THE SHERLOCK HOLMES SOCIETY OF LONDON
Founded as The Sherlock Holmes Society in 1934
THEATRICAL THREADS
Conan Doyle and the Drama - Sherlock on Stage and in Studio
The 2009 Richard Lancelyn Green Lecture will be held on Monday 5th October 2009 at the Savage Club, housed in the premises of the National Liberal Club at 1, Whitehall Place, London, SW1, at 6.00 for 6.45pm. The National Liberal Club is located on the corner of Whitehall Place and the Victoria Embankment, not far from Embankment Underground Station, and also conveniently placed for Charing Cross main line station. It is usually possible to find a parking space in the vicinity at this time in the evening – although you may have to pay the congestion charge.
Members and their guests may opt to attend the meeting only at £8.50, or to dine beforehand at a cost of £33.50 per head. This includes VAT and service but not drinks, which must be paid for on the day. For those who choose to dine, the meal will comprise Pot Roasted Topside of Galloway Beef with Horseradish Dumpling and Guinness Gravy followed by Vanilla Brûlée with Soft Fruits, Coffee and Mints. A vegetarian or fish alternative main course may be ordered in advance – please specify if you want this on the application form. A cash bar will be open in the Savage Club Room on the ground floor of the building from 6.00pm. After the meeting, members may use the National Liberal Club bar. Dinner will be served promptly at 6.45pm in the David Lloyd George Room on the first floor and will be followed by the meeting itself from around 8pm.
This year we have invited David Timson to address the Society. David has recently completed a 10-year project recording the complete Canon for Naxos Audiobooks. A box set was released in March 2009 to coincide with the 150th anniversary of Conan Doyle’s birth. The Sherlock Holmes Journal wrote: “His unfussy delivery puts the stories first…he is content to give us the stories as they were meant to be enjoyed.” His reading of A Study in Scarlet won the Spoken Word Publishers Association Audio-Book of the Year Award in 2002. He twice received the Golden Earphone Award in Audiofile Magazine (USA) for his Holmes readings.
As an actor himself David is fascinated by Conan Doyle’s own interest in things theatrical. Throughout his career Conan Doyle attempted to have a West End theatrical success, but though the Holmes stories abound with drama, Conan Doyle did not succeed as a dramatist – until he put Holmes himself on stage. In this talk, David attempts to draw together the theatrical influences on Conan Doyle, his ambitions as a playwright, and the early manifestations of Holmes in the theatre, along with comments on his own experiences in reading and creating the 125 characters of the canon for audiobook.
David has been an actor for 38 years, training at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He has appeared in classical and modern plays all over the country and abroad. Since 1981 he has had a long association with the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond, appearing in over 35 productions, including Stephen Jeffries adaptation of Dickens’ Hard Times and the English premiere of Vaclav Havel’s Redevelopment. As well as appearing extensively in Shakespeare (from early appearances in Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in Twelfth Night to Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Polonius in Hamlet) he has made numerous recordings of the Shakespeare canon for the BBC and Naxos. Television appearances include parts in The Bill, The Ruth Rendell Mysteries and Poirot. He has worked extensively in BBC Radio Drama since winning the BBC Student Prize in 1971 (now known as the Carleton Hobbes Award).
In 1997, David was asked to direct Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale for Naxos. Since then, he has been working regularly for Naxos Audio-Books, recording many poetry and prose compilations. Since 2003 he has been a lecturer at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
Applications should be sent to arrive not later than Saturday 26th September.
Anyone attending a Society function for the first time should bring along and display their yellow cards of introduction, so that we can identify them and introduce them to our members. They should also note that applications are not normally acknowledged nor are tickets sent. We look forward to seeing everyone on the night. If an acknowledgement is required, please provide an e-mail address or a stamped, addressed envelope with your application. Dress is smart casual and gentlemen are asked to wear a jacket and tie. As in most London clubs, tee-shirts and trainers are not acceptable. This is not our rule and we must comply with the club’s.
DIARY 2009
9th January 2010Annual Dinner
10th January 2010Morning After
SOCIETY WEBSITE
The Society’s website is at
THE SHERLOCK HOLMES SOCIETY OF LONDON
Founded as The Sherlock Holmes Society in 1934
FILM EVENING – LOOKS UNFAMILIAR!
