Working the lights at the Hippodrome kept me fit

Jump to: navigation, search

Derby folk have reacted with anger and sadness to the destruction of the much-loved Hippodrome Theatre, which stands on the corner of Macklin Street and Green Lane. The building is steeped in nostalgia for many people, who all have their own particular memories of watching shows there, performing in them or being part of the hardworking team who kept things running smoothly behind the scenes. Lynne Brighouse talks to Brian Collis who spent six years working there as a lighting technician in the 1950s.

Brian Collis at the controls of the lighting switchboard, in the 1950s

It was purely by chance that Brian Collis found himself in charge of stage lighting at the Hippodrome Theatre, in Derby, during the 1950s.

“It was thanks to my cousin, Bill Harrison, that I ended up with the job,” he explained. “The year was 1950. I was only 14 years old and, at that time, wondering how I could go about earning myself a bob or two. Bill asked how I would feel about operating one of the big spotlights at the Hippodrome Theatre and, knowing that he was in charge of the other spot, I felt confidant enough to have a go. I soon realised the theatre could offer me a job I loved.”

In fact, Brian never looked back. His aptitude for electrical engineering was soon recognised by the owners of the Hippodrome and, by 1952, he was thrilled to be put in charge of the theatre’s latest acquisition, an elaborate, state-of-the-art, lighting switchboard, acquired from the Grand Theatre, in Babington Lane, which had just converted to a dance hall.

In comparison to the modern compact electrical lighting desks used by technicians in theatres today, this switchboard was a monster of a machine.

“It was completely mechanical in design and operated through a system of wheels, and levers,” said Brian. “The switchboard was so huge that by the end of every show I was physically exhausted with the effort of operating it. It could also be quite stressful at times, making sure I hit all the lighting cues on time. Any mistakes were very public and often met with a sarcastic cheer from the audience.”

The switchboard, which was made by Strand Electricians, was positioned to the right of the stage, so Brian could watch the performers on stage as he worked. Although it was large, he still remembers it as a beautiful piece of machinery.

“It had a very complex system of levers and pulleys and I operated the lights in the auditorium as well as the stage lighting,” he recalled.

Being so close to the stage helped Brain to follow the lighting cues accurately. It also gave him a bird’s eye view of some of the classic mistakes and accidents which took place at the theatre from time to time.

“One such occasion, which particularly stands out for me, was when the comedian, Ken Dodd, was on stage and in full flow with his routine,” he said. “Unbeknown to Ken, one of the ropes holding the backcloth suddenly broke, causing it to sweep forward and knock him straight into the orchestra pit. Ken, thankfully, emerged unscathed and quickly rescued the situation. In his infamous, quick-witted style, he peeped at the audience over the orchestra pit wall and quipped: ‘So that’s what they think of me here, is it?’ What a professional!”

Brian also recalled another incident which occurred one night, when the show involved several circus animals appearing on stage.

“All was going fine until an elephant decided to empty its bladder in full view of the audience,” laughed Brian. “In addition to drenching several members of the orchestra with urine, the footlights at the front of the stage became damp, causing a complete lighting blackout. The rest of the evening was rather rapidly abandoned.”

After five or six years working at the Hippodrome, Brian was called up for National Service and never returned to the theatre world, taking a post at the City Hospital instead.

“It was a good steady job, with a pension,” said Brian, who retired early and now lives in Mickleover. “It could never really compare to the fun and excitement of working at the Hippodrome, though, and meeting all the stars. Cliff Richards, Julie Andrews, Max Wall and so on – all the big names passed through there in their time. It was a great theatre and it deserves to be preserved.”

Pages linking here

You and Yesterday

[edit]

FEEDBACK

Did you enjoy this article? If so, why not comment on it? Perhaps you disagree with something in it, or you know something the writer doesn't and can add some extra facts. You may want to ask a question about this article. Making a contribution is easy - either click 'edit' to insert more information or 'discussion' and then 'add comment.' This is your site. Please feel free to use it to the full and share your memories, thoughts and knowledge about Derbyshire with others.

If there is no 'edit' link showing it means the article has either previously been published in the Derby Evening Telegraph, or it has been protected by the site administrator and cannot be edited.'

Other tags that are relevant to Working the lights at the Hippodrome kept me fit

Help us to improve You&Yesterday by adding more tags to this article. Simply edit this page, find this area and add the words in a list separated by commas next to the *.

To find out more about tagging please click here.

County: Derbyshire

Return to You_and_Yesterday

Retrieved from "http://www.youandyesterday.co.uk/articles/Working_the_lights_at_the_Hippodrome_kept_me_fit"

You can edit or add to this article.