bio universally known as Biddy. Alas, she died last year, aged 93. The couple more or less took over the aspiring Gibraltarians theatricals and in 1957 the players became Group 56. The first play was a controversial one by Elio Cruz called ‘Miracle in a Patio’ produced by Biddy. It won the best original play in the 1957 Drama festival.
Cecil had a Peter and Vivian decided that Group 56 would parallel career perform ‘Antigone’ at as an actor the Calpe Institute in and theatre the round which resultproducer. ed in a glowing review by J. D. Stewart. By this time Group 56 was well established and when the Dietz’s left the Rock it continued to go from strength to strength. In 1964 Group 56 inaugurated two theatres with productions by Cecil Gomez. ‘Time Remembered’ at The John Mackintosh Hall and in summer ‘Twelfth Night’ at the Alameda Open Air theatre. 1967 saw Group 56 join forces with Leslie Zammit’s St Joseph’s group and their first show was Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’ produced by Humbert Hernandez. This was followed by a play written by Elio Cruz that won the Drama Festival. The theme of ‘Umbrella Variations’ was that eventually the United Kingdom Government would do a sovereignty deal with the Spanish Government. Sir Gerald Lathbury that night wrote history when he became the first Governor to visit the dressing rooms to congratulate the cast to which Cecil says ‘yet he must have known the goings on behind our backs’. He was proved right as when later, British Government Papers showed that secret meetings were taking place at this time. In 1970 the nucleus of Group 56 & St Joseph’s became Group 70. After 15 exciting years of producing countless plays Cecil left the group. Plays were later produced by Leslie and Cecil but with no Group name till it Cecil and eventually become Group 2000.
Cecli with some of his teddy bears
Cecil thinks that the group has not recovered from Leslie’s death. He has kept his hand in by giving poetry recitals and one short sally into The Drama festival.
Nothing would make me happier than to see a new and younger group that would have the courage to present Shakespeare, Pinter, Becket, Lope de Vega, Lorca, Gala, Ibsen, Genet, Feydeau, Albee, Arniches, Milhura and Elio Cruz. These are plays of all kinds. Plays to make us think, to make us laugh, to make us cry, plays to challenge not just the actors but also the audience.
The couple more or less took over the aspiring Gibraltarians theatricals and became Group 56.
During his time as a teacher for six years he combined together all the senior schools and produced at the John Mackintosh Hall the Shakespeare plays ‘Coriolanus’, ‘Henry V’, ‘Macbeth’, ‘The Merchant of Venice’ followed by ‘The thwarting of Baron Bolligrew’ and ‘The Scarlet Cross’ written especially for him By Vivien. These were presented to the schools in matinees and in the evening for an adult audience. Cecil, the grand old man of local theatre, had this to say about theatre on the Rock: “I have always maintained that all Theatre is valid so long as it is well done. Now, there is a great deal of what I would call ‘light entertainment’ but little on the more serious side.
By presenting an overwhelming amount of very light entertainment, an audience has been created that will only attend such plays. The result is that plays that do not fit that category are badly attended, so the risk of losing a fair amount of money is great. This risk has been further compounded by the high charges to legitimate amateur groups made by our present theatres, Ince’s Hall and the John Mackintosh Hall”.
Upon his retirement from teaching, twenty-five years ago, Cecil was given a Harrods Annual Christmas Bear to mark the year of his retirement. Since then, he’s The way that as Group 56, St his friends Joseph’s, Group 70 and Group 2000 collected the teddies every year, each became of them now taking pride of place in his Group 2000 was then a force worked was that we refused to be fascinated by put into any bracket. It was our living room. They don different styles and to be reckoned with. Cecil was the theatre. outfits, and sit attentively, around the now semi-retired and together aim to present as many aspects of room. Cecil says he’s lost count of how with Leslie, the group went from theatre as we could manage both in many extra teddy bears he’s accumulated strength to strength until Zamitt’s tragic English and Spanish. over these years, including a jolly Winnie death. Patrick Marber’ ‘Dealer’s Choice’ the Pooh that reads along with a was to be the last play produced by Leslie Our present Group 2000 has, children’s book. He once produced in 2006. Cecil, in December, produced unfortunately at this moment a programme on collecting bears, ‘The Two Faces of Christmas’ which was not got the actors and backstage Group 2000 was then a for GBC, prompting other bear a tribute to Leslie in which many who had help it used to have, much of force to be collectors to send their regards worked with him took part. The next year, this through old age or death. because Leslie had booked Ince’s Hall for a reckoned with. and thank him for sharing their We have had to adapt by doing interest. play, Cecil produced with an all-female cast recitals and other presentations ‘If We are Women’ by a Canadian author. within our limitations.
GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2016
55