John died suddenly at his home in early June 2023. He was our current Stage Director. Although his speciality was designing and operating lighting for productions, his responsibility was staffing all aspects of plays which he did very efficiently, holding meetings with directors to ensure they fully and properly had all the necessary posts filled. Additionally, he was responsible for training new staff in backstage roles.

He first appears in the Club archives for 1993, lighting The Cherry Orchard. Only occasionally involved for a while, he greatly increased his efforts from 2006 onwards: seven plays from 2006 to 2009 and then 21 from 2009 to 2014 to a total of 51. His appetite for the job of lighting design and operation is reflected this season, where he appeared on the programmes for Blackadder Goes Forth, Matilda Jr, Treasure Island and Calendar Girls.

His quietly reserved personality masked his enthusiasm and skill, and he was always happy to be involved in the social side of our hobby. His Father Christmas beard was a reassuring presence at rehearsals. His immobility, the result of an accident, was overcome with the support of a team of lighting experts who assisted when he needed to be using ladders to roam around the lighting rigs. Like so many of our ‘techies’, he was committed and hardworking, enjoying the work and the company. We are grateful for his efforts, and we will miss him.