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programme. So he used an alias Harry
Gray but he was seen and was reported to
his employers and was duly sacked.
Two years later in Altrincham
Cheshire Henry John Flay a resident
and business man was involved with the
“Altrincham Garrick Society”. Their first
production was “The Silver Box” in 1914
and the scenery was hired from the Gaiety
Theatre Manchester.
Amateur theatre is an integral part of our lives and has been since the ancient Greeks. I will leave you with something to consider. It is the
quote from
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
that was used as the strap line for the Gaiety programme …
“Our true intent is all for your delight”
The Border Studio started as a ‘bright
idea’ in 1961 of Leslie Garner and what
has followed since then have been years of
hard work, aiming to design and produce
spectacular, professional standard sets which
have brought The Border Studio to where it
is today – well established as not only one of
the longest running businesses of its kind in
the UK, but also one that is held in the highest
regard.
The Border Studio is known for its
creatively designed, handcrafted sets and for
its spectacular, and ever-growing selection of
backcloths, all of which are hand painted on
site by the resident scenic artist. Even a few
of Les’ original cloths are still regularly hired
out, albeit with some careful renovation!
The Border Studio prides itself on being
able and equipped to design and build nearly
anything within their custom renovated
premises, which feature a specialist paint
frame, carpenters’ shop and paint shop. It
could be a giant gold Buddha, an exploding
pantomime car, or even a saluting Nazi pigeon
for
The Producers
, and this is a testament not
only to the skill and dedication of its staff, but
also to Les’ lasting legacy.
Les was a talented craftsman who spent
nearly all his life honing his skills as a scenic
artist – and even after retirement he continued
to paint daily. Born in North London, Les
spent years painting backcloths and scenery,
having attended night classes at Art College
in his youth. He started out painting for the
Ralph Reader Gang Shows, and for Moss
Empires until eventually he rubbed shoulders
with many famous entertainers whilst painting
for the London Palladium, and the Royal
Command Variety Shows. It was at the
Palladium that he met Erte the designer, as
well as a young Julie Andrews!
Along with an obvious theatrical and
creative flair, Les was also fond of a good joke.
In his younger years he shocked his mother as
he decorated the hot water boiler with a large
ornate Chinese dragon instead of the traditional
‘lick of paint’ she had requested, and on one
infamous occasion even disappeared for two
weeks – having spontaneously joined the crew
of a banana boat set for the Caribbean!
These talents were all put to good use
during the War however, as he utilised them to
help boost morale amongst the troops, drawing
amusing caricatures of war figureheads, and
once, when he wassheltering overnight in
a German farm, all the pigs mysteriously
developed patterns of gold stars across their
coats – much to the farmer’s surprise!
He continued to paint professionally after
the war, working at the George Black Studios
in Brighton and it was here he recognised a
significant gap in the market for a professional
scenery hire company in Scotland. Up to
this point, most theatres relied on in-house
teams to design and construct their sets, and
amateur companies
could rarely get their
hands on specially
painted scenery or
backcloths – instead
depending on having
a willing joiner or
craftsman to lend a
hand!
From this light
bulb moment, and
with £500 from a
supportive
bank
manager,
The
Border Studio was
born, operating first
from a small garage
in Selkirk – the
Scottish Borders hometown of his beloved
wife, Muriel, and later moving to a larger
disused woollen mill as demand increased. To
date, the Border Studio has upgraded to larger
premises 3 times, and now operates from a
36,000 sq ft converted woollen mill, and still
remains in Selkirk.
His daughter Kate joined him in the firm in
1979, continuing to help grow the business and
increasing the staffing to help cope with the
huge demand for their quality sets. Previously,
Les had always operated as a one-man band,
and he continued to play an active part in the
business until well into his seventies, and
continued to enjoy the satisfaction of seeing
the fruits of his hard work continue to thrive.
Earlier this year, Kate’s youngest daughter
Tamsin joined the business, taking it into its
third generation. The Border Studio continues
to look at its heritage and strives to continue
producing its creative, handcrafted sets
and exceptional backdrops, but this new
development also has The Border Studio
looking to its future and the many opportunities
that are on the horizon.
Keeping up with the new social and digital
age The Border Studio is now on Facebook
and Twitter, where our pages are regularly
updated with pictures of our new sets and
cloths, photos from recent shows, as well as
a few funny goings on from inside the Studio
itself, which reflect the theatrical nature of the
company.
We also have a brand new website
being launched shortly. It will reflect our
Focus on …
Village Scene from
Beauty and the Beast