‘He acted uncompromisingly on the right path’
Sean Holmes, director, The Sea (2000), Rescued (2011) and Chair Games (2012)
I went to visit him at his home when he was directing The Sea at Minerva in Chichester. The lower half of his house was dreary, covered with trees, and had a low, dark ceiling; As expected from Edward Bond. Then he took me upstairs to an attic room, and when we went upstairs there was a peacock on the windowsill. The upstairs was full of light, color and plants, and there were peacocks in the garden. It was Edward; it was both things.
He was uncompromising on the right path. It came from naivety and the pursuit of something solid and concrete. When we did Saved at the Lyric Hammersmith and then The chair Plays he was there for 80-90% of the rehearsals and the whole organization had the most creative experience. One of the people I texted when I heard of his death was Claire Bryan, who is still a stage manager at the Lyric. I thought of her immediately because I knew she would never forget the six months we spent with Edward. We all upped our game because he expected it. And he expected this because he believed there could be no democracy without drama. She believed this was vital and important.
Relating to: Edward Bond: ‘Our theater trivializes or generalises; both are a form of vulgarity’
There was an evening rehearsal where we did the famous satire scene of the baby scene. He asked if he could lead. He walked everyone through the process and explained at the beginning of the scene that no one would stone a baby. Nobody even thought about it. There are 60-70 events that resulted in stoning in those 10 pages.
It was great to watch him talk to the young players and that stayed with me. I’m currently playing King Lear in Tokyo and I tell the players at the beginning of the game that Cornwall and Regan won’t put anyone’s eyes out. But all the same, one thing leads to another and we suddenly find ourselves in hell.
Edward said: “As far as I know, no group of youths has ever stoned a baby. It’s not a documentary. It’s a metaphor. If you oppress the poorest people, if you bully the weakest people, they will seek out those weaker than themselves to bully and oppress.”
As you tighten up production you always lose time between the premiere and press night, but with Saved we added half an hour to that. He said: “No, the silences are not long enough. “They’re not painful enough.” And he was right again.
We were sitting on the Lyric stage before the press night. I gave the ‘fight them on the beaches’ speech you gave at the press night, then I asked if he wanted to say anything. He went around to each person and told them about something they did on the show that he really liked. Everything he said was spot on. He was very honest and generous. I looked at them all and thought: “They are going to ruin the press night. There will be no nerves because Edward Bond believes in them.” And they gave an amazing performance that night.
‘He liked to be controversial and make the audience think’
Marianne Faithfull, actor, Early Morning (1968)
In 1967, I played Irina in the film Chekhov’s Three Sisters at the Royal Palace with Avril Elgar and Glenda Jackson. I think Edward knew me through William Gaskill, the artistic director of the palace and a very good friend of mine. Early Morning was very controversial but I thought it was great. Edward was great. I don’t know why he got the reputation of being unapproachable because I don’t remember him that way. I remember him as a good writer.
The play had been banned by the Lord Chamberlain’s office and was visited by the police on the first night. I thought it was stupid and everyone knew it was stupid. The Lord Chamberlain’s office was finished, thank goodness it was nearly finished.
I was playing Florence Nightingale, who had a lesbian relationship with Queen Victoria, played by Moira Redmond, but I didn’t really care about the controversy. I think that’s what Edward wanted. He loved to create controversy and make the audience think.
It was a great time for the court and for me to be involved in that moment. The atmosphere was exciting and people knew something was happening. It was one of the best times of my life. There was so much going on, including me. I liked it. I don’t know if I feel like Early Morning is part of a movement of young people changing the world, but I think it probably is.
‘A true artist’
Tanya Moodie, actor, Playing Chairs (2012)
I love thorny and difficult people because I am irrepressibly cheerful and challenge myself to tear down the walls that have been built. Edward would look grumpy and I’d say something like: “Oh, come on, why don’t you have that frown on your face?” I treated him like my uncle. I had incredible love and respect for him.
With age comes wisdom if you care and persevere. He was one of those people. When I found out he had passed away I thought: “Oh, I’ve lost Peter Brook, Peter Hall and now Edward.” I’ve worked with these people who convey everything, the weight of all their experiences, when I’m in their presence.
As an actor, I loved every word. The images in his plays create an oppressive environment, but although they were dark, the characters were complex and nuanced. I imagine it’s like being a musician playing in a symphony, something you’re immediately immersed in. It was very smooth. Nothing felt forced. Nothing felt overly cerebral. I never felt energetically drained or tired. There was something inherently hopeful about it.
He was very quiet and didn’t always do flashy things. It just did the job. He was truly an artist.
‘He had an excellent ear for comedy’
Simon Callow, actor, Restoration (1981)
He brought together a group of actors, including myself, Irene Handl and Philip Davis, to perform the Restoration at the Royal Court. It’s a bit politically incoherent, but it’s cleverly designed and the writing is excellent. We thought it was a great play, but as a director we couldn’t please him at all. He believed there was only one way to play his games and that he held the key to that path. But unlike Brecht, who was both a remarkable playwright and a master of the theatrical arts, Edward was not, and this was a tension that prevailed throughout his career.
However, I came face to face with another man. I discovered that underneath this seriousness, the stage was shot. He was a passionate lover of the theatre, but his principles forced him to deny the sensual pleasure of the theatre.
I think he is an extraordinary playwright. Its range was remarkable. He was also a great comic book writer. Years before I met him, I performed in his play Narrow Road to the Deep North in Edinburgh. Incredibly funny. He manages very well to transition from comedy to tragedy at the end of the play. He had a very good ear for comedy if he wanted to make a living from sitcoms.
He was a poet, a writer of deep imagination and someone in touch with deep creative emotions. I admired him so much and wished I hadn’t found him so impossible.
‘Disturbing, eccentric and necessary’
Richard McCabe, actor, Bingo (2012)
Although he was often underestimated in his own country, he was one of our important writers. I did Bond for the first time at drama school. What struck me immediately, and later when I did Bingo at the Young Vic, was that he didn’t waste a single syllable. He is a very sensitive writer. Every word is taken into account and weighted. This makes his games very intense. This is a challenge for audiences who prefer movie theaters to be easily accessible and nicely packaged. They require focus and concentration.
He is the god of a kind of left polemical theater and writer who unfortunately no longer seems to exist. Sometimes disturbing, sometimes eccentric, but full of substance, thought-provoking and necessary. In his absence, the theater will become poorer, digging its foundation into the ribs.