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 Martins
Bank Society of the Arts – Drama Section in: Postal Orders by Roland Pertwee
Staged:
24 March 1949 in the basement theatre at Head Office
The basement theatre at Head Office has seen many a drama
production, and it represents a place where those on the staff who would like
to try their hand at something operatic or theatrical can do so without the
harsh judgement of a paying audience. Postal Orders is written by Roland
Pertwee, an author popular with small amateur acting groups, and it seems
that the bank clerks who played the parts of post office workers revelled at
the opportunity – their performance mirroring the perceived inefficiencies and
obstructive behaviour of such staff.
This play gave the opportunity to Mr E G (Teddy) Shaw of Liverpool
Smithdown Branch, to produce for the first time, and according to martins
Bank Magazine’s review, he did really well. 1949 sees many members of the
Bank’s Staff being taken out of the workplace for two years of compulsary
military service – known as National Service – which continued until 1960. Mr
T R Owens, is just back from his National Service in time to build the
scenery for “Postal Orders” – later in his career he works for the Bank’s
publicity department and is a good artist, having one of his watercolour
pictures reproduced on the front cover of Martins Bank Magazine’s Spring 1969
edition…
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 The Spring
performance of the Drama Section took the form of a one-act play, followed
by a mock trial, staged in the little basement theatre in Head Office on
the evening of March 24th. “Postal Orders” by Roland Pertwee is a very
well-known play, the setting being in a certain Post Office and the theme
the inefficiency and obstructiveness of the officials therein.
The
part of the postmistress was taken by Kathleen Horsburgh and those of her
two assistants by Barbara Griffith and Yvonne Simmonds. In the midst of our
laughter at their apparently infinite capacity for time wasting we could
not help saying to ourselves:—“ Well, thank goodness, they aren’t really as
bad as all that.” They were certainly made up to look their parts and each
of them did her best to hit off the obstructiveness of minor public
officials rejoicing in a little brief authority.
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 Yvonne Simmonds, Barbara Griffith, Kathleen Horsburgh,
Barbara Phillips and Colin Skelton
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They
succeeded admirably. The part of the exasperated customer was taken by
Barbara Phillips and her portrayal won all our sympathy for her in her
predicament. The only male part was taken by Colin Skelton. The part does
not give a lot of scope for the revelation of the love he is supposed to
feel for the lady portrayed by Barbara, but he managed to give a convincing
performance and everything ended happily. The play was produced by E. G.
Shaw (Smithdown branch), who is to be congratulated on his first production
for the Society. The Stage Manager was Sheila Boote, and T. R. Owens, back
again after doing his military service, was responsible for the scenery,
assisted by members of the Drama Section.
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