My favourite memories of City Hall are the dances in the Annex, the Ballet’s on stage, the Fatstock shows, the Police Ball, Operas, the Guides & Scouts Fair and the variety show ‘Bits and Pieces’.
Roughly in 1948, when I was a little girl, my family went to the circus. 70 years ago. Well, a Lion got out and passed between us – what a memory!
I remember doing ‘Old Thyme’ musical on the old stage when it was the market in the 1970s.
I liked Joseph and the musicals. It was really good.
Hall for Cornwall is synonymous with my son – Dandy Dan in Bugsy, Claypole in Oliver, Backstage crew, Jack in Jack and the Beanstalk, and Bottom in Play for the Nation.
I have memories of the Cornwall Young Farmers club’s Christmas dinner and dance in the 1960s. The Hall still had the pillars either side. Truro Fatstock shows. Brenda Wootton concert in the 1970s.
In 2000, all Cornish school children were given a book on the History of Cornwall. I was part of the team and presented it to Prince Charles.
I remember coming as a child to hear my mother’s headmistress, Blanche Watkiss, play the piano at an elderly age, and she forgot her music halfway through! This was the 1950s or 60s. She was head at the boarding school in Newquay. Thelema – now Phelema. I remember the hall as very dark with deep seats, we were very small.
As a HFC Steward from 1997-2017, the memorable shows I have seen are anything by Kneehigh Theatre, Ballet Rambert (especially the Rolling Stones dances), Stomp. There were fantastic bands. Hot Chocolate stands out. Stewards were dancing in the back row. The Chinese state circus. Russian Ice Dancers, Barnum, The Nutcracker. Also I remember the opening. The week before the shows started, I took crates and sold the first programmes.
Dancing on Ice, I’m in awe as to how they can do what they do, at such speed, in a small space. The first one, the lead Ballerina came out in Ballet shows en pointe on the ice. We expected she would slip and slide but she didn’t! We came back for the solid 60s each year. Freddie and the Dreamers, The Tremaloes, Marty Wilde. My aunt used to do shopping for Marty Wilde’s grandmother.