the mischievous Blore in Pinero’s ‘Dandy Dick’ only last June. He loved playing the role and, although he found the rehearsals and performance week increasingly exhausting, he was determined to do it well and ‘not to let us down’ (his words, not ours). He certainly didn’t let us down.

Anthony wasn’t just a pillar of the Players, but also of the Community more widely – a long term resident of Tideswell, he was the lynchpin of the Tideswell Community Players and was pivotal in the recent renovation of the Fountain Square Church there. He was also a long-term member of Buxton Drama League and played many important roles for them – most recently as Francis Nurse in that self-same ‘Crucible’ at Buxton Opera House in 2022.

It has been a privilege to count Anthony as a Player and to have had the opportunity to benefit from his experience, talent, support, friendship and kindness over the last fifteen years. He is very sorely missed by us all.

Robert Alan-Haven, 1938-2021

Robert was one of our founding members. He played a number of wonderful roles from the Reverend Hale in our first production, The Crucible in 2008, through to Duval in Camille in 2016.

With his stature, bearing, rich voice and handsome face, he never failed to cut an impressive dash on the stage, and his talents spread from the dramatic to the comedic.

He also acted as our Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary, and was a tremendous help to Sylvia in establishing the Players - particularly doing all the business that she didn’t care for! And he loved choosing the music that accompanied many of our shows.

Robert played:
* Reverend Hale in The Crucible
* Councillor Albert Parker in When We Are married
* The Reverend Chasuble in The Importance of Being Earnest
* Arthur Birling in An Inspector Calls
* Dr MacFarlane in Hobson’s Choice
* Mason in An Ideal Husband
* Lord Ingram in Jane Eyre
* Duval in Camille

Robert's interests ranged far and wide - he was a published author and had travelled - and lived - in many countries. We were fortunate when he moved to live in Derbyshire and delighted that he chose to work with the Players for eight marvellous years.

Sylvia Valetta Jackson, 1932-2020

The daughter of a Derbyshire miner and a classically trained singer, such was Sylvia’s obvious theatrical talent that she was encouraged to apply for a scholarship to the most prestigious drama school in London – the Central School of Speech and Drama. She was successful and travelled to London at the tender age of 17 to begin her studies - a young, working-class woman who had barely been beyond Derbyshire. Albert Finney and Tom Courtney are often held up as the ground-breakers - working-class northern lads who broke the middle-class, southern mould of British theatre - but actually, Sylvia did it long before them.

She made a big impression at Central and she performed on the West End stage in many productions before returning home to be at the side of her father who was dying of cancer. Once home, she fell in love with the other great passion of her life, a handsome young cricketer called Norman Jackson. They married, had two children and her future as a wife and mother in Derbyshire was set. But that didn’t stop the acting! It certainly stopped the West End performances though, and she even turned down the offer of a part in a new 1950s radio series – The Archers!

But, Sylvia’s passion was theatre of all kinds and at all levels. She set about establishing an amateur group in her home village of Langwith and they performed to packed houses, twice or three times a year for decades. She set up a theatre school for children in Mansfield which was sponsored by the newly formed TV Channel 4, and was Head of Drama at Shirebrook School for almost twenty years. When she and Norman moved to Ravenshead in the 1990s, she set up yet another group – ACE productions – which also ran for decades. For forty years she organised coach trips for her friends to the West End to see hundreds of shows – she wanted everyone to be able to share in her passion, and they did!

Her daughter Lindsay once asked Sylvia if she regretted not having the career in London that she might have had – she was such a talented performer. Without hesitation she said no. She was very thankful for her life and had an enormous sense of achievement in helping people to reach their potential and enabling them to do something that they never dreamed they could. So many people, on hearing of Sylvia’s death, have described how much they learned from her and how her energy, vibrancy and enthusiasm spurred them on to greater things and gave them confidence and the sense that, under her guidance, they could do anything.