The Society’s 2009 Film Evening will be held on Thursday 26th November 2009 at Baden-Powell House, 65-67 Queen’s Gate, London, SW7 5JS, on the corner with the Cromwell Road. The nearest Underground stations are South Kensington and Gloucester Road on the District and Circle Lines. There is plenty of parking in Queen’s Gate, which is metered to 6.30pm. Don’t forget you may have to pay the congestion charge.
Members and their guests may opt to attend the film presentation only at £12.50, or to join us for buffet refreshments beforehand at a cost of £26.50 per head. Happily, Baden Powell House have been able to hold prices this year. There will be a cash bar. A light finger buffet will be served from 6.15pm in the Assembly Hall on the ground floor. We will start the film presentation at 7.15pm.
Our host Matthew J. Elliott makes a welcome return. He is a scriptwriter well known for the US radio series “The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes”. Matthew provided the adaptations of The Yellow Face and The Three Students for the Society. With a new interpretation of the Holmes stories about to burst onto cinema screens worldwide, the title of this year's event is, appropriately, “Looks Unfamiliar” - unseen material from a source with which we're well acquainted, or productions never screened in the UK.
We begin with two lengthy deleted sequences from Billy Wilder's classic The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes. The Curious Case of the Upside-Down Room and The Dreadful Business of the Naked Honeymooners were long thought lost for good, and have been painstakingly reconstructed. A treat not to be missed! Next, we're extremely grateful to Society Member Akiko Sato for providing us with more examples of Holmes-themed Japanese animation, Astro Boy and Princess Anmitsu, as well as an anthology specially produced for this event. The evening concludes with something none of us imagined we'd ever see – Rathbone and Bruce in colour! The process of colourisation has improved over the years to such an extent that we're able to bring you the famous duo's final film Dressed to Kill, looking as though it had really been made in colour. The evening should finish around 10.15pm.
Applications should be sent to arrive not later than Thursday 19th November.
Anyone attending a Society function for the first time should bring along and display their yellow cards of introduction, so that we can identify them and introduce them to our members. They should also note that applications are not normally acknowledged nor are tickets sent. We look forward to seeing everyone on the night. If an acknowledgement is required, please provide an e-mail address or stamped, addressed envelope with your application. Dress is smart casual.
THE SHERLOCK HOLMES SOCIETY OF LONDON
Founded as The Sherlock Holmes Society in 1934
VAT registration no.: 527 7037 40
To:Miss Catherine Cooke,
15, Copperfield Court, 146, Worple Road,
Wimbledon, London, SW20 8QA.
Theatrical Threads - Monday 5th October 2009
I / We should like to attend the meeting with ……. guests and dine beforehand and enclose the appropriate remittance of £33.50 per head, payable to The Sherlock Holmes Society of London.
I / We should like to attend the meeting only with ……. guests and enclose the appropriate remittance of £8.50 per head, payable to The Sherlock Holmes Society of London.
I / We should like to order ……. Vegetarian / …… Fish meal(s)
NAME OF MEMBER ………………………………………………………………..
GUEST(S) …………………………………………………………………………….
If this will be your first attendance at a Society meeting please tick here …….
E-mail address if acknowledgement is required ……………………………………
------
THE SHERLOCK HOLMES SOCIETY OF LONDON
Founded as The Sherlock Holmes Society in 1934
VAT registration no.: 527 7037 40
To:Miss Catherine Cooke,
15, Copperfield Court, 146, Worple Road,
Wimbledon, London, SW20 8QA.
Film Evening on Thursday 26th November 2009
I / We should like to attend the film evening with ……. guests and to eat beforehand and enclose the appropriate remittance of £26.50 per head, payable to The Sherlock Holmes Society of London.
I / We should like to attend the film presentation only with ……. guests and enclose the appropriate remittance of £12.50 per head, payable to The Sherlock Holmes Society of London.
I / We should like to order ……. Vegetarian / …… Fish meal(s)
NAME OF MEMBER ………………………………………………………………..
GUEST(S) …………………………………………………………………………….
If this will be your first attendance at a Society meeting please tick here …….
E-mail address if acknowledgement is required ……………………………………