During Sylvia’s theatrical career, she directed or performed in over 170 plays and musicals – she kept an exhaustive list! She acted and directed in some of our best theatres – the Royal Albert Hall, the Old Vic in London, the Royal in Nottingham, the Crucible in Sheffield and the Haymarket in Leicester. But she wasn’t a name dropper – she enjoyed performing anywhere. She loved the acoustics and atmosphere of churches and the enthusiasm and community spirit in church and community halls just as much as the grand spaces.

When asked about her favourite character roles, she would invariably choose Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion and Elizabeth Proctor in Miller’s The Crucible. She loved Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde and many classics. She famously said she ‘didn’t do rubbish’!

In 2007, after the devastating death of her beloved Norman, she picked herself up and founded the Chatsworth Players. She had been asked by the Duke to advise on bringing the Chatsworth House family theatre back into use and she decided to bring together ambitious local amateur actors to perform there and take on plays that they were less able to do in local village groups. One of her last performances with the Players was as Lady Bracknell in 'The Importance of Being Earnest' and she directed her last show, Robert Bolt's 'A Man for all Seasons' at Chatsworth in 2017 at the age of 85.

She will be very sorely missed, but the Chatsworth Players remain her legacy. We'll do our best to do her proud.

Jenny Bland, who died in 2020

Jenny was a magnificent woman – a bundle of energy, fun and vitality, with a smile that lit up the room. Everything was possible as far as Jenny was concerned and problems were simply there to be overcome.

She had a lovely voice and adored singing in choirs and onstage but she thought she couldn’t act – until she met Sylvia! In 2006, Sylvia was invited to direct Sheffield Operatic Society, where Jenny was a member. As always, Jenny loved a challenge and Sylvia’s guidance and direction enabled Jenny’s natural theatricality to blossom. There was no holding her and she wanted to try her hand at a ‘proper play’.

Years later and after moving home and being within striking distance of the Players, she joined us and achieved her ambition. She played Mrs Rochester (the ‘Maniac’) in Jane Eyre in April 2013. Although a very small part, she succeeded in frightening the living daylights out of the audience every evening. She loved it!

Her busy life and developing business made it hard for her to commit to rehearsals for a while, but she took on her second role in September 2016 in Camille. Jenny embodied the role of Prudence, Camille’s friend and poverty-stricken milliner. She brought her cheeky irreverence to the role and was really smitten with performance.

Jenny was cast to play in the Dresser in October 2018. She read the role of the stage manager beautifully – the woman who had loved ‘Sir’ for years from the wings. Jenny was thrilled to take on such a poignant role. But very sadly, before rehearsals began, she received the diagnosis of motor neurone disease. Typically of Jenny, her initial reaction was to keep going – she didn’t want her illness to define her and she really wanted that challenge - but her loyalty to the Players and concerns about letting others down if she was ill, resulted in her turning it down.

Jenny will be very sadly missed by us all.

Mel Fido-Dexter, 1954-2019

Mel was one of our most longstanding Players. He was the funniest, kindest, gentlest and friendliest person you could ever meet.

Many of you will have spoken to him as you arrived at the Theatre – Mel and his husband Richard welcomed our guests at Chatsworth for almost ten years. And remembering that experience will remind you what a charming, handsome and stylish man he was. You may also remember that Sylvia referred to Mel and Richard as ‘her boys’ and often called them to the front of the theatre to recite a Shakespeare sonnet to them before curtain up.

What you may not know is how much creative work Mel did behind the scenes, dressing sets, making and sourcing props, producing flower arrangements and making costumes. He was always ready to help and utterly reliable. Sylvia even managed to coax him on stage for three productions – he played Richard Mason in Jane Eyre (the brother of the first Mrs Rochester); a policeman (!) in Gaslight; and an elegant bystander at the start of Pygmalion.

But more importantly, Mel was the consummate gentleman and friend – with time for everyone and an uplifting – and occasionally saucy – conversational style.

The Players collected over £700 in Mel's honour for Cancer Research during the production of A Christmas Carol. Thank you so much to everyone who gave in his memory.